Swanndri Inspired Black Coat

Occasionally practicality has to win over pretty and this is certainly the case with my latest project.  It all started with the now former Ellerslie Flower Show in March.  It was a particularly cold, wet and uncharacteristically autumnal week which probably contributed to the demise of the show but it was certainly profitable for coat sellers.  Swanndri, a Kiwi institution, more known for clothing rural people than anything else were selling there outragously thick 100% wool duffle coats at a heavily marked down price.  Courteney bought one, but even marked down these coats were very expensive, although the quality is outstanding.  I decided then and there to turn the black wool blend coating in my stash into something similar. 

Simplicity 2508 was my starting point because I had such great results previously.  The beauty of this pattern is the endless possibilities for variations and I planned on taking full advantage.  The other thing I like about this coat is the raglan sleeves.  This means, should I want to, and I regularly do, that I can layer up underneath and am still able to have full movement of my arms.  Something that is not always possible with a set in sleeve.  I used the hood from the Sewaholic Minoru pattern and cut this slightly angled to attach to the neckline of the coat using Courteney's duffle coat as a guide.  Now because this fabric is quite light weight for our cold winters, I used left over polar and microfleece to interline it.  None of the pieces match but because it is sandwiched between my outer and my lining it won't be seen.  I lined it using leftover DKNYC lining from my Minoru coat and plain black satin lining for the hood.

The only change I made to the coat was to stitch the flaps down.

 After completing them, I felt they just looked a little busy and I didn't like seeing the black lining when they potentially blew up.  If I had left them as they were, I would have required buttons to hold them down and felt with the pockets, wrists and main buttons I already had plenty.  Oh, and on the subject of buttons, I did briefly consider buying buttons for this coat but couldn't resist raiding my rescue button stash.  Strictly speaking the front buttons don't match the sleeve buttons but they are so close as to be unnoticeable.

The length is great for driving while still being adequate to cover a long top.  The colour may be a little sombre but it goes with everything and I am certainly not going to complain about that!

It already has had a ton of use and is the first coat I grab when I leave for work.  It may not be the most flamboyant of coats but is probably one of my favourite projects to date this year.

In case you are unfamiliar with New Zealand, the location for my photos is the stunning historic Dunedin railway station.  There was a farmers market being held while these pictures were taken so we had to snap quick in between people, cars and even a tour bus crossing our path.  Being from a city that has lost its historic character, I now really appreciate the charm of these beautiful old buildings.  The old saying that you don't realise what you have until it is gone is sadly true.