You remember in this post that I said I had some un-blogged items? Well, this is one of those…. and it turns out that my cosy purple coatigan is perfect for the Siberian blast of cold weather that is apparently headed in the direction of the UK as I write this….talking of which, does anybody else love ‘The Day After Tomorrow’? It’s one of my favourite films. I love the scene where they run away from the impending super-cooled air. Anyway, I digress, because you’re here to read about my cosy knit aren’t you? Well, I hope so 😉
The fabric is a blended boucle knit that I bought from Weymouth, in Devon about 2 or 3 years ago. I’ve no idea what it’s made of but it feels soft and cuddly and drapes well. It was actually a holiday purchase. Do you buy when you’re on holiday? I always check out the area that I’m going to and Google all the fabric shops before I set off, then I sneak off and leave hubs and son while I go and play in amongst the fabric for an afternoon. I remember doing some serious damage to my credit card that day 🙂
I actually ended up having the fabric in my stash for a couple of years or so before I decided what to do with it and then eventually I settled on the idea of some form of cardigan, except when I saw how nicely weighty the fabric was to work with, I knew it could behave more like a coat and that’s how I usually prefer to wear it….as a light topper. With the aforementioned expected blast of cold weather though, I suspect I’ll be wearing it indoors layered over everything else in the next few days.
For a starting point, I adapted the cardigan design from Butterick 6258 which I already had in my pattern stash…It’s out of print now but you might be able to pick up a copy from Etsy, Ebay or Amazon. I omitted the neck bands totally, then just changed the fronts to how I wanted them (I’ll get to the ‘how’ bit in a minute). I worked on a size S throughout, with few size alterations and I just made the sides less ‘A’ line-shaped.
So what I did for the front sections, was to extend each front out to have a fold-back facing. The reason for this is that there’s a very definite right and wrong side of the fabric and I wanted the proper side to show as the cardigan hung open. I extended the pieces by about 12” and folded them right back. Mine was folded at an angle because I wanted my front edges to slope away from the centre so as a result, I have less facing width towards the hemline, At the top of the fronts the facing folds back as far as halfway along the shoulder line.
As you can see from this photo, I stitched around the front neck and turned it through for a neat finish. The lack of seams down the front edges makes them hang fluidly.
I stitched up all of the main seams using a narrow, short zig-zag setting and a walking foot on my machine. For a neat look on the insides, every single seam was finished off by mostly hand stitching a satin type lining fabric over it so that it looks nice and smart. I also used the lining folded double and stitched as a mini facing around the back neck edge. The same finish is all along the hem too, as you can see in the next photo. The lining and main fabric didn’t play very nicely together when being stitched on the machine, so that’s why I did a lot of sewing by hand. It was rather enjoyable to sit and quietly stitch though.
I love how my coatigan matches my jersey tube skirt, but I also like to wear it with my stone coloured legging type trousers seen in this post. It also looks nice with cream jeans as a Spring topper. Oh, and I can fasten it together with a large brooch at the waist for a more streamlined fastened up look too. Pretty versatile really.
Ok, so that’s it from me for this week. It’s been half term school holidays all week and I’ve not done any sewing at all (I’ve done a lot of eating though!), but stay tuned for a quick special post on Tuesday…till then, see you soon xx
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I do love a snuggly coatigan – kind of a secret dressing gown. Your boucle fabric is absolutely perfect for this gorgeous coat.
Author
Thanks, Sue…I like that description, ‘secret dressing gown’…like secret pj’s 🙂 I’m glad you like my fabric too. It does feel really nice to wear.
Darling coat with your skirt! That fabric is gorgeous – I’m drooling over here! This is the sort of coat I love to have in my closet because it’s easy to throw on with anything, and the weight makes it a all purpose topper.
Author
Ohhh, thanks for the lovely comment Linda. You know I think we have similar style tastes, don’t we? I’m pleased you like my knit.
Very lovely! I love the fabric, especially the colour is beautiful. It suits the style.
Author
Thanks so much Eli! That’s very kind of you to say.
The fabric is gorgeous color and all. A perfect match for your skirt too.
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Thanks, Faye, I think I need more purple in my life now that I realise how much I like it. Glad you do too!
Perfect versatile wardrobe staple right there! Love it 😍
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Thanks so much for stopping by Mel and thanks for the coatigan love 🙂
Oh I could just feel the cuddliness through your photos of your gorgeous coatigan!!! Also appreciate your sharing, and showing!, your construction details and enjoy learning from you. 🙂
Author
What a lovely thing to say. Thank, you Lisa! xx
What a beautiful and handy garment! Beautifully made.
Author
Thanks so much Elle x
I love this colour, I don’t think I’ve seen you wear purple much and it looks really good on you! It’ll definitely come in handy this week too 😉
Author
Thanks, Helen! Yes, I do love a heathered purple but for some reason haven’t got much in my wardrobe. I find it hard to find the tone of purple that is my sweet spot. Not too dark or saturated.
Blimey I could do with your cardigan today! It’s lovely Diane. Stay warm.
Author
Hehe, I know bloomin’ cold today! Thanks Maggie xx
Your coatigan is gorgeous, it’s so stylish! And I love the fabric too.
Author
Ohh, thanks so much Lynne!