Sienna Maker Jacket by Closet Core Patterns

I ogled this pattern as soon as it came out.  Needed to do a lot of thinking before I ordered it, because it’s boxy/baggy, and that’s not my usual thing … but …there’s a belt to cinch it in.  And there are all those cute pockets that I will never use, but look so “neat”.  I finally ordered it, as well as the D-rings that you need for the pattern – times 2, because if I’m going to spend serious money on a pattern, it is definitely going to be used more than once.

That was last summer.  It was October by the time I actually got around to this pattern.  Other things got in the way.   The weather was still warm enough, and I thought I just might get a few wears of my new linen coat before the weather turned.  Not so.  By the time I finished (lots and lots of precision stitching on this one) it was definitely way too cold for an unlined linen coat.  It was relegated to the closet until the weather warmed up after a long slog through winter.

Fabric – a fairly stiff linen. Colour - oatmeal – which made it a dickens of a thing to take pictures of.   Not all linen softens up after washing.  Of course I prewashed and dried it in the dryer, but that didn’t really do much to soften it.  This linen was ordered for a class on embroidered tablecloths, as I remember, but – there was rather a lot that went unsold, and I just had to rescue a few metres to sit in my stash for a while.  Because it’s so stiff, I did not use any interfacing.  If this linen ever softens up enough that the collar and the lapels stop behaving properly – guess I can always give it a few spritzes of starch.  As for distorting – don’t think so – so much topstitching and edge stitching keeping things in place – nothing’s going anywhere it shouldn’t. 

The fit is loose – very loose.  I could have probably done with the Size 2, but when I made the Kelly Anorak, the size 2 felt a little too close on the shoulders – not comfortable if one is supposed to be able to stuff a layer or two under the jacket.  (Which was my thinking back in October, when I was sewing this.)  So I went with a size 4.  If we're going bigger - might as well go bigger all the way.  And - I just wasn't in the mood for fiddly fitting.  Didn’t know if I would be happy with this decision, but now I’m living with it, and that’s that.  (I can definitely get this over a bulky sweater.)  I should have made some sort of small bust adjustment, i.e. taken out my usual inch on the horizontal across the front.  Alternately – I could have moved the opening thingy for the belt up a bit.  I did neither.  So when the belt is wrapped around me, there’s some “pooling” of fabric above the waist.  This is a loose jacket/coat – I’m not going to quibble.  And mostly I’ve been wearing the coat undone.

Belt on the inside.

Which brings us to the question – what to do with that rather long belt when it’s not being used for its intended purpose?  Well, you can roll it up and stuff it in the pocket.  Didn’t like that option.  After a few wears with safety pins holding the belt on the inside, I made belt loops inside at each of the seams, and I just thread the belt through and pull it out of the little opening to the outside.  Seems to work just fine.

Inside view  - belt carriers.

Got to use the cute little bar tack on my machine!

Decided to go for the bias tape finish on the armhole.

Love this coat.  It goes to the grocery store.  It goes for walks – well, at least when the weather isn’t too disgustingly hot and humid.  Lovely big pockets to hold my phone (so I can listen to my audio book enroute) and keys.

Having spent a fair amount of time on the first Sienna and not having the satisfaction of actually wearing it right away - I was determined to fix this problem.

Fall/winter Sienna

Promptly cut it out in a wool/cotton/something mix.  Left off all the little pockets.  Made the big pockets lie flat.  (They stick out a bit on the original.)  Left off most of the topstitching.  Lined it in flannel-backed lining – of which I didn’t have enough – using scraps – so had to do a little creative piecing.  Made a separate belt and belt carriers on the side seams.

"Interesting" piecing on the lining.

Lots of room under this for sweaters. Very definitely a grab and go coat. It was probably my most worn coat over the winter season.

There’s another one planned – I did buy 2 sets of D-rings!  Initially, I thought that I would make all three views of this pattern.  When that will actually happen – who knows.