I live on the Central Coast of California but grew up in Quebec where my family and many of my friends still live. My fashion photographer and I travel to Quebec every summer. This February my Mom was celebrating a landmark birthday so we decided to make our way up North. I have a parka that I would normally take for this type of trip but I wanted to see if I could make a coat that would be warm enough for cold and windy (read: FREEZING) weather. I succeeded.
I’ve had this wool fabric in my stash for a while. The fabric is loosely woven so I underlined it with Kona cotton. I do this to most of my light to medium weight coat fabrics. I find it adds stability. I lined the coat with Kasha lining (flannel backed satin) quilted with Thinsulate. I’ve quilted coat linings with Thinsulate in the past. It adds a little more bulk to a coat but it adds a lot of warmth and is lightweight. I also added a back-stay and sleeve heads. My go-to book when making jackets or coats is Jackets for Real People by Marta Alto, Susan Neal, and Pati Palmer.
We plan on moving to Canada in the next few years. My goal is to have an assortment of warm coats to get through the winter as comfortably and fashionably as possible.
No trip home is complete without at least one visit to Tissus Mode de l’Orme in Granby, QC.
One more picture just because I’m so pleased with my coat.
Which brand of thinsulate do you use? Can you pls tell me where you buy it? Thanks.
I buy my Thinsulate from Vogue Fabrics. It is a 3M product. I don’t remember what weight I used for this project.
Wonderful coat. It looks warm but not bulky.
About that fabric shop – it looks wonderful!
Your coat is gorgeous Lucy, well done! Fits you beautifully, and such a classic style. I love the fabric as well. Thanks for posting the info about construction as I’m sure it will be helpful to many (me included!).
Thank you Kathy. I’m hoping to show it to you in person 🙂
Love your coat! This very pattern was to be my winter coat as well … unfortunately, at present, I only have a non-winter coat that was the trial run. Question – did you add any closures on the inside to keep the fronts in place? Or is the belt doing all the work?
Thank you Irene. I added large snaps to fasten the coat. I used the button markings for positioning. I never make a coat without fasteners.
Lovely coat! Very nice style and fabric choice, too.
Thank you!
Great coat! Fabric and style are perfect.
Thank you Vicki.
That is a great looking coat, I like the fabric so much. Also, thanks for all the construction details.
Thank you Lori.
that looks great and I bet it feels cozy with the extra lining. I’ve used that same pattern twice for coats and it’s a really good one. everything about the proportions was perfect.
Thank you Beth. I love both of your coats made from this pattern.
As always. I love what you have made. I love that collar, I can just imagine bringing it up around my ears. It looks wonderful on you. Feel very envious of your visit to that store. By the way, great tips about the lining. Thanks.
Thank you Kim.
Hi Lucy,
That coat is wonderful! Love the fabric and style. The wrap style will go well with just about anything. Thanks for the information on the Kasha lining. That will be perfect to use here in Wyoming!
Thank you Karen. The Kasha lining is perfect for winter coats.
I think your coat looks great on and the lining plus Thinsulate was perfect for this coat to make it warmer. I could tell from your photo on PR that you were definitely not in sunny California. I hope your mother’s birthday was a great one.
Thank you Linda. I was nice to be there with family.
What a lovely coat and such a wonderfully informative post! I’ve been wanting to make a winter coat but didn’t know how to make it warm enough for our brutal Canadian winters, so thank you!!
Good luck with your move in a couple of years!!
Thank you. I also recommend a post by Closet Case Patterns on making warm coats. She lives in Montreal and understands the need for warmth.
Great job, Lucy, and thanks very much for describing your warmth and stability layers: very helpful. I’m surprised by your news that you will leave CA in the coming years… being from the South Bay, I’ve hoped our paths might cross at Britex or Stone Mountain and Daughter when I’m visiting home. But perhaps you will head to Canada for the same reason I returned to CA 15 years ago: when I thought my mom would benefit from my living closer. Now we are in the Upper MW, and I look forward to your having more winter projects in the future!
Thank you Joan. I’m still around for a few years so there is still a chance of our paths crossing. Please say hello if you see me.
I sure will 😉
The coat looks wonderful and warm! Quick question about the quilted Thinsulate — do you sew it to the Kasha (i.e. underline the Kasha with the Thinsulate) and then attach it to the coat fabric as a regular lining or do you sew it to the coat fabric and attach the Kasha as a regular lining? I hope that makes sense.
Thank you Zedie. I quilt the Thinsulate to the Kasha or any lining I’m using. I cut the lining a little bigger than the pattern piece and then quilt the Thinsulate to it. I cut the pattern piece once the Thinsulate is quilted because the quilting “shrinks” the lining a little bit. I hope that is understandable.
Oh! I absolutely love this coat!! And your Quebec setting really shows it off:). Interesting idea to line with Kona Cotton. I haven’t tried that but it makes perfect sense. Lovely fabric store photos too…
Thank you Linda.
I like how the coat turned out, stylish and warm, not easy to do both at the same time. It does sound cozy-warm.
Here’s a question about the coat. You put several layers in it. How did you deal with the size issue, keeping from having it end up too small? I had that problem with a warm coat once long ago.
As a fellow Californian, I will miss your my-climate-appropriate sewing when you do relocate, but I understand about going home.
Thank you Paula. I’ve added Thinsulate to 3 coats and haven’t had any issues with fit. I check the ease of the pattern before cutting my fabric and have always cut my regular size. It might depend on the pattern but so far I haven’t had any issues. As far as moving, we still have a few years in California.
Love your coat. In fact, I love everything you make. Do you go up a size when using an underlining, Kasha with quilted Thinsulate, or is there enough ease built into the pattern?
Thank you Patricia. I’ve lined 3 coats with Thinsulate and have always made my regular size and never had issues. I check the amount of ease for the pattern before cutting my fabric. I don’t add Thinsulate to the sleeves.
What a lovely coat. Thanks for the lining descriptions and book recommendation too. I’m drooling over that lovely shop you are in!
Thank you Barb. That fabric store is wonderful.