Coatigan Silvia

This is Coatigan Silvia from Schnittchen, which is an independent pattern company based in Munich. They have PDF and paper patterns, I got the PDF version. PDF patterns are normally a pain to fit together as they never align properly, but this pattern was as close to perfect as it gets so it was actually quite fun to assemble. The instructions were a bit minimalist, each step being only a few lines with no diagrams or pictures. There's a mention of a sewalong on Schnittchen's blog but I couldn't find one, I'm assuming it's just not up yet because Coatigan Silvia is a new pattern. Generally, this is a simple pattern and quite easy to sew but because the instructions aren't very detailed it's probably easier to follow if you've made a coat or jacket before. I struggled with some of the steps because I need pictures to understand even the most basic of instructions... Luckily I found Grainline's tutorial on bagging lining otherwise adding the lining would've been a lot harder.

I used a medium-weight, wool fabric and some sort of silk mix for the lining, and cut the smallest size. It fit well but the sleeves were a bit tight. This isn't the most structured coat, and it's purposely quite baggy and...cushy. The lapels kept sticking out so I attempted to top-stitch the entire edge of the coat, which I wouldn't recommend. It just doesn't suit the style of the coat, it's like trying to pin down something airy. I unpicked the top-stitch, which took ages but it actually helped fold everything down. But next time I would just have more patience and spend more time pressing everything down. I also closed up the pockets with a few slip stitches as when they opened they messed up the coat's silhouette. 

To be honest my opinion of my finished coatigan keeps changing. I think I picked the wrong fabric, I think a lighter colour would have looked better and maybe a lighter-weight wool would've helped the coat keep it's shape. Also, my lapels look uneven, I wish I restitched it because it's such a key part of the coat. Oh well, overall it's not so bad and I'm happier with it now I've removed the top-stitching. I will probably still wear it, but it won't replace my favourite waver jacket. I would recommend this pattern as my problems with it were more with the fabric I chose, and I don't think the style ended up suiting me! The only negative I have is the lack of pictures and details in the instructions, but that would be remedied by a sewalong, which hopefully will be on Schnittchen's (or uploaded by another sewer) blog soon.