My October Minerva Make – Sewaholic Robson Coat
I MADE A COAT!
Sewaholic Robson Trench Coat
This is the Sewaholic Robson Trench coat, which I have wanted to make ever since the pattern was released. The pattern was kindly given to me by Simona in a pattern swap, and the fabric and notions were supplied by Minerva Crafts. I chose a navy polka dot cotton canvas for the coat, and contrasting red buttons, red binding and red topstitching. The canvas was a great choice for this coat – easy to work with but reassuringly weighty. The fabric is only 45″ wide, so I ordered a whopping 6m, and used approximately 5.5m of it.
Sewaholic Robson Coat – back view
It took me about three weeks to make the coat, which is a long time by my standards. There are a lot of pattern pieces – I think I had to cut out 29 pieces of fabric! Just cutting the pattern and then the fabric and interfacing took me about five hours and I used two entire boxes of pins!
Welt pockets!
I made some changes to the pattern:
- A lot of people in the sewing blogging community have made this coat, and on the majority of them I observed that the front storm flaps stuck out a lot, so I altered the pattern piece to take out some of that excess fabric, otherwise the flaps would have really annoyed me.
- I underlined the sleeves (the lining fabric was from Leicester market and not supplied by Minerva). I wanted the coat to slip on easily over whatever I wear.
- I cut the interfacing so that it didn’t extend into the seam allowances around the collar. I knew from having made shirts before that attaching the collar was going to get tricky, especially with such a thick fabric, so I wanted to reduce bulk wherever possible.
- I bound my raw edges by sewing one side first and then the other, rather than folding it and sewing both sides in one go. It took longer, but was easier to control and the results are better. Incidentally, I ordered 15m of bias binding, and it was enough! The pattern envelope calls for 12 yards, but I noticed a few bloggers saying they ran out, so I wanted to be sure I’d have enough.
- I added a fourth button hole on the right front to match the left front because I’m a Libran and everything has to balance!
Flasher alert!
The construction of the coat, although time consuming, was not actually any more difficult than making a shirt. Sewaholic patterns have always been amongst my favourites because Tasia’s instructions are so clear, and this pattern did not disappoint. Part of what took so long in the making of this coat was the constant changing of threads: I had red topstitching thread, normal red thread for attaching the bias binding, and navy thread for actually putting the coat together. I also had different machine settings for my topstitching (higher tension, longer stitch length), so I had to remember to change the settings, too.
Another back view – open
I am really pleased with the finished garment. The length is perfect for me. It feels quite roomy, but it doesn’t look it on the photos so I think that’s a good thing. The only thing I’m not sure about is the length of the sleeves – I’m not sure if they’re a bit too long. If I decide they are, they certainly wouldn’t take long to alter, anyway.
Coat unbuttoned
This coat wouldn’t be much use in the rain, but for dry days it’s brilliant. It’s the kind of coat that if I saw someone else wearing it, I’d be all :”Ooh! I love that coat! Where is it from?”. I’m really proud of it.
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Great coat… I wonder if there’s something you could treat it with to make it water-resistant? I vaguely recall my (late) Dad – who was a Scout Leader; using some sort of liquid product to treat rain coats with! 🙂
Good idea. Actually, I thought I would have had to treat the fabric before sewing it, I never thought of trying it after!
It’s beautiful! My favourite Robson I’ve seen so far – it really suits you!
It is definitely very ‘me’! 🙂
Wow, this is stunning! I love the combination of the polka dots and red topstitching, and your seam binding looks fantastic. Hopefully the sleeves won’t wind up being too long for you. I actually like a little extra length in sleeves so my wrists don’t get cold. 🙂 Congrats on a beautiful project!
Thank you! I wore it yesterday and the sleeves seemed ok so maybe I will leave them longer after all.
Beautiful job!
Thank you!
Wow!! Love the coat! (& your dress underneath!) The binding on the inside is such a beautiful finish – you deserve to be proud of this – great job!
Thanks. The dress is a Colette Peony I made last year.
Very very smart coat!! I’m just starting a coat for my boyfriend so I completely understand what you mean about all the pattern pieces. I’ve just done the lining and I’m exhausted already!!
Ah, good luck with it then! Lining too, that’s a lot of work!
You should be proud of it! It is lovely eye catching and gorgeous. The detail on it speaks of awesome sewing skills! Its on my radar now 😉
I would fully recommend the pattern 🙂
Woweee! That is truly a thing of great beauty! I love the red detailing: it just looks so smart!
Thanks. Red was definitely the right choice!
Gorgeous! I love the navy/red combo!
I don’t know if they have it by the same name there, but “camp dry” is what it’s called here, and it’s a spray that you use to make things waterproof. You might need a couple of cans, but I think it would be worth it in your rainy climate!
Thanks. I agree it would be worthwhile. I’ll look into it!
Gorgeous! Well worth all the time spent.
Thanks Kerry. It certainly feels like a big achievement!
1.You look absolutely stunning in these pictures, seriously!
2.Dayum, those DM’s. Every time!
3. What a beauty of a coat.
When people are talking about waterproofing (or showerproofing) you can buy Aquastop spray from the supermarket, or there’s a product called Nikwax that does it too. Or, I have read that Comfort (as in the fabric softener!) works incredibly well! Of all things.
Thank you lovely lady! Actually these shoes are the Red or Dead ones but they are very similar to the DMs of glory 😉
Thanks for the tip re: showerproofing. I shall look into prices!
PS. Thanks again for the lippie which I am sporting in the photos xxx
Drycleaners used to showerproof coats – maybe they still do?
Ooh, good thinking!
Nice work, it looks very chic!
Thanks Sabs, I feel pretty good in it!
Oooh, gorgeous! Lovely colour combination and the time you’ve spent on it shows, it looks beautifully made. On the waterproofing front, I’ve used Nikwax to “reproof” an outdoor jacket, so that might be worth looking into.
Thanks for the recommendation! 🙂
Absolute knock out! I love the red accents against the navy, I bet you’re wearing it a ton at the moment?!
I only finished it on Friday, but, yep! And I can’t help telling everyone: “I MADE THIS COAT!!!”
Brilliant! I love the fabric/style and all the detail.Congrats!
Thanks Anne!
This is insanely brilliant! Please wear it on a local meet up so I can coo over it 🙂 You look fabulous x
I will, I promise! 🙂
This is the BEST Robson coat I have ever seen!! I love, love the navy dot fabric and accenting with red was genius! I may come and steal it….LOL!
Thank you! But please don’t steal it *installs tracking device* LOL
Your coat is magnificent! Like Sarah above said- the red accents are genius!!
Thank you! I wasn’t sure how well the topstitching would show up but overall I like the effect 🙂
This is amazing! I love the navy and red combination and good thinking with the storm flaps. Mine are a little bug and I’m thinking of tacking them down. You’ll get so much wear from this!
Thank you Claire. I love your version, too. Those hearts! I have a weakness for anything with hearts on it!
Wowsers! This is amazing! I LOVE the top stitching and the red buttonholes – very Sherlock! 😉
Thanks Lynne!
What a truly amazing coat…I take my hat off to your patience… and I love all the touches of red
Thank you!
Sooooooooo good. What a beauty. I started mine last spring and then left it languishing for the whole summer….this is making me want to get back to it!
Ooh, you definitely should! 🙂
Lovely! I really like the contrast stitching.
I have finished one of these recently too, but it has been too hot to photograph it for blogging!! I found it to be very roomy too and ended up taking it in over 4″ through the hips.
Looking forward to seeing it!
This is so lovely! What a classic shape and fabric! Epic win!!!
It is a classic!
Oh my gosh it’s sooooo good. I’m not sure I can resist stealing it the next time I see you!!
I will have to keep it firmly belted in place then! 😉
Hmm, I somehow haven’t seen this pop up in my feed. So I’m a bit late 😉 What an amazing coat. I love the colors, the red top-stitching and the pure perfection of the whole look! Soo cool!
Thanks Annika, I’m pleased with it.