How to Sew a Coat

Some coats, such as fleece ponchos, are extremely easy to sew, while patterns that require cuffs, collars, linings, zippers or heavy materials will be more challenging. Be sure to pick a coat pattern that matches your sewing skills. You can find patterns and materials for many coats in most fabric stores. For advanced winter coats such as parkas, you may have to look online or in specialty fabric stores to find the patterns and waterproof or insulated materials you need.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• coat pattern
• fabric
• lining fabric (optional)
• matching thread
• buttons or zipper
• interfacing (optional)
• scissors
• iron
• ironing board
• straight pins
• sewing machine

Sew a Coat

1. Choose a coat pattern you like that has all the features you want, such as a hood, pockets, a collar, cuffs or a belt.

2. Select fabric for the coat, using the guidelines on the pattern envelope to figure out how much fabric you need and what type to use. Polar fleece is great for simple coats. Fleece, wool and corduroy work well for pea coats, while trench coats can be made from gabardine or poly-blends, or even satin for fancy evening coats. Nylon or vinyl raincoat materials work well for coats that need to be more waterproof.

3. Buy fabric for the lining of the coat, if needed. Lining fabrics are usually lightweight, such as polyester or nylon, but for some coats, they may be the same as the outside fabric.

4. Choose thread that matches the fabric, as well as any other materials you need such as buttons, a zipper, interfacing or drawstrings for the hood. Some coats, such as fleece pullovers, use only a short zipper at the top, while other coats need a separating zipper that can open at the bottom. Pea coats and trench coats tend to use one or two rows of large buttons, and some coats may close only with a belt.

5. Cut out the pattern pieces for the coat, using the cutting line for the size you need. Unless the coat is closely fitted, you may want to make the coat a size bigger than your other clothing, so that it will easily fit over other layers of cold weather clothing.

6. Smooth out the patterns. You may want to press them gently with a low-temperature iron to get out the all the wrinkles.

7. Adjust the length of the coat and sleeves if needed, using the lengthening or shortening lines on the pattern. Make sure to leave enough extra length for the hems.

8. Follow the cutting guide in the pattern directions to pin the patterns to the fabric and cut out the pieces. If the coat has several different styles (such as an optional hood or a choice of collars), make to sure to cut only the pieces you need.

9. Follow the directions that came with the pattern to sew the pieces of the coat together.

Tips & Warnings

• When choosing a coat pattern, make sure to look at the cut of the coat to see how fitted or loose it is, and how difficult it will be to sew.
• Use caution when working with scissors, pins, irons and sewing machines.

Resources

• Here are a few free coat patterns.