Opium Coat — Worthy Design Studio

PROJECT: Big swooshy swing coat with really cool pocket details

PATTERN: The Opium Coat by Deer and Doe

REASONS FOR MAKING: My bump was getting bigger and my ‘Ophelia Coat’ was starting to get a bit too snug so I needed to new coat for the rest of Winter. I had this pattern about a year and not made it yet so I was looking forward to having the excuse to get it done.

FABRICS: 2 old Avoca blanket samples for the main fabric and a black silk lining kindly gifted to me by my Mother-in-Law.

TRIMS: 2 large snap fasteners from my stash

HOW TO: The first thing I needed to tackle was to see if I could actually get enough fabric out of the blankets for the coat to work. They were two slightly different weaves so although at a glance they look the same, side by side they definitely weren’t. This called for some planning so I went with the main body and collar in one blanket and then the sleeves and pockets in the other.

The great thing about this coat is that because it’s a raglan sleeve, it doesn’t need shoulder pads. Hurrah! One less fiddly bit to worry about. The only ‘tailor-y’ bit really is adding a stay tape to the lapel roll. I decided to use the selvedge edge of my interfacing since I never seem to have fusing tape when I need it. Though to be fair, I’m happy I went with this instead as I got to hand stitch it down which was kinda satisfying. Other than that, I guess since it’s a coat, you can’t dodge fusing the fabric. Ugh, I’m really not a fan of this job. It takes ages! But needs must.

The instructions bring you along smoothly which will help if it’s your first rodeo at welt pockets. My fabric was quite thick which meant a lot of bulk when turning the pockets but I think I just managed it.

As with any involved make like this, you just want it finished so you can wear it as soon as possible but I urge you not to skip the finer details. Be sure to press properly as you go along and to hand secure the cuffs and hem. There’s nothing worse than lumpy seams and having the hem hang down on your beautiful coat so go on, you’ve put in this much effort, don’t be tempted by short cuts. It’s worth it, I promise.

WHAT WENT WRONG: The pockets didn’t turn out quite as refined as I’d hoped. The fabric was just that bit too bulky to get nice crisp edges. I’d also suggest securing the snap fasters right the way through to the front panel on the coat, not just to the facing as the front seam keeps rolling away when I wear it. It’s an easy fix.

LESSONS LEARNED: While it’s nice to have a lovely cosy wool coat, if I was re-doing the pockets, I might just use a lining to back them rather than doing a double layer of the main fabric.

VERDICT: The Opium Coat has turned out to be a real winner for me since it’s keeping me and the bump nice and cosy throughout the winter. And it turns out my Mum had a coat almost identical to it back in the 70’s which she wore to my brother christening! She couldn’t believe it when she saw it!

This is my first go at a Deer and Doe pattern and I really enjoyed it. I’d be well on for making another pattern from their collections.