The Making of Lorelle's Bright Blue and Black Wool Winter Coat

The weather has been very cold recently- perfect for making coats! Recently I had fun creating a bright blue and black coat for Lorelle. As you may have seen in some of my previous postings, I put a lot of effort and time into making my designs- this is what sets my designs apart from many other designers out there.

Since it is so hard to tell people how much work is involved in these coats, I thought I would show you...



I decided to give this coat something extra, by placing embroidery down the seam lines in black- to contrast the bright blue.





Each button hole takes many steps: working out where they will sit, making the piping, sewing the piping to the outside of the coat, clipping, hand stitching the piping down. Then once the coat is finished, I need to hand stitch the inside to the piping, to open up the button holes.





I place pockets in each coat, on the side seam.




Each Penelope Red coat has many layers; outer layer in wool, interfacing (above), interlining in cotton (below) then a silk lining.



Some of the design details: contrasting shaped panels, embroidery, and pleating and fur trims.



Attaching the fur above, and attaching the collar below.



With so many layers, it is always important clip, notch, and trim all side seams.





Above, sewing the lining, and below shows how the embroidery is done- by my fantastic machine!



I do a lot of hand sewing in my coats- one of the reasons why they take so long to make, but it also means you are getting a truly unique and beautiful product. How many designers do you know have hand sewing in anything?


I hand sew all the seams flat, to make sure they sit flat and stay beautiful for a life time.



When the coat gets to this stage it really is exciting! Above, I am attaching the front outer side to the front inner side, which means I am almost finished!


...And the finished product! Lorelle was so excited that she had to wear it out straight away!

Teena's Black, Red and White Winter Tailored Coat: A one- of a kind design!

A few weeks ago, I received an order for one of my Winter Tailored Coat's. I met Teena at The Rocks Markets, where I took her measurements, then we discussed colours. We agreed on a palette of black and red with a hint of white. Since Teena lived in Perth, and I lived in Sydney, the fabric samples to were posted to Teena, and once approved, the coat became a reality!

The photos below show some of the steps taken to create this beautiful hand made, one of a kind coat...


Cutting out the Red silk lining



Cutting out the black wool


Sewing the black wool pieces together (above), and sewing the red wool and cotton interlining together. I add interlining to all of my coats to give it extra warmth and durability.



I decided to add white/ivory piping to the design, as it really made the red and black contrast and stand out even further. It gave the colours a dramatic edge and oomph! I made the piping from some cotton roping and ivory silk, cut on the bias.




As you can see above, the piping really makes the red and black stand out! I like it how it also makes a very graphic and almost pop art look to the coat. This is a photo of the sleeve.

Below, the inside of the coat, where the side pocket sits.




Above, the finished side seam- including the pocket.


Sewing the white piping to the red wool, before it is attached to the black wool.


Above and below, creating red piping for the button holes. I decided to use red piping in this case, as the buttons are already black and white, and I thought if I used white piping, there would be too much white in that area, and the buttons would not stand out enough.



Creating the welt button holes. I always make big stitching lines to guide me, then I sew in place the piping. Just to create this part of the button holes takes me around 90 minutes for about 5 button holes- then I still need to hand stitch the seam allowance of the piping down, and finish off the under side of the button holes. A very time consuming exercise, but the finished product is well worth it!


Sewing the interfacing to the bottom of the red wool- this is for the hem, and it makes it sit nicely every time you wear it!



I apply the fur collar to the lining, so I need to hand stitch the collar seam allowance down, otherwise it will not sit flat.


A little extra added detail: I decorated the lining with white embroidery!


And the finished product!....


And a few lovely comments from the customer:

" The coat has arrived and it is absolutely perfect. It is beautifully made and your attention to detail is amazing. I really am thrilled with it. " from Teena in Perth


I am very happy with the finish of this coat- it was very hard sending it off- as I really wanted to keep it for myself!.... Luckily, it wasn't made to fit me!