How to make a coat

1. Materials & tools

Materials (size M)

• Outer fabric (wool, tweed, quilted) — about 150 cm wide × 300 cm (59 × 118 in)
• Lightweight fusible interfacing — about 90 cm wide × 120 cm (35 × 47 in) for the front and back facings
• Buttons, 2–2.5 cm — 7 (8 for LL)

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Adult clothes” → “Coat” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter bust, shoulder width, length, sleeve length, cuff circumference, neckline width, ease, overlap width and hem flare. Presets cover S to LL. The sleeve length is measured from the shoulder point to the cuff.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   Trace the back (on the fold), the fronts, the sleeves, the front facings and the back neck facing (on the fold). Transfer the underarm, sleeve-head and button notches.
2. Cut
   Cut one back on the fold, two fronts, two sleeves, two front facings and one back neck facing on the fold.
3. Interfacing
   Fuse lightweight interfacing to the wrong side of the front and back facings. The buttonholes go through the facing and the front together, and the interfacing keeps them from stretching.
4. Finish the edges
   Serge or zigzag the shoulder, side, underarm, hem and cuff allowances, and the outer edge of the facings (the edge that is not sewn to the body).

4. Sewing

Sewing steps in pictures 12 steps, one at a time

4-1. Sew the shoulders

1. Place the fronts and back right sides together, sew both shoulders and press the allowances open.
   See it in pictures
2. Join the front facings to the back neck facing at the shoulders in the same way and press open. The facing now runs all the way round the neckline in one piece.
   See it in pictures

4-2. Attach the facing

1. Place the facing on the body right sides together, matching the shoulder seams and the front edges. Sew in one run from the hem of one front edge, round the neckline, to the hem of the other front edge.
   See it in pictures
2. Clip the neckline allowance every 1 cm (⅜ in) and trim the top front corners diagonally.
   See it in pictures
3. Turn the facing to the inside and press, rolling the edge about 1 mm to the inside so the facing does not show from the front.
   See it in pictures
4. Hand-tack the facing to the shoulder seam allowances with a few stitches.
   See it in pictures

4-3. Set the sleeves

1. Run two rows of long gathering stitches in the sleeve-head allowance. The sleeve head is slightly longer than the armhole (the pattern note gives the amount).
   See it in pictures
2. Pull up the threads to curve the head like a shoulder, match the center to the shoulder seam and the ends to the underarm, and sew right sides together. Spread the fullness either side of the top.
   See it in pictures

4-4. Sew the sides and underarms

1. Place front and back right sides together and sew from the cuff to the hem in one run.
   See it in pictures
2. Line the seams up exactly at the underarm before you sew. Press the allowances open.
   See it in pictures

4-5. Finish the cuffs and hem

1. Turn up 4 cm (1½ in) at the cuffs and slip-stitch.
   See it in pictures
2. At the bottom of each front edge, fold the facing back out so it lies right sides together with the body, and sew across the width of the facing on the hem line, 4 cm (1½ in) from the edge. Trim the corner and turn it through.
   See it in pictures
3. Turn up the rest of the hem by 4 cm and slip-stitch, then slip-stitch the bottom of the facings to the hem.
   See it in pictures

4-6. Buttons

1. On the upper front, work horizontal buttonholes at the center-front notches, starting 3 mm beyond the center front toward the edge.
   See it in pictures
2. Sew the buttons on the center front of the other front, and the coat is done.
   See it in pictures

✏️ The sleeve head is deliberately a little longer than the armhole so it follows the curve of the shoulder — this is called easing. Gather it first, then sew. Stretching the armhole to match puckers the sleeve head.

5. Tips & variations

• Adding a lining: cut the lining from the front minus the facing width, and from the back and sleeves as they are, then sew it to the inner edge of the facings. It slides on more easily over other layers.
• Press as you go: pressing every seam open as soon as it is sewn is what gives the coat a crisp finish.
• Grade the allowances on thick fabric: where allowances stack up (the front edges and neckline), trim the two layers to different widths so no ridge shows.
• Edge-stitch for a crisp finish: topstitching close to the front edges and neckline settles the facing and sharpens the look.