McCalls pattern 7695 has been in my stash for a while. As has this prequilted fabric I’ve used bought from Elliot Berman Textiles in NYC in 2015. I’ve now had tweaked this pattern for a useful cool climate layer.

One aspect I should have done at the outset was plan enough room so I could wear this coat over a few bulky layers. This final version is cosy and comfy. All the changes I’ve made to McCalls 7965 make this coat work were only made after I sewed this coat following the pattern and then I wore it for a couple of weeks. A garment has to work so my unpicker and I have a solid relationship. Our ongoing partnership makes make every garment fit better.

Having said that, I made size 12 and kept the jacket length as is. As a short person, keeping the coat length as is, has its benefits and this pattern fit my need to be covered to stay warm.

What did I change?

Bigger pockets: The pockets are 30% larger than the pattern. Coat pockets have to fit gloves and phones so the pattern pockets are fine to only fit your hands. They do need to be made larger to have a coat that gives you storage in the cold when your hands are chilled and don’t work properly.

Pocket placement: The other pocket change I made was I checked where the pockets are placed on the pattern and brought the pockets up to sit where I could reach into the base of the pockets, if that makes sense. Again, this adjustment was to have pockets that work.

Broader back: I did wear this jacket as is in the basic size 12 and it was a snug fit. The fit is fine but not when I wore 2 bulky layers under the coat. This fabric is firm so when I decided to cut the centre back of the jacket and insert another 12cm in the width of the jacket, this became a really easy alteration. Oh the relief I got from making this coat bigger was worth the effort.

Collar: The coat collar fit well and was easy to sew into this coat. However the collar kept sticking up into my chin and poked into my cheeks. It felt like someone was ‘pushing my buttons’ and being annoying. More importantly I couldn’t drive while wearing this coat because the collar was obstructing my view when I was about to change lanes. below you’ll see the collar on the earlier jacket I made? I used the same collar on the blue version of this coat.

The collar I used is 12cm wide and is basically a rectangle that fits into the new neckline. Remember that I had increased the neckline by 12cm at the centre back.

Conclusion:

Now that I’ve worked out how to use prequilted fabric, McCalls 7965 is a useful go to coat pattern for pre-quilted fabrics.

McCalls 7965 offers a side seam pocket option. I will avoid using the side seam pockets because side seam pockets on coats bulge open too easily. I’d lose my keys and phone too easily.

I will use basic square pockets for future coats so that I have great, functional pockets.