The Clef Coat is a relaxed fit coat meant for woven or stable knit fabrics.

Clef Coat Features:

• Two neckline options- stand collar or hood

• Two closure options- button/snap or zipper

• Drawstring or elastic hem

• Kangaroo pockets & breast welt pocket options

• Full bust option

• Meant for woven fabrics

As you can see, or maybe not see, I used the stand collar, button closure and didn’t use drawstring or elastic hem.

This fabric really does lend itself to using a design with drape so elastic or drawstring would have been an easy hem finish.

As you may realise by now, I overcomplicate patterns. Or you could say, I decide to add options for clothes I would buy for myself.

Jackets need pockets

I finagled welt pockets instead of kangaroo pockets.

You can also see I chose to overlock this jacket as well.

I did prewash this fabric and none of the colour ran in the wash.

Note to self, linen is awesome to sew.

When i sew jackets I’m a stickler for lined jackets.

Lined jackets are like sewing two garments together.

Seeing all the versions provides by Love Notions for this Cleft Coat pattern I embraced the whole unlined jacket concept.

Does that make me a jacket snob? I think it does.

How do you choose the version with the potential of many versions of Cleft Coat.

I raised the anxiety factor by deciding to add welt pockets without a pattern. When I get the chance, I’ll trace out this welt pocket I sewed and extend the opening to 15cm. It’s 12 cm and feels a bit snug, so I’ve learned something about pockets now.

As you know, the seam allowances are 1cm and I chose to overlock this jacket to see how it would turn out.

I must say overlocking a garment that isn’t stretch gave me a real buzz. Whizzing through the construction process was so different to my usual jacket sewing.

What I would suggest is you test your sewing machine’s buttonhole sewing on the lowest button. I found that I needed to sew the buttonholes in ‘the other way’ because the fabric bulk of the button placket to the jacket itself, interfered with the machine’s buttonhole function.

This print is really forgiving when you have to unpick and resew seams. You can’t tell what’s been reworked a few times because of the dark print.

On that point, being a dark print you don’t need to try and topstitch this fabric because you won’t see it.

Dark floral prints are your friend when you want to wear dark layers too.

Because this fabric is so vibrant, you could use any button and the buttons would still be lost on this print. Hence my using fairly large red buttons.

I like red for this print.