Initially this project started with finding a simple suede jacket.
I wanted to improve the look to create something unique and lavish.
I have a large selection of fabrics and trimmings to use so starting with the base colour of the suede I gathered a collection of fabrics together.
I decided to create a large patchwork skirt to sew onto the bottom of the jacket to add length and make it much more coat-like.
To do this I needed to cut out a template for the skirt from paper (this involved a large amount of geometry!)
I then cut the fabric into rough quadrilaterals and laid them out on the pattern balancing the coloured and patterned fabrics.
The patches then needed sewing together. Initially I tried pinning them but this caused the patches to ruffle and not lie flat. So I improvised and used masking-tape to hold the patches together while I sewed them.
After sewing the seams needed reinforcing. On the front I sewed various pieces of vintage lace, ribbon, braid and other trimmings.
Then I needed to reinforce the back of the seams. I had some bias-binding but it was very bright white. So I toned it down by staining it with tea and then sewed it over the seam joins on the back of the skirt.
Next I made some cuffs for the jacket. I made the crochet lace for these in cream and dusky purple and then gathered them around the wrists of the sleeves and hand stitched them on. This was when I realised that a suede jacket would not make this project easy as I had to hand-sew everything to the suede as it would not go through my sewing machine!
After that I sewed the skirt around the bottom edge and added some more lace to help blend the skirt into the jacket.
I then moved on to embellishing and adding detail to the jacket. I covered the collar with red Chinese brocade and added more crochet lace. I also made a faux corset back from more Chinese brocade with metal rings and ribbon. I covered the pocket flaps with fabric shot with gold thread and trimmed them with red lace.
I then made some lace-trimmed fabric patches onto which I embroidered various motifs to further embellish the coat.
Final trimming involved lining the lapels with purple fabric and trimming the front edges with more lace as well as hemming and trimming the bottom of the skirt section.
Here are some pictures of the finished coat:
Pixie Creations 