Pattern Rating

reviews (14)

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  mollykg123 01 Sep 2007 10:16AM

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      100%

  its amazing i mae this coat and people thought i had bought it from the shops! love it!

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  girlndocs 19 Nov 2007 02:35PM

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      40%

  I've worked with this pattern long enough to finish my mockup/muslin and I have to say that although the coat is undeniably gorgeous the instructions aren't so great. It's not really such a complicated garment to put together: but figuring out the instructions certainly adds frustration and difficulty.

  Different descriptors are used for several parts of the coat (the pattern piece identified as "back facing" is referred to in the instructions as "back trimming" for example) and several pattern pieces aren't labeled at all (I still have a mystery piece I was unable to place; it has markings for "center front" and "top" but clearly no role in the collar or lapel construction). Although I've constructed collars before the instructions for doing it on this coat made me go Huh? before referring to the pictures and realizing it was just an inexplicably muddled way of describing the same process I'd used in the past.

  Folding the center front piece in on itself to form the lapel facing is counterintuitive; nothing wrong with it (it's an elegant and efficient way to get the job done) but it would have been helpful to have clearer instructions about it. The teeny tiny print on the pattern piece labeling yet one more straight line "facing fold" simply wasn't enough (especially since the facing was referred to in the instructions as "front trimming". I spent about 10 minutes searching for a nonexistent "front trimming" pattern piece before identifying the fold line and figuring out what I was meant to do.

  It's still unclear to me how the body of the coat is intended to be finished, since finished seams aren't used and the pattern calls for lining only the sleeves. Also, "wadding" (batting) is called for but I'm not sure for what, since batting for the sleeves is also called for.

  I can see that the instructions must have been translated into English from another language and this accounts for some of the strange word choices/changing names for pattern pieces. Maybe another proofreading is in order?

  Finally -- I don't understand why the pattern only goes up to a 44. I'm by no means the largest woman I know (I fall within Burda's range of sizes) and yet this coat is still too snug for me. Not everyone who wants to sew it or wear it will be pixie-thin.

  It's a lovely design and a beautiful coat which is why I rated it "Acceptable" instead of "Room For Improvement". It's just a shame feeling like I have to struggle against a pattern's instructions in order to sew it up.

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  yourgirlforrest 27 Nov 2007 12:19AM

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      40%

  so, i'm about to try to make this coat over my christmas break. right now, pre-attempt, i'll rate this two buttons. i'll keep you updated on my progress. i think the pictured one looks phenom though.

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  las723 28 Dec 2007 11:30AM

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      100%

  I loved this pattern. I agree that the instructions are kinda hard to understand, but just follow the lines and pay attention to the pattern piece titles then it's not too hard to do. Love it.

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  resi 04 Jan 2008 07:46AM

  Thinking about what to sew next...

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      100%

  I love this coat! It was a big chaos when i made it, but the end result is fantastic! I really had troubles to understand the instruction, but instructions of patterns are always difficult to understand!