Tailored Panel Coat
A knee-length women's coat, fitted at the waist and flared to the hem, with a front made of several topstitched panels, a turn-down collar on a separate stand, flap pockets and a buttoned half-belt at the back. Fully lined.
When To Wear
- In autumn and spring over dresses, skirts or trousers.
- For office and town wear in cool weather, buttoned up to the collar.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted through the bust and waist by vertical seams, widening from the waist to the hem.
Length: Knee length.
Collar: Turn-down collar sewn to a separate stand (upper and lower collar, two stand pieces); the front edges turn back into small lapels below it.
Sleeves: Two-piece set-in sleeves with an elbow seam, a vent at the hem and buttons on the vent; sleeve cap ease about 5 cm, shoulder pads and sleeve heads.
Front: Each front is built from a centre panel, a middle panel cut in an upper and a lower part, and a side panel; the seams are pressed towards the centre and topstitched 0.8 cm from the edge. Single-breasted, with buttonholes on a topstitched placket on the right front; four buttons are visible on the drawing.
Pockets: Double-welt (framed) pockets with a rounded flap on each lower front; flaps topstitched 0.8 cm from the edge on three sides.
Back: Centre back and side back panels joined by princess seams, a centre back seam with a vent, and a topstitched half-belt at the waist sewn on through all layers with buttons.
Finishing: Front edges and collar topstitched 0.8 cm from the edge; hem slipstitched by hand. Front panels, facings, collar and pocket parts are interfaced.
Lining: Full lining in the body and sleeves, attached to the front facings, the back neck facing and the vent; lining hem turned up twice and topstitched.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. Many front panels with a clipped corner seam, double-welt pockets with flaps, a collar on a stand set between the coat and the facings, a back vent, sleeve vents and a full lining.
Fabric Recommendations
Coating fabrics from natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing
- Shoulder pads
- Sleeve heads
- 23 buttons, 2–2.5 cm in diameter
Cutter's Must
From main fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Center Left Front – 1 piece
- Center Right Front – 1 piece
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Middle Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Middle Lower Front – 2 pieces
- Right Front Placket – 1 piece
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Waistband – 1 piece
- Upper Collar – 1 piece
- Lower Collar – 1 piece
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- Flap – 4 pieces
- Pocket Frame – 4 pieces
From lining fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Front Lining – 2 pieces
- Big Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- Smaller Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
Attention: back pieces from lining fabric are cut according to the main fabric patterns, subtracting the neckline facing.
From fusible interfacing:
- Center Left Front – 1 piece
- Center Right Front – 1 piece
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Middle Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Middle Lower Front – 2 pieces
- Right Front Placket – 1 piece
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Upper Collar – 1 piece
- Stand Collar (under stand) – 1 piece
- Flap – 2 pieces
- Pocket Frame – 4 pieces
- Waistband – 1 piece
Also, armhole areas on the back, garment hem, vent, and sleeve hem are interfaced.
Sewing Instructions
- Interface the pieces with fusible interfacing.
- Stitch the middle upper front to the side front. Press the seam allowance towards the middle and topstitch 0.8 cm from the edge. Stitch the middle lower front to these pieces. Press the seam allowance towards the middle and topstitch 0.8 cm from the edge.
- Stitch these pieces to the center front. Clip the seam allowance at the corner, press towards the center and topstitch 0.8 cm from the edge. Stitch the right front placket to the right front. Press the seam allowance towards the placket and topstitch 0.8 cm from the edge.
- Place the flap pieces together in pairs, right sides together, and stitch around. Clip the seam allowances at the curves, turn the pieces right side out and press. Topstitch the flap on three sides 0.8 cm from the edge.
- On the right side of the front, mark the pocket placement and the frame stitching lines, extending the marking line to the desired flap length. Fold the pocket frames in half wrong sides together and press. Mark an auxiliary line on the pocket frame for stitching it parallel to the fold. Mark an auxiliary line on the flap for stitching it parallel to the upper edge of the flap. Stitch the smaller pocket bag to the flap. Stitch the frames to the front. The ends of the stitches finish at the parallel pocket marking lines. Cut the pocket opening. Make diagonal cuts 1-1.5 cm from the end of the pocket. Turn the frames through the opening to the wrong side, straighten the edges, adjust the ends of the frames so that the pressed folds of the frames meet flush with each other. Secure the pocket corners from the wrong side with a double backstitch at the base of the corners. Insert the flap into the pocket and stitch to the upper pocket frame. Stitch the big pocket bag into the seam of the lower frame. Stitch the pocket bag edges.
- Stitch the panel seams of the back and front, press the seam allowances open.
- On the wrong side of the back pieces, interface the vent. On the right side, mark the center seam line (vent fold line). Press the left back along the vent fold line. Align the pieces along the center seam. Stitch the center back seam and the vent corner, stopping 1 cm before the vertical edge of the vent. Clip the seam allowance corner of the vent seam on the right. Press the center seam seam allowances open, press the vent seam allowances and secure them on the right side with machine stitching.
- Stitch the side and shoulder seams. Press the seam allowances open. Overlock the side seams.
- Stitch the upper collar to one stand collar piece and the lower collar to the other. Press the seam allowances open.
- Fold the collar pieces right sides together and stitch along the outer edge and side edges. Start and end the seam strictly at the marked line of the collar stand attachment seam. Turn the collar right side out and press.
- Stitch the shoulder seams joining the back neckline facing and the center front facings. Press the seams open.
- Overlock and press the hem allowance. Place the center front facing on the front, right sides together, pin and stitch along the edge. Stitching is performed upwards to the notch that defines the end of the collar attachment. At the mark, clip the seam allowance. Stitch the lower edge of the center front facing to the front strictly along the marked hemline, stopping 1.5 cm before the inner edge of the front facing. Turn the edges right side out, straighten the seams.
- Attach the upper collar to the neckline, and the lower collar to the neckline edge of the back neckline facing and center front facings. Press the seams open. Secure the collar attachment seam allowances close to the seams.
- Stitch the elbow seam of the sleeve and press it towards the upper sleeve. Finish the sleeve vent. Stitch the front sleeve seam and press it open. Run a line of short stitches along the top of the sleeve cap, gather slightly and press the ease flat (the sleeve cap ease is approximately 5 cm). Set the sleeves into the armholes, matching the notches. Attach the shoulder pads and sleeve heads.
- Sew the lining pieces in the same way as the main fabric. Turn the lower edge of the lining up twice by 1 cm and topstitch. Stitch the lining to the inner edges of the center front facings and the back neckline facing, starting and ending halfway up the hem allowance of the coat. Clip the inner edge allowance of the facing where the lining attachment begins. Turn in the facing allowance from the hemline to the clip and slipstitch it. Overlock the lining attachment seam and press it towards the lining. Hem the coat with blind stitches. Attach the lining to the vent.
- Topstitch 0.8 cm from the front edges and the collar edges. Stitch in the ditch along the seam joining the collar and the stand collar to hold the layers together.
- Attach the sleeve lining to the sleeve hems. Turn the coat right side out.
- Make buttonholes on the right front and sew buttons onto the left front. Sew the buttons onto the sleeves.
- Fold the waistband (half-belt) in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch around, leaving an opening for turning. Turn it right side out, turn in the allowances at the opening and slipstitch closed. Topstitch 0.8 cm from the edge all around. Place the half-belt on the back and sew it on through all layers with buttons.
