Double-Breasted Military Style Coat with Stand Collar
A hip-length women's coat in military style, with a high stand collar fastened by a buttoned tab, a double-breasted front with three pairs of buttons linked by decorative bars, flapped pockets in the front panel seams, epaulettes and cuffs with buttoned tabs. Fully lined, topstitched 0.7 cm from the seams.
When To Wear
- Autumn and early spring, with trousers, jeans or straight skirts.
- Over knitwear and shirts for everyday wear in the city.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Semi-fitted, shaped by princess seams and a horizontal seam at the waist at the front and back.
Length: Hip length; 3 cm hem allowance, faced with the lining.
Collar: High stand collar, interfaced, sewn in one seam with the front edges; the overlapping end is shaped into a pointed tab with a buttonhole and button.
Front: Double-breasted, with interfaced centre fronts and separate facings. Three pairs of buttons, each pair joined by a decorative bar folded in three layers and topstitched onto the front (finished width 1 cm).
Pockets: In-seam pockets in the front panel seams, below the waist seam, with pointed interfaced flaps topstitched 0.7 cm from the edge and fastened with a button.
Sleeves: Two-piece set-in sleeves with a folded cuff; a pointed strap with a buttonhole is caught in the elbow seam and buttoned onto the cuff. Shoulder pads and sleeve heads.
Back: Centre back seam, princess seams on the upper back and a separate lower back joined at the waist.
Finishing: Epaulettes with a button, each held by a belt loop at the shoulder; all main seams topstitched 0.7 cm from the seam.
Lining: Full lining of the body and sleeves, bagged out through an opening in the sleeve lining seam; the lining sleeves are attached to the inner cuff.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. Pockets set into panel seams, a stand collar sewn in one seam with the front edges, many small topstitched details (flaps, tabs, epaulettes, loops), a bagged lining and consistent topstitching throughout.
Fabric Recommendations
Coating fabrics.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing (centre fronts, stand collar, facings, back neck facing, flaps, cuffs, straps, epaulettes)
- 13 buttons, at least 2 cm in diameter
- Shoulder pads
- Sleeve heads
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, seam allowances are included. If the contour is single, seam allowances are not included. Seam allowances: all seams 1 cm; hem allowance – 3 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90 cm to 150 cm) to determine how much material you will need (don't forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces). When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- From main fabric:
- Center Upper Back – 2 pieces
- Side Upper Back – 2 pieces
- Lower Back – 1 piece
- Side Upper Front – 2 pieces
- Side Lower Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Flap – 4 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Strap – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Shoulder Strap – 2 pieces
- Belt-Loop – 1 piece
- Decorative Buttonloop – 3 pieces
- From lining fabric:
- Upper Back Lining – 2 pieces
- Lower Back – 1 piece
- Front Lining – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Pocket Bag – 4 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Center Front – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 1 piece
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Flap – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Strap – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Shoulder Strap – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the corresponding pieces.
- Place the Flap pieces right sides together in pairs and stitch along the outer edge. Trim the allowances at the corners, turn right side out and press. Topstitch 0.7 cm from the edge and work a buttonhole. Stitch a Pocket Bag to each flap.
- Stitch the Side Upper Front to the Side Lower Front, press allowances open and topstitch 0.7 cm from the seam on both sides.
- Place a Pocket Bag on the right side of the side front, and the Pocket Bag with the attached flap on the Center Front, right side down, matching the notches. Stitch the pocket bags to the pocket opening allowances. Fold the side front seam allowance back and topstitch it onto the pocket bag.
- Stitch the front panel seams together with the pocket bags. Clip the allowance at the beginning and end of the pocket opening, press the panel seam allowances towards the center, pressing the pocket at the same time. Topstitch along the panel seam down to the waist, 0.7 cm from the seam.
- Stitch the center back seam, press allowances to the left and topstitch 0.7 cm from the seam. Stitch the back panel seams (Center Upper Back to Side Upper Back), press allowances towards the center and topstitch 0.7 cm from the seam. Stitch the Lower Back to the upper back, press allowances open and topstitch 0.7 cm from the seam on both sides.
- Stitch the shoulder and side seams of the coat, press allowances open.
- Stitch the Back Neckline Facing to the Center Front Facings, press allowances open.
- Stitch the outer Stand Collar to the coat neckline and the inner Stand Collar to the neckline of the facings. Clip the allowances at the curves and press open. Place the facings on the coat right sides together and stitch the front edges and the stand collar in one seam. Trim the corners, turn right side out and press.
- Fold each Strap in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the long and shaped edges. Trim the corners, turn right side out and press. Topstitch 0.7 cm from the edge and work a buttonhole.
- Stitch the front sleeve seam (Upper Sleeve to Lower Sleeve), press allowances open.
- Press the Cuff in half lengthwise, right side out. Unfold it and stitch the outer half to the lower edge of the sleeve, press allowances onto the cuff and topstitch 0.7 cm from the seam. Stitch the back (elbow) sleeve seam, sewing through the cuff at the same time and catching the Strap in the seam.
- Set the sleeves into the armholes, matching the notches.
- Fold each Shoulder Strap right sides together and stitch the long and shaped edges. Trim the corners, turn right side out and press. Topstitch 0.7 cm from the edge and work a buttonhole. Finish the open edge.
- Fold the Belt-Loop lengthwise into three layers and stitch with a coverstitch. Cut it into two loops and finish the ends. Tip: if you cannot sew a coverstitch, face the coat-fabric loop with lining. The finished loop width is 1 cm.
- Stitch the loops and Shoulder Straps to the shoulders as shown in the technical drawing.
- Insert the shoulder pads and sleeve heads.
- Stitch the seams and darts of the lining, leaving an opening in the front seam of the right lining sleeve. Place the lining on the coat right sides together and stitch it to the inner edges of the facings. Press open the allowances of the stand collar seams and tack them together close to the seams. Stitch the lower corner of the front edges and trim the corners. Mark the hem and press it to the wrong side. Stitch the lining to the hem. Stitch the lining sleeves to the inner cuff. Turn the coat right side out through the opening in the sleeve lining and close the opening.
- Fold each Decorative Buttonloop lengthwise into three layers and stitch with a coverstitch. Try the loop on the coat, trim the excess and finish the ends. Topstitch the loop onto the front. Tip: if you cannot sew a coverstitch, face the coat-fabric loop with lining. The finished loop width is 1 cm.
- Work a buttonhole on the Stand Collar and sew on the matching button. Sew on the remaining buttons to match the buttonholes.
