Men's Classic Single-Breasted Overcoat

Single-Breasted Overcoat with Notched Collar, Double-Welt Pockets with Flaps & Center Back Vent

A men's knee-length single-breasted overcoat with a notched collar on a separate stand, a three-button front, flapped double-welt hip pockets and a centre back vent. Fully lined.

When To Wear

• Over a suit or jacket for work in autumn and winter.
• Over knitwear with trousers or jeans in cold weather.

Key Design Features

Silhouette: Straight cut, shaped by long front darts that run down into the pocket flaps; padded shoulders.

Length: Knee length.

Collar: Notched collar. The upper collar is joined to a separate stand; the under collar is cut from nonwoven fabric, steam-shaped to the upper collar and attached with a fine zigzag. Buttonhole in the left lapel.

Sleeves: Two-piece set-in sleeves with eased caps and wadding sleeve heads; vents with four buttons each, buttonholes worked but not cut.

Front: Single-breasted, three buttons, buttonholes on the left front; the front facings are cut separately and joined to the upper collar.

Pockets: Double-welt hip pockets with lined flaps, welts 1 cm wide.

Back: Centre back seam with a vent lapped to the left, secured at the top with a diagonal stitch.

Finishing: Fusible interfacing on the fronts, the facings and the hem allowances; hems sewn by hand with a blind stitch; shoulder pads.

Lining: Full lining with a 2 cm ease pleat at the centre back and a jump pleat at the hem, sewn around the vent; the coat is turned through an opening in a sleeve lining seam.

Level Of Difficulty

Advanced. Flapped double-welt pockets, a collar with a separate stand and a shaped nonwoven under collar, a lined back vent, mitred sleeve vents and a bagged lining.

Fabric Recommendations

Wool or wool-blend coating.

Additional Supplies

• Lining fabric in a matching colour
• Fusible interfacing
• Nonwoven fabric for the under collar, 20 cm × 90 cm
• Polyester wadding strip, 80 cm long and 8 cm wide, for the sleeve heads
• 3 buttons, 25 mm
• 8 buttons, 12 mm
• Shoulder pads

Cutter’s Must

From Main Fabric:

1. Back – 2 pieces
2. Front – 2 pieces
3. Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
4. Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
5. Pocket Flap – 2 pieces
6. Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
7. Pocket Welt Facing – 4 pieces (17.5 x 4 cm)
8. Upper Collar – 1 piece
9. Stand Collar (for Upper Collar) – 1 piece

From Nonwoven Fabric:

Lower Collar (with integrated collar stand) – 1 piece

From Lining Fabric:

For drafting lining patterns, use main patterns with the following modifications:

1. Back Lining – use Back pattern, add 2 cm ease pleat at center back, excluding vent extensions; cut 2.
2. Front Lining – use Front pattern excluding center front facing area; cut 2.
3. Upper Sleeve – use Upper Sleeve pattern excluding vent extension; cut 2.
4. Lower Sleeve – use Lower Sleeve pattern excluding vent extension; cut 2.
5. Pocket Flap – cut 2.
6. Pocket Bag – 4 rectangles (17.5 x 19 cm).
7. Shorten both jacket and sleeve linings by 2 cm at hem.

From Fusible Interfacing:

For drafting fusible interfacing patterns, use main patterns:

1. Front – cut 2.
2. Center Front Facing – cut 2.
3. Pocket Flap – cut 2.
4. Upper Collar – cut 1.
5. Stand Collar (for Upper Collar) – cut 1.
6. Hem allowances of Fronts, Back, Sleeves and Vents

Important Information

Before cutting your fabric:

• Print and lay out pattern pieces to determine yardage.
• Check mirrored pieces, notches, and grainlines.
• For patterned fabrics, align carefully for symmetry.

Assembly Instructions

Preparation

1. Fuse Interfacing

From the wrong side, apply fusible interfacing to the Fronts, Center Front Facings, Pocket Flaps, Upper Collar, Stand Collar and hem allowances of the body and sleeves.

Body Shaping

2. Sew and press open the front darts.

Pocket Flaps

3. With right sides together, stitch each Pocket Flap to its lining, turn right side out, and press.

Hip Pockets

4. Double-Welt Pockets with Flaps

• Press the welts lengthwise, right sides together.
• Pin welts to the Front along the placement lines, one facing upward and one downward.
• Place one lining pocket bag on the lower welt; place the second lining pocket bag on the upper welt with the flap inserted face up between the upper welt and the second lining pocket bag.
• Stitch 5 mm on each side of the markings.
• Cut the pocket opening through the center between stitching lines, clipping diagonally into the corners.
• Turn pocket bags to the inside and fold welts to form 1 cm.
• Serge-stitch the free edges of the welts to the pocket bags.
• Align pocket bags and stitch around the perimeter.
• From the wrong side, stitch the welt ends to the triangular seam allowances.

Main Assembly

5. Join center back seam to the top of the vent.

6. Join side seams and shoulder seams; press allowances open.

Vent

7. Turn the left vent facing to the right side along the hem allowance; stitch along the hem foldline and turn right side out.

8. Turn the hem allowance of the right back to the right side along the vent facing edge; stitch and turn.

9. Lay the vent to the left side and secure at the upper edge with a diagonal reinforcement stitch.

Collar

10. Join Stand Collar to Upper Collar; press allowances open.

11. Steam-shape the Lower Collar cut from non-woven fabric over a damp press cloth to set the identical to Upper Collar shape.

12. Place the upper edge of the Lower Collar wrong side to the right side of the Upper Collar and stitch with a fine zigzag.

13. With right sides together, sew the Upper and Lower Collars along the ends. Turn right side out and press.

Facings

14. Join Center Front Facings to the Upper Collar; press seam allowances upward.

15. With right sides together, place the Facing + Collar unit over the coat body, align edges, and stitch around the front edges and collar.

16. Turn right side out and press.

Sleeves

17. Two-Piece Sleeve with Vent

• Stitch Upper and Lower Sleeve together to the vent notch, easing the upper sleeve as required; press allowances open.
• Turn sleeve right side out.
• Turn the vent seam allowances and sleeve hem to the right side, stitch the vent corner diagonally, trim excess within 1 cm of the seam, and press allowances open.
• Turn hem and vent allowances to the inside, hand-stitch with a cross-stitch, and form the vent overlap.

18. Sleeve Cap

• Ease-stitch between sleeve cap notches and pull threads to fit the armhole. Steam-shrink the fullness at the cap.
• Join the sleeve seam and press open.
• Set sleeves into the armholes, stitching from the sleeve side.

19. Divide sleeve-head wadding (if used) and hand-stitch along the sleeve caps.

Hems

20. Turn up hem allowances and hand-stitch invisibly.

21. Sew in Shoulder Pads.

Lining

22. Join center back lining seam.

23. Assemble lining as for the coat, leaving a 20 cm opening in one sleeve seam.

Create a center back pleat for wearing ease and secure at neckline and above the hem.

With right sides together, sew lining to the coat along facings and neckline.

Form a jump pleat at the hem and stitch lining to the hem edge, catching the lining to the vent facings.
(Clip horizontally at the base of the left vent lining as needed.)

Turn the coat right side out through the sleeve opening and close the opening.

Finishing

24. Work buttonholes on the left front and left lapel. Sew buttons on the right front.

25. Work non-cut decorative buttonholes on sleeves and secure with buttons.