Regardez! Le Manteau Gerard.

Any sewist will tell you that coats are the big one…the holy grail of home sewer. The cost, the time, the right pattern, the right fabric…all these decisions have meant making a winter coat got continually pushed to the bottom on my to do list. And even if you make all the right decisions and buy all the right stuff what if you have the mother fudger of all sewing disasters and you end up with an expensive deposit into the big brown wheely bin.

I finally gritted my teeth and took the woolly coat plunge!

I’ve long been stalking this Republique du Chiffon pattern. The perfect slouchy , boyfriend style winter coat, Gerard has over tones of Birkin mixed in heavy hints of Isabel Marant.

Quick I need a left bank cafe to look moody in…

We were all out of moody Parisian cafes in the South West so a windy walk along Porthminster beach will have to suffice.

As previously mentioned I’m a bit cold blooded and this coat is the perfect antidote to the cold damp autumn in the UK. The grey wool mix is from a great eBay shop that had a huge selection of Italian wools, not easy to come by affordable wool so this was a bit of a gamble but I’m so glad that I took the risk.

Republique du Chiffon patterns are beautifully drafted and I can recommend them to anyone who doesn’t depend on instructions to piece together a garment. A bit like skiing off piste with a sewing machine. A lovely ride if you don’t need a map!

Now that I’ve broken the winter coat seal, I can’t wait to plan my next one!

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