Monday, October 10, 2011

October 10, 2011: my "Katwise" coat

I have long admired the coats that Katwise makes from cut up wool sweaters.  See one of Katwise' coats at the bottom of this post.
They are pretty pricey and they deserve to be.  In Houston I'd be lucky to be able to wear a wool coat once during the winter. (I keep trying to add a link to her etsy shop but it doesn't seem to be working.  To see more of her coats, just go to etsy and search for "katwise."  She has lots of really nifty coats on her page.)

Then Katwise published a guide to make your own coat.  I made mine from cut up t-shirts and leftover knit fabric.

I planned on making the big full skirt and long crazy hood.  The full skirt looked terrible on my fluffy body.  I removed some of the skirt panels and cut the front 2 panels parallel to the front closure.

Then I added the sewn on waistband and belt.  Again, it looked bad on me.  So I removed the waistband and I was able to really make sure that the top hit me right at the waist.  I added belt loops and a belt that helped me better fit the coat.

I made the long hood and attached it to the coat.  It wasn't heavy but it still felt like it was dragging the coat back and choking me.  So I removed the hood and added a collar.  The collar was really cute but the neckline was still too high.

So, then I removed the collar and added a facing to the bodice of the jacket.  I added some large snaps to close the coat properly. Because of my cutting down the front panels the coat wasn't large enough to wrap around me very far.

Then I started on the fringed scarf.  I'm still adding scraps to it.  I don't think it's possible to add too much fringe to the scarf.

The bodice of the coat is a Coldwater Creek t-shirt that I bought for $6.00.  The striped pieces are cut from a nightgown that I purchased at Alcatraz.  The pink is from a Talbot's t-shirt that I had purchased on ebay.  The rest of the pieces are leftover scraps of fabric that I had laying around my studio.
My inspiration from Katwise:

4 comments:

K said...

It takes a great deal of confidence to set out on a project like this. I used to work in a costume shop, and that was where I learned not to be afraid of sewing - or of ripping out and starting again. Or changing lines and details. It's impressive to see you making decisions about how you want this garment to look and function, and then acting on your decisions. The coat you ended up with is fun and lively and looks great. Congrats!

Barbara said...

hi!!! i just found you thru the katwise forum...BEAUTIFUL JOB!!! I also purchased the tutorial...(mainly because my lil diva granddaughter...LOVES THEM...beginning to collect sweaters...(and using some from her babyhood...as a memento) nice to meet you!!!! barb

Babajeza said...

Katwise is so inspiring, isn't she? I've bought the tutorial. Now I'm making my own sweaters, that got a lot of attention here. :-)

Suella said...

Congratulations! I'm very impressed that you adapted the Katwise coat to your own life and proportions.

I'm still designing and finishing my felted wool one in my eco-garment class at college Designing it as we go, I'm hoping not to make too many alterations as I'm having help from my fashion-forward tutor.

No one else will have coat/jackets like mine like ours and we can wear them with great pride.

Cheers from England!