- I have been thinking of this for a uear or theee, but finally wrote it up 2026-01-27 a long day
Motivation/plan
My old winter coat, which I made while still living in Australia, so 2009 or earlier is once again getting rather worn out. I have replaced the lining a couple of times previously, and I could do that again, but now I am wondering if it might just be time to start a brand new one, retaining all the best features of the orginal, and improving a few things?
Do I have enough of the Striped suit-weight wool left after lining Keldor’s laurel caftan to line a new coat? I think/hope so.
But what to make the outer layer from? I still have the Narrow heavy black wool, but there may not be enough left. While I like the wind proof nature snd water resistance of my current winter coat, fluffy snow tends to stick to it, so something smoother might be nice.
Features to keep from my current coat:
- ankel lenth
- full skirts to swirl nicely
- reflex pretty trim
- puffed sleeves
- cargo pockets with slip in side pockets behind
- slit in the slip in side pockets for reching through to get keys from their pocket
- inner cargo pockets at thigh height
improvements to make
- better neckline with more overlap for warmth
- add a band of elastic to the top edge of the cargo pockets so they hold things in better, even if the magnets get separates and the flap opens
- outer breast pocket for telephone
- add reflex trim even to arms, and make the cuffs longer
- re-use current belt, but take off the reflex trim, and sew it down again covering the central seam.
- reuse current buttons, but do better buttonholes
- do I want a built on shoulder cape? Or is my separate hood and mantel olus mittens on reflex straps fine?