Simplicity 1254 - a winter coat

Summer is coming, so of course I had to sew a winter coat. I do hang around in San Francisco quite a bit so I can wear it there because summer is probably its coldest season. This is from Simplicity #1254, and it's a Leanne Marshall design. As soon as I saw the pattern, I knew I had to sew it up. I searched da web and found this great pink and black wool coating from Denver Fabrics. I love its dramatic ginormous collar and I also love the fact that is uses a zipper closure so I didn't have to deal with buttonholes. The pattern shows the collar also worn as a hood, but that doesn't work very well. The collar is too wide and loose to stay on the head as a hood. As a collar, it keeps the neck really, really warm.

I made mine in between the short and long lengths. I top-stitched the princess seams and the collar edge because I think it looks more finished that way. I narrowed the bottom a bit because the lower half does flare out a lot, although it doesn't look that way in the pattern photo. The instructions for attaching the collar were confusing, so I just attached it the same way I attach standing collars on tops or dresses. Finally, I didn't attach the lining as specified in the pattern. I hand sewed it to the bottom and sleeve hems, and the body hems are blind stitched. Unlike other coat or jacket patterns, this lining does not call for a back pleat, so I just cut all the lining pieces a bit larger to give it ease.