Amy Butler: AB043HR (The Rainy Days Hooded Raincoat and Runabout Jacket)  - Type:Coat/Jacket  | | Viewed 131 times
| 12 more reviews | Review rated Helpful by 1 people Very Helpful by 2 people | | Reviewed by: | katib | 
| About katib | | WA USA | | Member since: 11/17/08 | | Reviews written: 43 | | Sewing skills:Advanced Beginner | | patterns reviewed: 42 | | Bio: more... |
| | Posted on: | 4/21/13 10:24 PM | | Project Photo: |  | | Pattern Photo: | 
Amy Butler Pattern Info | | Pattern Rating: | Great Wardrobe Builder | | | | Fabric: | Cotton - Laminated [See other projects in this fabric] | | Related Links | Click on  to add a link |
| Two years ago I went on a coatathon which resulted in my (crazy) offer to sew a coat to the highest bidder at my daughter's elementary school auction (desperate times call for desperate measures). I'm pleased to say it sold for much more than it is worth, but, hey it's a handmade "treasure"...(let's not look at it too closely)...
We decided on this Amy Butler coat. And it only took me a year to sew it and another year to post it. Unfortunately, I only have a picture of the coat on a hanger which doesn't look quite as impressive. Thankfully, I had enough fabric over to make two doll raincoats, one of which sold at this year's auction. It's even cuter than the original 
Pattern Description:
Rainy days hooded raincoat & runabout jacket in 4 different lengths.
The raincoat is pretty fitted (thankfully previous reviews have pointed this out to me. Thank you!) using bust and back darts. 2 styles of pockets are provided. I chose the pleated kind.
Pattern Sizing:
The pattern comes in sizes XS to XXXL. I made an XL/L version.
Based on earlier reviews, I chose the XL version for the bust/sleeves/back and L for waist and hips.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Similar enough
Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions are very detailed. I wish I had followed them and not only skimmed them. That said, given the detail of the instructions I was a bit surprised that the instructions don't differentiate between somewhat tricky parts (how to fit the sleeves into the armholes without puckers...) and easier parts.
Also, I used regular pins far more often than the instructions suggested as I don't see any problems with little pin holes in the seam allowances.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Likes:
It's a lined coat. I love lined coats! Here in the Northwest a cheerful raincoat brightens our days.
Dislike:
I really disliked hemming this coat. It sounds pretty straightforward (as far as machine lining a coat) and yet was so frustrating as my sewing machine did such a dismal job. The bobbin stitching looks horrific - maybe I needed to fiddle with the tension, but I just had the machine serviced and didn't really want to mess with it too much. Ah, well. By the way, the same can be said about the belt. It may have had something to do with having the laminated fabric both on the top and the bottom which doesn't slide as nicely.
For future coats, I will change at least the hemming of the sleeves and try my "regular" machine-lining approach for them. I am convinced it will look somewhat cleaner. I am not sure how to improve on the belt sewing or the coat hem quite yet.
Fabric Used:
Laminated cotton (Amy Butler) from Fabric.com for the outer shell. For the lining I bought some regular cotton (body) and polyester lining (sleeves) from Pacific Fabrics.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
(1) I cut a mid-thigh XL/L combination
(2) It turned out I had to do an additional broad back adjustment. Amy Lang provides a tutorial on her website for just this purpose. Nice!
(3) I used polyester lining for the sleeves (with the regular cotton lining attached at the ends for decorative purposes). I wanted the sleeves to be a bit more slippery (and discovered again how much I dislike sewing with this slippery stuff...)
(4) I cut the lining back as one piece with a pleat in the middle to allow for movement. Hopefully that addition will also help with the broad back issue.
I am pondering to cut the exterior back as one piece for the next coat as well, as I unfortunately failed to line up my two back pieces properly (and the pattern looks off) and I don't quite see the advantage of the two parts in this coat to begin with.
(5) Buttons: I used bigger (1 1/8 inch ones) buttons and fewer of them as I prefer to not have buttons all the way down.
(6) I made belt loops out of the exterior fabric. The problem with those is, of course, that I cannot as easily change their position if need to.
(7) A change I didn't make but will for future coats: when sewing on the hood to the coat I will not use the suggested 1/2 inches seam allowance but a slightly smaller one. I hope this change will make sewing the lining to the coat slightly easier with the final 1/2 inch seam.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I have to Last year's auction sold another one of these babies...and we are in the process of getting the project on the way. And, I may even sew one for myself at some point (of course, only when I really know what I am doing...)
Conclusion:
It's a simple, fun raincoat!
If you have never made a lined coat before, this may actually be a good one to start given the detailed instructions and the relatively simple design (including the straightforward way of lining) but you may want to try a more forgiving fabric first.
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5 Comments
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Did you use a teflon foot? That might have helped. Also, I have heard of putting wax paper underneath tricky materials. Cute coat!
4/22/13 0:05 AM
Very cute--love the doll coat too!
4/22/13 2:22 AM
A teflon foot would help with sewing this type fabric. There is also a product called Magic Foot that allows you to adhere teflon temporarily to any sewing foot. Cute coat!!
4/22/13 5:23 AM
Really great raincoat! Beautiful :)
4/22/13 12:22 PM
Very cute mix of fabrics. I love the look of Amy Butler laminated fabrics but haven't used them for a project yet. Great fundraising idea...
4/23/13 11:26 AM