Some of you might remember me saying that I wasn’t going to make another coat because it’s rarely cold where I live. If you remember that, no, you don’t. Now that that’s cleared up, here is my latest make – the Newcomb Coat by Cashmerette. The Newcomb is a darted, lined coat with a really cool collar, flap pockets, a tab belt, lining pockets, and optional bound buttonholes. I made my Newcomb from a recycled Melton Wool that I purchased from Blackbird Fabrics. After being let down by my local Joann TWICE (why does it say there’s 50 yards available at the store when there are 0 yards available at the store?!), I used satin lining and buttons from Amazon.
For this coat, I took stock of the coats in my wardrobe and realized that I didn’t have many cool-toned coats. Most of my coats are either warm toned (red, warm brown, burnt orange, etc.) or black. So, I decided to make something on the cooler side. After checking out the Coating Shop at Blackbird Fabrics, I purchased this deadstock recycled Melton Wool blend fabric in lapis. I didn’t know what melton wool was prior to ordering this fabric, so shout out to the BF team for providing diverse, yet gorgeous fabrics. The blue and grey buffalo check is stunning, and it was easy to pre-wash this fabric. It’s soft, warm, not scratchy, and just so darn cute!
There are so many things I love about this coat! The collar is really interesting and different from most coat collars I’ve sewn. Also, the lining pockets are just delightful – y’all know I love a pocket. Having a secret pocket just feels so luxurious. I want to add lining pockets to everything now. I also really like the flap pockets, but I’m debating adding a snap or a button to them. The way the pockets jut out makes the whole silhouette kind of wonky, so I want something to pull them in.
The Newcomb is a fairly involved pattern, especially if you’ve never sewn a coat before. That’s why I’m so thankful for the sewalong video that’s part of the Cashmerette Club membership. It’s so helpful for any sticky spots you might run into. Tip – I sewed the optional bound buttonholes using the method described in the instructions and I would say to skip them. They turned out functional, but a bit too bulky for me. Instead, I would use the method described on this old blog post. You get a cleaner look with less time.
