Jayne’s Bog Coat!

So, for my latest blog post I wanted to try something completely different and find a ‘new to me’ sewing pattern. 

Firstly, I chose the fabric not knowing what the pattern was going to be so I did kind of set myself up for a little bit of a challenge there, so I ordered 3m of this gorgeous plaid with an antique white and rose colour scheme. I am not too sure of the composition of this fabric but I do know that it’s a medium weight woven fabric with a brushed texture.

When the fabric arrived I just thought it’s got to be possibly a coat or a jacket and a lovely lightweight one for the spring and summer. I set about looking for a suitable pattern that I could use it for and then I came across this amazing coat/jacket sewing pattern. The Bog Coat by Cindy Bithell, @the_sew_sew on Instagram.

It’s a modern style coat with minimum waste and the design was inspired by the bronze age Bog Coat dating back over 2000 years. Originally constructed from a single piece of fabric.

The jacket is an unlined, oversized boxy style, that is also minimal in look and construction.

The pattern is available for sizes 00-30 with a medium difficulty level. Not due to it being technical but the construction does require critical thinking throughout.

 So, to make the coat the fabric is placed on the fold and you simply mark your measurements, guidelines and cutting lines onto the fabric. There is a neckline template that you use to cut the neck opening with.  But that is it.  One piece cut on the fold.  There are no other pattern pieces!

Once the design is cut out the coat is created from a series of folds, with only two seams, it is such a brilliant idea!

There are only two seams that you have to sew, going across from the front of the chest to the underarm. All the edges are encased in double fold bias.

I did originally make matching bias from the plaid fabric but due to the fabric having a looser weave it began to unravel whilst sewing, and I couldn’t achieve the neat look I obviously wanted. I then went onto Plan B, and used a shop bought bias in a matching pink shade, luckily, I had a full roll of this to play with. 

 I am so glad I decided to do this as I much prefer the contrast of the plain pink bias against the plaid. This also means that all the seams are neatly encased and there are no raw edges anywhere. 

I chose to make size 8 to 10, purely based on my body measurements and the finished garment measurements.  It is a perfect fit on me, oversized but not too oversized that it looks too big.  

The pattern has a cropped version and a long version, and also a belt or bodice ties for closure.  There is also a patch pocket template too!

I chose not to add the pockets and went for a clean simple unbelted look.

I did find the construction of the jacket fairly simple, although I did have a few head scratching moments sewing the underarm seams, but I fathomed it out in the end. 

The fabric width for the pattern required 60 inches or 152 cm wide, but my plaid was slightly narrower at 57 inches or 147 cm wide.  This was really only going to affect the length of the sleeve so I wasn’t overly worried about this and was happy to have shorter sleeves.

Overall, I am so pleased with how it all turned out and the sleeve length is perfect on me anyway. The drape of the plaid fabric is lovely and the brushed effect gives that lovely softness against the skin. As it is a medium weight fabric the jacket is not overly heavy or bulky to wear either.

I just think it’s turned out to be a really lovely style coat, casual but smart, and one that I’ll be wearing throughout the spring.

I have styled it with a pussy bow blouse made in a flat double gauze, my boyfriend style jeans and chunky boots.

Have you made The Bog Coat yet?

Thanks for reading,

Jayne

The Dressmakers Closet