What I Did Last Summer; or, my Kelly Anorak for Anorak August!

This is the first new blog post that I have done since... Well, for a while. I had a very productive few months during lockdown/working from home. This project is then how I spent pretty much the whole of my summer holidays (aside from one pair of Carolyn PJ shorts in double gauze, hopefully soon to have a matching top!) Since going back to work however, I have had so little time to do anything but work that I have sewed something crazy like 7 seams total. But anyway, that is how I have been feeling and that is what it is. I try not to dwell on it.

I have to start by saying that this was a PROCESS. That being said, it is totally possible without being overwhelmed if you break it up and take your time! If you include all the planning time, I have had this project in the works since before October 2019, which was when I bought the fabric for the outer from Guthrie and Ghani during SewBrum 2019. Then I got the following:

• Outer fabric from Guthrie and Ghani (navy blue Softshell fabric, now out of stock)
• Lining fabric from Liberty (Botanists' Diary print in blue)
• Thinsulate from Profabrics (CS150)
• Medium weight calico, sky blue silky satin lining, and sky blue cord from Minerva
• Kelly Anorak pattern, lining expansion and hardware kit direct from Closet Core

I did buy the pattern as a pdf though, so that I could cut it without needing to trace! I began with a toile - not something I would usually do, but I figured given that this was a coat I wanted to wear for ages. I also thought about doing a 'practice' coat, but I had a feeling that one might wear me out so that I wouldn't necessarily get the 'good' one done in a timely manner - so I went the other way, spending my money on quality materials so that I wouldn't be tempted to skip any little steps or cut any corners. Hence the Liberty lining and Softshell on the first go out! And actually, it turned out really well in the end.

For my toile I just used my calico, looking at my measurements and knocking up a size 12 based on those. I only made the back yoke, back, two main front pieces, the hood pieces and one sleeve. I marked on it where the drawstring would go so I could check the height of it and made one pocket to check location and size. It only took a day to cut and assemble it with the longest stitch setting and all my random spare bobbin threads! I was very pleased to note that actually, 12 was the correct size for me. The hood was nice and roomy, even with my hair up in a bun (I tested that too!) and the pockets are amazing. The only thing I ended up changing about my Anorak was shortening the sleeves by about 2" - apparently I have short arms?

So then it was time to cut, once I worked out which pieces I need! I needed the lining pieces, obviously, but also decided at the last minute to do the waterproof pocket hack with the pocket flaps attached to the coat body rather than the pockets as drafted. It's not a huge mod, but given my fabric choice and the fact I wanted to be able to wear it outside in the British drizzle at work, it was an important one.

I had decided to line the body and hood pieces with Thinsulate. But also I decided to quilt it. It took me a couple of days to do it, and in the process I actually discovered the most amazing thing - that I already owned not only a walking foot, but a quilting rule as well! Turns out that when I purchased my machine back in 2017, it came with a bunch of quilting attachments which I never used and then put straight in a drawer, but then they came so much in handy! It was a breeze to quilt the Thinsulate to the lining using the rule; I followed the advice on the Closet Core blog which recommended stitching around the edges of the pieces, and did the following, once piece at a time:

1. Used a contrast thread to machine baste around the edges of the pieces to attach the Thinsulate to the lining
2. Use chalk to draw one line at a 45 degree angle across the piece, then stitch that line
3. Use my quilting rule guide set at 2" to quilt the pieces up to the basting line
4. Use chalk to draw another line perpendicular to the first
5. Quilt again!
6. Unpick the basting around the edges
7. Trim the Thinsulate to the edge of the quilting (within the seam allowance of the pieces)

I did this for the front pieces, back lining piece, and the 3 hood lining pieces. This strategy worked perfectly, as when I was then constructing the pieces the Thinsulate was just within the seam allowance, or just caught in the stitching line. It made for a really lovely look and feel to the finished coat. the walking foot definitely came in handy for the rest of the process, particularly in combination with some new supplies I picked up - some Prym clips to use instead of pins (although I did use pins at a few points), and lots and LOTS of wondertape! Highly, highly recommend.

I would also highly recommend using the hardware kit for your first coat if, like me, you find the idea of sourcing those things super intimidating! It made the whole process easier to have hardware that matched, was definitely the right size and good quality - even if I did end up subbing the cord (which was black) out for the sky blue one. I wasn't 100% sure about the swap, until I realised that the sky blue matched the sleeve lining and also was a colour pulled from the lining fabric! I'm still a bit proud of that matching if I'm honest.

The saving grace for me continuing this process was definitely the Anorak August group. We met weekly on Zoom to go through the steps for the week and chat about our progress, talked on the Slack group about our questions. I also did my best to document lots of it in my Instagram stories. The Sheffield Sewcial ladies divided the steps up into nice manageable chunks, and the motivation (and accountability) kept my momentum throughout the month. I would have probably not even started it without the group's encouragement. Here is a quick summary of my process.

Steps I found intimidating:

• Doing the quilting
• Inserting the zip (never having used a double ended zip before)
• 'Birthing' the coat (never having made a lined coat before)
• Attaching the sleeves (having lots of times of puckering in only simple cotton!)
• Attaching the hood to the coat (having heard lots of people had trouble with it)
• Attaching the snaps (never done that before!)

Steps which were actually hard:

• Finishing the front corners of the coat when turning it right side out
• Punching holes through all the layers of fabric (I bought an awl and everything!)

And really, that was about it! A lot of the things I was intimidated about, it was really about just slowing down and taking time. Going slower and really making sure that I was getting each step as right as I possibly could rather than rushing or saying that the first attempt was 'good enough'. I found once I slowed down, I didn't even need to take too many second attempts at the sewing part - which is good because there is a lot of topstitching!

The finished coat I am SO SO happy with and SO PROUD OF. I got the biggest grin by wearing it to work and people complimenting it - the look on their face when I said I made it!!! This project has really been a lifesaver. It kept me sane during August while I was on holidays and had to stay out of the WFH Husband's way, giving me a sense of purpose and routine, and then it gave me something to look forward to about going back to work for the first time since March. Which was a scary time, that is for sure.

And then after the first full week at work, I drove the full trip to Sheffield to meet up with some of the ladies in person! We met at the Winter Garden which was lovely, and got great professional photos by the fantastic Kirsten, who took photos of us all before we retired to a Bill's for drinks, snacks and lots of chat! I got a great dinner recommendation and stayed overnight before driving home the next day. It ended up being a busy weekend but a very pleasant one! I even squeezed in a trip to Fabworks, where I bought a few fabrics, including a Heart of Huddersfield wool which is now destined to be a Pauline Alice Quart coat (at some point in the future)! 

That being said, it is such a great pattern, that I want to make another Kelly - this time unlined, in a waxed cotton. I have ordered fabrics samples from Millerain, and only have to choose a colour before i order!

Overall, if you have this project on your 'to-make' list, really you should DO IT. Plan it out, make all the preparations you can, and then just DO IT. Once I get some sewing time in again, I have plans for not only a Quart coat and another Kelly, but also a Rigel Bomber in some wool I have in my stash! On top of all the other sewing plans I have, and I have nowhere near enough time - right now. But planning and preparation can bring joy too, and then it creates a great project - and this proves it!

And if you made it through this, congrats. I wanted to make this post long and detailed so that anyone else making this coat and completing these steps can get some helpful info, hopefully info which I couldn't find when I was looking for it. If anyone reads and is interested in getting more info on my quilting process, I'm happy to share what I did. Thank you again to Sheffield Sewcial and particularly Izzy, Shula and Sophie for organising this amazing month!