Review: Butterick B5824 – Madam Coat

This coat makes me feel like a high-class girl. The design is guaranteed to make you stand out from the crowd. 

Pattern: Butterick 5824; Fabric: wool blend coating (Fabric Vision), Dress: Simplicity 8086 View B, Dress Fabric: printed sateen (Spotlight), Shoes: Kitty, Miz Mooz.

What I love about this pattern 

This coat is perfectly designed for wearing over vintage cupcake dresses! The skirt of this coat has a perfect circle skirt and has a lovely drape with or without a big skirt underneath. This coat a beautiful cinched waist to contrast to such a full skirt and bodice. This coat is comfortable and has a lot of free movement in the shoulders. 

 Dress: McCall's 7748 View A

What I don't like about this pattern 

Be warned, all the pieces for this pattern have to be cut out individually. Cutting the fabric was the most time-consuming part of the pattern. It was well worth it though. As much as I love the look of this coat, I think single breasted coats are more flattering on my small bust. This coat is still one of my favourites though!  

Changes that I made 

I top-stitched the entire edge of the coat to make a crisp look. I also hemmed the sleeves by an extra 1 1/2".

What I could have done better 

I didn't leave enough slack in the lining, so the hem pulled up slightly at the back. I think I've learnt my lesson though, this is the 3rd time I've made this mistake! The trick is to hang the coat up on the coat hanger or dress form so that the fabric can drape. Then loosely pin the lining to the main fabric. If you top-stitch the hem beforehand, then the lining just needs to be tucked away and doesn't have to hold up the hem. 

Difficulty 

I found this coat quite easy to put together. Other than the buttonholes this coat should be great for new dressmakers. Hauling this coat around your sewing machine is also a challenge! You don't even have to attach the sleeve to the armhole, it's just one seam from the side seam to the end of sleeves.  

The Verdict 

I highly recommend trying this pattern if you're learning to sew coats. It's very rewarding and easy to sew. In the right fabric, this coat will make anyone look like a million bucks!

• Instruction Clarity: 5/5. Great and easy to follow instructions. 
• Fit: 4/5. The fit isn't quite right in the bodice. I can't pin point what the problem is but the shoulders feel like they want to fall off me. I also shortened the sleeve length by about 1 1/2".
• Design Elegance: 5/5. Lovely design! It looks so much more expensive than it really is.

• Final Product: 5/5. I love this coat because it's fitted yet has space in the bodice so that I can wear jerseys underneath. 
• Overall: 4.75/5. This is a fantastic vintage style coat for new dressmakers.