The Sequin Trench Coat: Vogue 8884

It's finished! My sequin trench coat is finished! I finished it this Saturday and quickly went to the closest train station to take pictures, and the train just happened to pull up. It was a very chilly day and the coat did little to keep me warm but I looked glamorously cold. The sequined pieces are lined in flannel, and the coat is lined in a teal bemberg rayon. 

I love the way it fits, stressing over my muslin fit really payed off. I kept the coat true to the original pattern but I omitted the straps on the sleeves, and added a tab on the shoulder. The hardest part about sewing this was the buttonholes. I had to sew them through some tearaway interfacing to get the thread to stay even with the uneven sequins. They even got stuck at the front seam, and I had to rip out a buttonhole and start again. GRR. 

Now that this coat pattern is fitted I might even make it out of a more practical fabric! or maybe not, it's more interesting to be unpractical. The coat is now on display at Fabricland, where I work, hopefully it will inspire someone to make something else out of sequins. 

Sequin Trench Coat

Source

 I don't know where I came up with this idea but all of the sudden I NEEDED to sew a sequin trench coat. I fought it for a while but i finally gave in and got the fabric a little before Christmas. I found some inspiration on pinterest. The above picture is a Burberry trench from a few years ago, I can't image how much that would cost. The black trench below is a vintage stunner, and I think my version will look more like this. It has more of the elements of the classic trench coat but done in that fabulous sequined fabric. 

source

I picked the classic trench pattern Vogue 8884 (version 3), and spent a lot of time on the muslin. The shoulder, and armholes were way too big, and it took a while to get the fit down. I chose a silver sequin that form a circle shape. It's very thin, the sequins are sewn on netting, so I backed all the sequin pieces with cotton flannel. The facings, undercollar, and collar stand are made in a  silver silk, because the sequins would be uncomfortable touching the skin.

Its not hard to sew sequins, its just a matter of choosing the right needle. I used a microtex in a size 14. I broke a few in the beginning until I got the right one.

Vogue 8884

If you follow me on instagram (erikamadeit), you have seen a sneak peek of the process. I plan on finishing this week. Its all hemmed, I just have buttons and buttonholes to go!