I'm so excited to get this blog post up today. Not only did Suzanne over at Winter Wear Designs give me a FREE copy of the Provence Pea Coat Pattern, but she's also going to give one of my lucky readers a free copy too! FREE! Be sure to read all the way to the bottom to register to win your FREE copy. As always, all opinions remain my own.

So what can I say, as soon as I saw the tester call for this pattern, I knew I NEEDED this coat. For starters, I was tired of buying a size XL coat so that it would zip over my bust. When your regular coat can still fit you when you're 9 months pregnant, it is definitely not a good fit for you when you aren't pregnant. I always looked ridiculous in my coats.

And secondly, I've ALWAYS wanted a pea coat. What looks more classically put together than a real wool pea coat? Nothing I tell you!

So even though it scared me, I took on the challenge of fitting this pea coat. Thankfully, the Winter Wear Designs Provence Pea Coat is really well drafted. I did my standard full bust adjustment and used the regular length cut line on the pattern. I sewed up my lining/muslin and I was pretty satisfied with the fit!

So I took my flannel lining and added the Joann's Plaiditudes Purple Herringbone. I can't even find it online anymore, so I can't point you to buying your own. But you can find the rest of the Plaiditudes line here. I cheated on my outer to save time and used the same lining pieces for my outer. Definitely going to use the pretty curved back details on the next one.
It actually took me about 2 weeks to work up the courage to add the buttons to this coat. I was so afraid that I'd ruin all my hard work, so didn't want to finally add the button holes. That was ridiculous. The button holes went in super easy. I originally sewed on the 3 decorative buttons on the front and almost immediately took them off. I'm not sure if it was the size of my buttons or the positioning of the buttons or what, but it was NOT good. But cutting off decorative buttons is easy.

I did make one real adjustment to the pattern. I did an inside button on the inside collar piece so that my jacket wouldn't slip around on the inside. This isn't a necessary step, but an easy one and I like the way it helps hold my coat closed.

I have to admit, I LOVE this coat. It isn't perfect, but I love it anyway. Every time I catch myself in a mirror wearing this, I stop and check myself out. Because I MADE this coat. And it is awesome. Yes, I should have taken more time to line up the lining and outer to get a really smooth join, but it still looks great. AND, I wish I had cut the front lining the same as the outer fabric so it would all blend together.

So what is not awesome about this coat is the sleeves and shoulder. Coats are supposed to have more restrictive sleeves. It is what they are "supposed" to do. BUT, I have 3 kids and sometimes do some pretty crazy things outside (like snowball fights), so I need more movement in my sleeves. I will NOT lose in a snowball fight on account of a tight sleeve! I'll be adding a bit more space in the arm to give me more movement in the entire sleeve cap. The pattern actually includes how to do this in the instructions, so I don't even have to guess. Perfect!

I actually received my order of wool coating from Cali Fabrics a few days ago. I can't wait to cut into it and make a real winter coat. First I need to dye it a gorgeous purple just like the purple in this muslin coat. Best thing about Wool is that it is so easy to dye. I'm sure I'll share more about that when I get around to breaking out the kool-aid to dye my coat a nice purple.

All in all, if you live some place where you get cold weather, you need this pattern. And if you only get jacket weather, this sews up beautifully in 2 layers of flannel and makes a great "fall coat"/cool weather jacket. Don't be afraid and think you can't do this. You really can and Winter Wear Designs makes it easy. Go for the pockets too. I regret that i didn't add the pockets to this version!

Register below for your chance to win your very own copy of the Winter Wear Designs Provence Coat.
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