making a winter work coat

[bibliophile birds]

so.... i've been searching for a winter work coat for ages and it seems impossible. when i find coats that are well-suited to my body, they are not right for working in, especially in rain or snow. when i find coats that are right for working in, they are so unsuited to my body that they are either too constrictive or so bulky as to be ridiculous. so i'm thinking that i might as well just make one for myself and be done with it.

my sewing skills are decent and i think i found a cheap coat i can take apart to make a pattern from. my real concern is finding a fabric that is durable enough for working in (a that i can possibly wax to be waterproof) but that has enough give to be flexible to allow for good range of motion AND that i can sew on my Brother machine.

anyone have any ideas? has anyone else made a winter coat? i'm thinking canvas would be ideal for strength but maybe not for flexibility and possibly difficult to sew on my machine. cotton duck seems to be durable fabric but i'm not familiar with it so i don't know what it's really like.

 

[journey11]

I bought a nice black cotton duck winter work coat from Cabela's recently (good deal at $30) and it was cotton duck. I am really pleased with it. The fabric is very durable and looks nicer than a cotton canvas. It's sorta like a very tightly knit denim, as best as I can describe it. Being cotton though it does show dust/dirt a lot, but I plan to get dirty in it anyway. It resists wind and water well too.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i cant even sew a button on a shirt... so what i'll say is...

have you tried the mens section? i dunno what women can wear the womens stuff... so i almost always default to the guys section when it comes to coats. and shhhh.... sometimes i buy cheap ones. everything i have gets ruined so i dont spend a ton of money and it works out pretty well

 

[patandchickens]

Lotsa luck. You can't even hardly get decent normal-garment fabric these days, let alone heavy work-weight.

I'd suggest your best bet would probably instead to buy a good-quality coat and ALTER it to fit you. (Make sure you know what you are doing as not all alterations are possible, so you would want to choose the coat with an eye to *being* suitably alterable)

Personally I just buy mens' field coats or work coats and they fit adequately well for me, but if I was real thin or something then I would have to go the above route.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Wannabefree]

We have SEVERAL! We give them away and I think they multiply in the closet :/ Want one? They could be waterproofed or altered.

 

[bibliophile birds]

I bought a nice black cotton duck winter work coat from Cabela's recently (good deal at $30) and it was cotton duck

would you mind sharing a link to it if you can find one? i've been looking through the Cabela's catalog and didn't see anything that looked right.

have you tried the mens section?

yeah. my parent's got me a really nice Carhart coat for Christmas which is a men's, but it is SO bulky on top that i can hardly move in it. i need something to do chores in and wrangle livestock so i need good range of motion.

the problem with most men's coats that i find is the shoulders. i'm, um, hefty around the middle so once i find a coat that fits my stomach it's usually way to big in the shoulders. blah.

coats have always been a problem, but this is becoming my Moby Dick...

 

[abifae]

what about a cloak with arm slits, that ties in the middle? they're easy to make, any material, easy to make insulated?

 

[bibliophile birds]

this is the coat that i LOVE and would buy in a heartbeat if they had my size (apparently it COMES in my size but i can't buy it? it's really weird. maybe they are just out of stock.) i think i would need to add a good liner and wax it to make it really work-in-able, but the style looks comfortable and flexible while still being flattering with the cinchable waist.

what about a cloak with arm slits, that ties in the middle? they're easy to make, any material, easy to make insulated?

that's not a bad idea. i'll have to look into that.

ohhhhhhhhh, here's an interesting idea

 

[patandchickens]

what about a cloak with arm slits, that ties in the middle? they're easy to make, any material, easy to make insulated?

That's fine for going shopping downtown or something like that but not very practical for feeding animals or digging ditches or that kind of thing.

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

the problem with most men's coats that i find is the shoulders. i'm, um, hefty around the middle so once i find a coat that fits my stomach it's usually way to big in the shoulders. blah.

My solution to this problem during pregnancies (which is the next notch 'beyond' your situation ) was to wear the coat unbuttoned, or buttoned only as far down from the top as my middle would allow... and be wearing a comfortable liner (inner layer) that *was* large enough to zip over my middle, for warmth. You don't need a zip-in fancy liner made for the coat, just find something warm that fits you and put it in the coat and leave it there til springtime or permanently. I use polarfleece or other fluffy knit zipped-hooded jackets.

Pat