Okay, so I finally finished that animal print coatigan I was talking about! Let me walk you through the whole thing, from start to finish. It was a bit of a journey, let me tell ya.
First, I saw this gorgeous animal print fabric online. I’m usually not one for super loud prints, but something about this one just grabbed me. I thought, “Okay, I’m making a coatigan. A comfy, statement piece.” So I went ahead and ordered it. Biggest hurdle, picking which print to go with! So many good ones.
Once the fabric arrived, the next step was finding a pattern. I wanted something loose and drapey, but still with some structure. I ended up Frankensteining a few different patterns together. I took the basic shape of a cardigan pattern I already had, then lengthened it to coat length and added some wider sleeves. I also decided to skip the buttons and just leave it open-front.
Cutting the fabric was honestly the most nerve-wracking part. Animal print is tricky because you want the print to be balanced and not look wonky. I spent a good hour just laying out the pattern pieces and shifting things around until I was happy with the placement. Then, I carefully cut everything out, making sure to clip the curves so they’d lay nicely.
Sewing it all together was pretty straightforward, thankfully. I started with the shoulders and side seams, then attached the sleeves. I used a serger to finish all the raw edges, which made it look much more professional and helped prevent fraying. I serged it all, even though the fabric wasn’t really prone to fraying, just a good habit!
The biggest challenge was the collar. I wanted a shawl collar that would drape nicely, but I wasn’t quite sure how to achieve it. I ended up doing some research online and found a few tutorials that were helpful. Basically, I had to shape the collar piece into a gentle curve and then ease it into the neckline. It took a bit of fiddling, but I eventually got it to look the way I wanted.
For the hem, I just did a simple turned-under hem. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. I also added some little tacks at the corners of the collar to keep it from flopping around too much.
And that’s it! The animal print coatigan is finished. I’m actually really happy with how it turned out. It’s comfy, stylish, and definitely a statement piece. I’ve already worn it a bunch of times and gotten tons of compliments.
Things I learned:
- Animal print can be intimidating, but it’s worth it!
- Don’t be afraid to Frankenstien patterns together.
- A good serger is a lifesaver.
- Shawl collars are tricky, but doable.
Would I make it again? Absolutely! Maybe in a different print next time. I’m already eyeing some funky floral fabrics.
