Double Cloth Coat UFO - Complete

 During the uncharacteristic cold and snowy weather in Jan and Feb, I found myself  unmotivated to do anything except watch YouTube videos. I felt guilty about not doing any sewing.  So, as a guilt assuager, I pulled out an unfinished project that required hand sewing. At least I could do some "hand" sewing while vegetating in front of the screen. The project was a coat I cut out of wool double cloth about a year ago. I wanted to use special seaming and finishing techniques to create a completely reversible garment.  But lacking confidence in my ability and stick-to-itiveness, I purchased a sale priced, 2-yard double cloth remnant in boring colors for this project. After cutting out the pattern pieces, I lost interest and packed it all away.

The fabric was “Taupe Brown/Black Wool Blend Double Weave Jacketing” from www.FashionFabricClub.com. The coat pattern I used was BurdaStyle Coat 10 2023 #110   I had to shorten the coat and seam fabric to the bottom of the sleeve because of limited fabric.

 What FFC called “double weave” is what I would more accurately describe as double cloth. Double cloth fabrics are made of two separate fabric layers, attached with wrong sides together by a third set of warp threads, to form a thicker and more substantial fabric. At the fabric edge, you can peel apart the two fabrics and see the connecting threads. 

Connecting threads between layers of double cloth

 Many types of wool and cotton can be made into double cloth, and in all sorts of combinations—like contrasting solids, a solid and a plaid, or a smooth surface with a napped surface. There are special seaming and finishing techniques that can be used with double cloth garments to make them reversible. It involves splitting the fabric at the garment edges and seams.  And a lot of hand sewing to get everything looking neat and tidy.  I had never done this type of construction before and I was so intimidated after cutting out the garment, I set the project aside. 

I did find resources on sewing double cloth, reversible garments. They are listed below.  

Double Cloth Garment Constuction Resources

Websites and YouTube

 Double Fabrics - The Pattern Line

Maria Sewing: Tutorials

a-reversible-double-cloth-coat-with-matching-scarf

Design A Double - Faced Wool Coat / Part 1

Threads Magazine

Threads magazine has, over the years, published some very good articles on this subject. Several include incorporating style details that I did not see mentioned anywhere else. Unfortunately, you will need access to the magazine, either printed or online, to read them.  

Elliott, Mary: "The Cloth with No Wrong Side", Threads, March 1997 (#69) pp. 60–63 Really interesting inseam pocket for reversible double cloth garments.

Mazur, Anna: "Reversible Techniques for Double Cloth", Threads, Taunton Press, February/March 2006 (#123)

King, Kenneth:  Classy piping highlights both sides Threads Jan 2011 #152 Interesting technique for inserting piping in edges of double cloth garment

Debby Spence: Double Cloth Sewing Techniques, Part 1 Techniques to ensure Elegant Seams, Edges, and Corners   Threads #223, Fall 2023

Debby Spence: Double Cloth Sewing Techniques, Part 2 Advanced Techniques for Darts and Closures  Threads #224, Winter 2023 Includes instructions on inserting an invisible zip in double cloth

Japanese Pattern Magazine Mrs. Stylebook,  

I know this resource is not for everyone. However, the Japanese Pattern Magazine Mrs. Stylebook, Issue 210 Oct 2022 had over 14 pages of color photos and diagrams showing how to sew every detail of a reversible double cloth coat. It also included a unique pocket, usable from both sides, that I included on my coat. I translated the Japanese text using the Google Translate app on my phone. Using the app and the camera, I captured pictures of the pages with the English text and saved them to a folder for easy access.  My husband saw me looking through my phone at the magazine pages and said with an incredulous tone in his voice “Are you using the magnifier to read a magazine?  I assured him my current glasses worked well, and I was using the translator app. The magazine is available from Etsy seller "pomadour24" Mrs Stylebook   Warning, the postage is more that the cost of the magazine.  I have a subscription from a foreign document service based in NY and it is slightly cheaper.

Mrs. Stylebook, Issue 210 Oct 2022

Pocket from Mrs. Stylebook, Issue 210 Oct 2022

I am so proud of myself for finishing this UFO. I won't be able to wear it until next fall as the weather has warmed up. See my daffodils.  You'd think at my age I would have had more confidence in my skills and used a fabric in colors that fit into my wardrobe. But on the other hand, because of my age, I have a huge fabric stash that includes some beautiful double cloth. Maybe a project for next winter.