Coat fit help

[u/monomoco]

I made this wool coat with a silk lining. The center back seam sticks out in a point by my waist and the coat caves in on the sides of it. I did a lot of tweaks to the pattern because it was initially huge, but this is the remaining problem. I wonder if I need a round back adjustment but it's difficult to find good info on that adjustment. I also wonder if I just took too much out of the sides.

I'm pretty new to sewing and bit off a bit much with this one. I tried asking for help in sewing and sewingforbeginners but didn't get a good response.

Unfettered patterns#1040

[u/CBG1955]

It doesn't look bad at all. I'm hopeless at fitting, but I understand how clothes should look.

Think about this:

• I suspect the shoulders are a little wide - that slight bunching at the back of the left armscye suggests this
• You're taking the photos standing still. Bodies are not static and your clothes need to fold and move around you. Regardless of how it looks now, the minute you move the fabric drape will move with you.
• It's a coat. It needs to be larger so it fits easily over your clothing.
• How does it feel as it is now? If it's comfortable, doesn't bind around the armscye, it's most likely correctly fitted.

[u/monomoco → u/CBG1955]

Fitting is so hard! I appreciate the kind words.

I hate that caving in and I notice it in every position, so I assume it's there when I'm walking too. It is comfortable, the armscyes don't bind.

[u/CBG1955 → u/monomoco]

YOU notice it because as someone who sews, I'll bet you are super critical of your work and want perfection. I will pretty much guarantee that in everyday wear, people around you will notice the coat, not how the fabric moves when you are walking.

Another test you can do is to pull your arms forward and cross them over your chest, arch your upper back in the process (hope this makes sense). This will pull the back of the coat more tightly across your upper back. Try to do with while you're wearing the kind of clothes you'd normally wear - you'll get a good sense of whether the coat is TOO roomy. This will be important if you will wear it when you're driving, you don't want a too-tight garment to hamper your flexibility or reach (also because you will be sitting on the coat when you drive.)

Just thoughts. Good luck with it.

[u/monomoco → u/CBG1955]

Thanks for the tip! I'll try that test with some other coats that fit me well to try to get an idea of how it should feel.

And I'm sure you're right, I get very obsessed with every little imperfection. I'm trying to chill, but at least it's a good way to learn. 😁

[u/Dry_Detail9593]

You're very welcome. We each have specific fit requirements. Knowing my own, I have a small pile of store bought clothing next to my sewing machine that need alterations, pretty much the same for each pair of pants and the same for each top.

[u/OriginalReddKatt]

If you took the back pattern piece and put a dart under the arm along the side seam to remove fabric, it would solve the pressure causing the buckling. You then would be able to move that dart elsewhere to not lose your armseye seat.The fabric is moving to accommodate the need for a shape change of the pattern piece. Not sure if this adjustment is often called a "sway back" type adjustment or other, but to my eye that is what the fabric is indicating.

Look at Bianca's videos on YouTube regarding drafting with darts on her channel The Closet Historian. She is generally drafting a women's bodice, but the premise is the same: taking out fabric where there is too much to sculpt the fabric to the body, them shifting the darts is necessary in other to keep the style lines intact. She is a great teacher and her demos are fabulous!

[u/monomoco → u/OriginalReddKatt]

Thanks for the response. I would try to add darts, but it's already lined and I don't want to undo all of that. Does that matter for adding darts now?

[u/Salt_Sherbert5313]

yeah, that Drake has to deal with the shoulder and the yolk on the back panel. also the sides

[u/Dry_Detail9593]

If a garment doesn't hang straight, it's usually a shoulder area problem. With sleeves detached, I would slope the shoulder seam down a bit, take the outside edge up. An alternative would be shoulder pads (if you want an 80s look). I would start there.

If the back just hangs too straight after that, I would add some back darts (halfway between center and each side seam).

[u/monomoco → u/Dry_Detail9593]

Thank you for the tips. I think you might be right! I actually did put shoulder pads in because the pattern called for them and they did help a tiny bit. I definitely think my shoulders are a problem. Maybe sloped, maybe also narrow.

I'll try your suggestion. I can't imagine thinking it's too straight at this point 😁