The Purple Coat

Sewing has helped me move forward on my journey towards body positivity. I have had a poor body image since I can remember. I am a plus size person. But a few years ago, I started to discover body positivity on social media.

Along with following and interacting with leaders in the field, I also tried focusing inward and doing things in my own life that would increase positivity. I took a body image therapy workshop, I bought clothes that fit me instead of clothes that were the size I preferred, and I started sewing clothes that would fit me. One of the projects I sewed was a purple wool coat.

My coat is not perfect. The sleeves are too long and they're somehow too tight as well. The hem is extremely messed up. But it was a labor of love (and, honestly, a labor of work).

I saw the pattern for a beautiful coat that I just had to make. The only problem was that it didn't come in my size. That's a problem with sewing patterns for plus size people. Nowadays, the pattern universe is getting much more inclusive as the body positivity movement gains traction. The coat pattern actually goes up to size 24, but patterns go by a different sizing method, so a 24 is equal to a dress size much smaller than that. I didn't know that when I started sewing, so I made a size 20 dress blindly and I couldn't even get it on my body when it was done.

I decided to try to adapt the pattern to my size. I was not an advanced sewist (I call myself that because "sewer" looks like I'm a conduit for bodily waste). I had made a red wool coat before, though, without a pattern. I used an old coat for guidance on that one. The red coat is actually better than the purple coat because it has way fewer details. Other than that, I hadn't made any successful clothes for myself.

I purchased some gorgeous wool fabric and made a muslin, which is a trial run of the pattern that you make with cheap muslin fabric. I learned to do that from Project Runway. I enlarged the pattern simply by adding space to the front opening of the coat. That probably wasn't the best way to do it, but it was what I did. The muslin seemed fine. I didn't make the sleeves on the practice version, though, and of course that is one of the worst parts of the finished product. I don't wear the purple coat very often because I can hardly move my arms.

Nice fabric scissors are very important for cutting fabric. I'm in a few sewing groups online, and occasionally someone makes a joke or remark about using fabric scissors for cutting things other than fabric, which can ruin them. "How should I punish my husband for using my fabric scissors to open a package?" It's important to have scissors that can cut cleanly from hinge to tip. Often scissors don't cut all the way to the tip or they have dull areas along the blade, which makes cutting pattern pieces difficult.

I remember cutting out my fabric pieces for the coat. It took a few days to cut out what seemed like 100 pieces. The coat has two outer fabrics and a lining fabric. Along with having good scissors, it's important to cut very precisely or else the pattern won't come together correctly.

I started sewing with some silk thread, which I read was good to use with wool. It started out fine but became increasingly crooked as I went. Hopefully it's not 100% noticeable. I had to actually sew in a patch on one of the front plaid panels because I came up so short. Luckily it's mostly on the inside. I think I cut precisely enough, but I'm haphazard with keeping the seams the right size.

I'm happy that I turned this project into a wearable piece for me, even though I'm less than impressed with my sewing skills. I always somehow end up with too much or too little fabric. I've thought about quilting, but I can only imagine how crooked it would end up.

Each project increases my confidence both in my sewing skills and in my body. I've made a few more apparel pieces for myself since then, including a dress with an embroidered mesh overpiece and a knit top featuring a cool Picasso-type print. The purple coat does feel luxurious when I wear it, and I sense that people can probably tell I made it and think it's cool.

I love doing all kinds of arts and crafts and experimenting, like I did with enlarging the pattern, is a big part of it. I do a lot of improvising on things that don't turn out right. One example is that patch that I sewed onto the purple coat. I pride myself in being able to "fix" or change things that don't turn out the way they are in my mind (which is everything). I think it's a neat skill to have as opposed to making everything perfectly. Sometimes I get frustrated, so I just need to remember that I have the ability to fix it!