Two Looks in One:Butterick 6244

I'm currently in love with chartreuse! So much so that after my chartreuse suit and animal print bodysuit makes I grabbed this double faced wool by Michael Kors in chartreuse and gray. (Sold out, but check it out in lemon/oatmeal, green/marigold, lime/pink and mango/oatmeal). As soon as I saw it I new I wanted to make something reversible or at one were the wrong side would show.This wool is amazing! Lets start with the obviously, the color, the chartreuse side is bright and gray side is perfectly heather. The brushed feel makes it extra cozy, perfect for this over-sized blanket coat. I would definitely say this is a heavy weight as once complete this coat is quite heavy and warm.I debated between a few patterns, but decided either McCalls 6209 or Butterick 6244 would work best. I opted for the latter, though I love M6209 I gave mine away because I never found it truly wearable, where as my previous B6244 still gets wear.I also knew from my prior make that all the seams of B6244 call for flat felled seams which makes for a pretty inside, which makes a reversible garment in my book. Also thankfully this piece doesn't have many seams (though the collar/shoulder seam is tricky) which is something to look out for when trying to make a reversible piece. If you've made this before (many have) you'll remember there are darts along the collar. This concerned me at first because how does one make a dart reversible. Then I realized it doesn't matter here as the wide collar covers the darts!I was intimidated by flat fell seams initially, simply because I'd never tried a seam finish other than serging. If you haven't sewn flat felled seams it's surprisingly simple, if a bit time consuming. I will note that it is a bit trickier on heavier materials (like this wool). Start by sewing your seam as usual then follow the steps below.1. Trim one side of the seam allowance to 1/4"
2. Fold the longer seam allowance over the trimmed side to the seam stitching
3. Fold over encasing the trimmed seam allowance
4. Edgestitch the seam
5. Finished flat seamThe only seam in this pattern that doesn't call for flat felled seams is the armsyce. Here (as well as the underarm seam simply because I couldn't figure out how to do a flat felled seam there) I opted for a french seams. A French seam is also rather simple, though they might take a tad bit of thinking ahead. For French seams you start by sewing the wrong sides together. This feels weird and I had to think twice on this project as the fabric is double faced. See the steps below.

1.Sew wrong sides together with a little less than have the called for seam allowance (here about 1/4" due to the 5/8" seam). Press the seam
2. Flip the seam so that the right sides are together.
3. Pin and sew the seam with a slightly larger that half of the seam allowance 3/8" (or just enough to encase the raw edges from the other side.)
4. Now there is a clean seam on the right side and a encased seam on the wrong side.
*Optional: You could edgestitch this seam and it would look similar to the flat felled.

You'll notice in these photos that I haven't finished the raw edges. I just haven' decided what I want to to. I could do a narrow hem all the way around, but this fabric is THICK and it would take away from which ever side I hem towards, forcing me to pick a "right side". I could do binding, but the same issues apply. Unfortunately I can't leave it raw because even though I haven't worn it (it's been rainy and slightly warm here) I've noticed it wants to fray. At this point I think I'm going to serge it using chartreuse thread in one looper and gray in the other. Still have to figure out what color for the needles, but I'll come up with something.

One thing that I want to note is I HATE being in between on sizing. You know when you're right at the border for where the "small" pattern envelope ends and the "large" pattern envelope begins. That's exactly where I was for this pattern. It was compounded here because going from a 16 to a 18 meant going to a 18W which is drafted slightly differently. In hindsight I wish I has simply graded out the 16 in areas I was concerned about because this 18W feels large. I was cautious as I only had just enough fabric for this make and erred on the side of too large. Thankfully it's not too bad here in a coat that can be style as oversized easily. Unfortunately there's not much I can (or am willing to do) now due to the flat fell and french seams.Overall I'm really pleased with this and realized I've sewn a chartreuse/gray winter mini collection and I love it. See below for the pattern review.Pattern: Butterick 6244 Pattern Description: Semi-fitted, unlined coat (wrong side shows) has front extending into draped collar, flat-fell seams, narrow hem, and shaped front hemline longer than back.Sizing: 8-16, 18W to 24W. I sewed a 18W I wished I'd sewn a 16.Difficulty: Advanced beginner due to the tricky collar seam.Fabric Used: Chartreuse/gray double face wool by Michael Kors from Fabric MartDoes it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope? YesWere the instructions easy to follow? Didn't really use but yesLikes: CollarDislikes: NonePattern alterations or any design changes made: I french seamed the sleeves.Would I sew it again? Maybe, this is already my second one.Would I recommend it to others? yes