Deeply disappointing Lichen Duster

I bought this pattern 2 years ago to use the most beautiful and expensive piece of fabric I have ever bought, some Indian cotton velvet.

I bought a pdf copy of the pattern and also had it printed out by a printing company in A0 format.

Over the past 2 years I have got out the pattern and read through it and remembered why I have never made this beautiful coat. This has the most frightening and complicated instructions I have ever seen on a pattern. I am a very experienced dressmaker and have been making clothes for 48 years now and my mum was a professional seamstress and this pattern made me feel that I was a novice. The instructions stripped me of all my confidence in my ability to sew.

Lets start from the beginning!

There is a fundamental flaw in the difference between the A0 copy and the pdf A4 copy. The pdf has no map or diagram so you have to lay the whole thing out on the floor to see where all the pieces are but they are complete. The A0 copy is not complete. By this I mean that there are 2 extra pieces of pattern with tiny writing on them telling you to join them to the front and front facing. There is no label on them saying that they are part of the front and front facing.  Furthermore, there is no mention of this in the instructions.

The instructions are  a booklet of 26 pages and  looks very normal and straightforward. The first page gives you the instructions for printing out the pattern and links to the guides for using the patterns which is brilliant. There is suggested workflow which is good and a support email for any problems.  the next page gives you general information and a suitable fabric guide – all excellent. There is also a detailed online sew along. For this be sure to go to the blog on the Sew Liberated website and do not google the sew along because you get an abridged version.

The next  page is dedicated to your measurements and the finished garment measurements and this is where it starts to get a little complicated.

My bust measurement is 47.5 inches so that fits into the size 22-24 category  and there you have the quandary. Do you make a smaller size and put in a full bust adjustment or just make a larger size.  At this stage I decided to    look at the sew along. Each stage tackles a different part of the process – the first one being sizing.  Apparently you should measure yourself daily – very scary thought. The author gives 3 case studies of three women with different sizes and builds. The one closest to my bust size has small shoulders so the author suggests either a full bust adjustment or using a smaller size – fair enough!  However, when you look at the measurement chart and the finished garment measurement, there is no shoulder measurement. In the measurements, there is a bust, waist and hips and in the finished garment section there is only a waist, hip, sleeve length, sleeve hem and back and front hem. There is also a section of notes that gives you the amount of ease in the waist and hip but not in the bust. This is very confusing so I contacted the support team giving my measurements and asked for help as to the bust sizing and asked why it wasn’t in the finished garment measurements. The reply I got back was truly astounding. They told me that because everyone’s bust measurement was different, they couldn’t’ put it in. Surely they could have given you the ease so that you would be able to calculate your bust size, measure the pattern pieces and see if you had enough ease in your pattern to fit you properly . They also sent me an anatomical diagram of an acremonium so that I could measure my shoulder correctly even though there is no shoulder measurement in the actual pattern.  This i actually found offensive.

My conclusion is that the support is even more condescending than the irritating American instructions.

At this point I decided to make a cotton muslin just to try the actual construction out.

I made a size 22.

There are gores which are additional triangular shaped inserts to give the garment more body and swing. There are suggestions as to which type of seams you should use. For the back a flat fell seam is suggested.  However, the instructions for this seam are very confusing – please refer to You tube for suitable instructions on the 3 types of flat fell seam and choose the one you think is best for this project.

I did none.  I decided to make bias binding and use that.  I have never done this before but bought some bias binding set and this has changed my life.  I loved making it and it worked.

The pockets are brilliant but if you follow the instructions and don’t use thin cotton, you end up with 9 layers on the pocket edge with the binding to sew into the front gore.  This is very bulky and because it is a muslin, I didn’t even overlock the edges of the seams. An easier way to construct the pockets is to put the top edges of the pockets together wrong sides together, sew together, press, turn out and top stitch – much less bulky.

The shawl collar and facing are fabulous and I decided to use a contrasting fabric for this for more impact. The only really useful piece of the sew along is a video of the collar construction. It is the same construction as every shawl collar you have ever made.  You are then supposed to join the shoulder seams and insert the sleeves – you need to carry out gathering ease =- not mentioned in the comprehensive instruction but we all know how to do that anyway. At this stage you are supposed to attach the shoulder edges of the front facing to the shoulder seam and and armhole at the notches.  Don’t do this unless you have a very flat chest as the facing is interfaced which makes it stiffer and is not wide enough to reach the armhole seam as shown in the instructions without puckering  up the top layer of the front and side front which basically wipes out all the effort you took to add a full bust adjustment and give the front some shaping. you could stay stitch the facing to the front and shoulder area on the wrong side of your material or you could use double sided seam tape which gives you more flexibility to spot fix it in place.

Whilst inserting the front gore and attaching the front to the front side where the pocket trim is too bulky – very difficult to achieve without pulling the garment out of shape and there is no re-enforcement at the top of the gore to stop it from fraying from the weight and construction type – I discovered  the A0 pattern flaw!!!!!!! The front and the front facing are 5 inches or so too short.  I frantically searched the internet, contacted the support page and looked through both the pattern, the fabric layout diagram and the instructions and pattern pieces and discovered that the 2 additional pattern pieces with the tiny writing on them were supposed to be attached to the front bottom and the front facing bottom. Oh my goodness much too late now. All of the facing and overedging is done and dusted.  I was furious with myself but relieved that I hadn’t actually used my beautiful velvet and had made a muslin instead.  Then I realised that although I had missed this, it is just a muslin and that for all that this pattern is really expensive and purports to be really well written, this fundamental error could have cost me hundreds of pounds.

I am addicted to dressmaking and always have been.  It is my joy and my means of de-stressing.  I love every garment and every piece of fabric and am always up for a challenge but I sew for the enjoyment and this pattern has pushed me over the edge.  I am furious.  The sewing terms used in America are different from the UK and the instructions are intimidating, confusing and really not very good at all. Thank goodness we are all good at this stuff.

I know that this a coat and that it was not going to be an afternoon sew but it is not the construction of the garment that is difficult or irritating, it is the contradictory sizing information, lack of reasonable or friendly support, the off point instructions and terribly long and tedious sew along that make it hard.

I haven’t finished the muslin because this pattern would never work with my intended fabric and also because after a whole week of knuckling down and following the instructions, I am completely exhausted and stressed out. What a shame.