My 1950s “Gertie” Coat! – Butterick 5824 Pattern Review

Butterick 5824 Pattern Review

Hello Ladies!

Greetings from beautiful Victoria, British Columbia!  I’m on vacation right now and I’m supposed to be relaxing, but I was sooo determined to get the first pattern review of the new 1950s coat pattern online that I’m spending the morning blogging instead! : )

If you have been following vintage patterns at all, you undoubtedly were as elated as I was when Butterick Patterns released their new 1950s coat pattern last week (Butterick 5824), designed by the famous Gertie of “Gertie’s Blog for Better Sewing” fame.  I think it’s fabulous that Butterick has commissioned a new line of patterns designed by this vintage sewing blogger, and I can’t wait to see what future patterns she designs in the seasons to come!

But since I have to get off to see the Queen Elizabeth exhibit this morning, I’ll get right down to work.    Butterick Retro Pattern 5824 is an absolutely gorgeous vintage coat pattern which is just as fun to wear as any 1950s dress I’ve ever worn!  It has a beautiful shawl collar, four unique darts in the front, kimono sleeves/one piece bodice, and a wonderfully full skirt that twirls in the breeze.

I received this pattern in the mail on Friday afternoon, and though I was scheduled to leave for vacation at 7:00 that night, I knew I had to get this done before I went out of the country!!  So in about three hours or less I whipped out this coat at top speed, though I did have to omit the lining for shortage of time.

Full skirts like these should always hang before you hem them, so I brought my sewing supplies along so I could hem it in the hotel.  In the end, it was too much for me to hand hem in one sitting, so my mother graciously went to work hemming as well.  It was a lot of fun!

By the time we finished hemming it was much to dark for photographs, except for one place in town – the Parliament Building!

I absolutely loved sewing this vintage coat, and it goes together like a breeze.  The only part I would recommend not zipping through is the collar, which takes a little more time to get just right.  Remember for the Fourth of July when I sewed that vintage blouse from the Sense & Sensibility Blouse pattern?  (And remember how I excited I was about the collar construction?)  Well, this coat’s collar is put together exactly the same way!!  (The collar is an extension of the bodice front itself and is so much fun to assemble!)   I was sooo thrilled when I figured that out, and if you’ve never sewn this type before I might recommend practicing by sewing the blouse I referred to before you use a heavier coat fabric.

I used four buttons instead of two since I thought it would be a little more flattering that way, and it looks more double-breasted than the pattern cover does with just two buttons.  Since I was in such a hurry, I merely sewed the buttons directly onto the right side of the coat front, then stitched on a hook and eye closure on the inside to close the jacket.

All in all, this is clearly a five-star pattern that will be a classic for years to come.  Since many women live in climates too cold for 1950s dresses in fall and winter, you could easily wear this coat over pants and a sweater for a retro 1950s look without freezing your legs and toes!

I made my coat from a wool flannel with flecks of gold glitter, but you could really make it from any sort of coating material.

~ And speaking of new pattern releases, I have been feverishly working on the pattern for “Liesl’s Party Dress” which I hope to release very soon!  The dress has come together gorgeously, and I’m having the photo shoot tomorrow for this lovely vintage dress.  Stay tuned for more pictures to follow, and have a wonderful week! ~

Happy sewing,

Katrina