Here is another adventure with my sew sisters, Monica and LaDonna, in making the Rya Coat by Fibremood. LaDonna suggested the pattern and honestly, I wasn’t excited about it…at first. Oversized clothes tend to overwhelm my frame and send me on the express lane to Frumpsville, but I trusted my girls’ vision, since they are style mavens in their own right.

We took a trip to Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, IL and I found a fabric that got me excited about the Rya. It was upholstery fabric which is my go to choice for coating besides wool. I loved the large graffiti print which made it a perfect choice. It’s uber flamboyant, yet I could easily wear it with almost anything. This was the perfect combination for what I call a Cool Mom coat. Check out our escapade here.

This is type of coat those Pinterest moms wear while fashionably running errands with her well behaved kids. There are no meltdowns, tantrums or tears (none from the kids either). This is the type of coat that distinguishes a mom from being a cautionary tale to being a total momspiration!

The Rya pattern was pretty straight forward for the most part. The coat is unlined, so they were very detailed with the instructions for seam binding to make the inside look neat. I self drafted my own lining because I prefer my coats/ jackets lined, so I skipped all binding instructions except for the hem. The only slightly confusing part was making the 1/4” double fold seam binding into 1/2” single fold seam binding for the hem, but once I read it a few times and looked at the illustration, I got it.

For the lining, I used the sleeve, back and front pattern pieces. I cut the sleeves and back the same I did for the upholstery fabric. In the finished garment, the facing is topstitched 2”, so for the front, I measured 2” away from the notch for center front (away from midline). From there, I drew a vertical line down the pattern piece, so the pattern piece for the front is 4 3/4” narrower than the original pattern piece, including 3/8”seam allowance). I stitched the lining pieces together and inserted into the coat. The time I saved skipping the seam binding caught up with me on the back end with slipstitching the lining to the sleeve and bottom hem.

Tip: If matching a large print or plaid, be sure to account for the 1” overlap. I had to recut the right front pattern piece because it just gnawed at the sewing OCD in me. I measured 1” to the right of the center front notch and got it right the second time.

Now that I’ve made my Cool Mom Coat, I can look like one of those Pinterest Moms who have no trouble at all leaving of the the house in a timely manner with their children. A stranger saw us in the store and commented on what stylish moms we were. Mission accomplished! Check out our Cool Mom Coat video. Eat your heart out Pinterest Moms!