Duffel Coat and Waistcoat (Woman and Beauty, October 1951)

 Get out your drafting pencils and sewing machines! This one is for my readers who enjoy making up vintage patterns.

Both this smart duffel coat and they dandyish waistcoat are ideal for autumn.  Both are easily copied from the diagrams and both are in three main pattern pieces.

The duffel has elastic through the waist and draft-proof sleeves.  It an also be made without the hood and worn with a scarf.  The cross-over waistcoat turns a skirt into a delightful outfit.  It opens flat and straps from the fronts button over to fasten at the back.

THE DUFFEL COAT

The duffel coat needs to be made in a thick, soft material of the blanket cloth type—velour is ideal—but any hard material would not be suitable.  The large saucer buttons cost ...

SCALE OF DIAGRAM.  One square—16 square inches (4-inch squares).

MATERIAL.  2¾ yards of 54-inch width,without an up-and-down way.  The instructions are for 36-inch bust size.

THE PATTERN.  Rule paper into 4-inch squares, draw and cut the pattern as shown in the diagram, cutting the hood from double paper with the side indicated on the fold.  Cut patterns for the back neck and front facings to same shape as pattern and to the width shown by the broken lines.  The broken lines at the waist mark the position of a casing, which is threaded with elastic.  Half-inch seam turnings are allowed, two inches for hem.

THE CUTTING.  Cut the pattern from material which has been opened out and folded double, placing the centre back to the selvedges and the centre front (shown by the dotted line) on the straight of the material.

THE MAKING.  Stitch and press the centre back, shoulder, sleeve and side seams.  Stitch a strap of silk on to the wrong side at waist to form the casing, beginning and ending 3 inches inside each front edge.  Make two bound buttonholes in right front, one diagonally across the revers and the other at the waist in line with the casing.  Gather base at each sleeve.  Make up and add the cuffs.  Stitch centre-back seam of each section of the hood, matching double and single notches and press.  Stitch together the remaining edges at top of seam, matching single notches.  Tack the two sections of the hood together, right sides together, and machine within the curved edges.  Turn right side out and press.  Tack the double neck edges of hood to right side of neck of coat.  Join shoulder seams of facing and neaten the entire inner edge.  Tack facing over the neck and fronts of coat, right sides together, with the hood between the two neck edges.  Machine within neck and front edges.  Turn facing in to wrong side of coat and catch-stitch to shoulder seams.  Hem up lower edge of coat.  Thread elastic through waist.  Catch-stitch facing to each front below the waist.  Finish buttonholes and sew on buttons.  Button the coat and then fasten the edge of right front to left front at waist with a hook and eye.

THE WAISTCOAT

We made the waistcoat in a fine, hound's-tooth check wool from Jacqmar, but it could be made in a shepherd's plaid, a bird's-eye check, a plain smooth wool, or corduroy.  The instructions are for a 36-inch bust size.

SCALE OF DIAGRAM.  1 square—16 square inches (4-inch squares).

MATERIAL.  1 yard of 54-inch width without an up-and-down way.

THE PATTERN.  Rule the paper into 4-inch squares and draw and cut the pattern, following the diagram.  Cut patterns for the back neck and front facings to the width shown by the broken lines.  Half-inch seam turnings are allowed.

THE CUTTING.  Cut the pattern pieces from material folded with selvedges together, placing the centre-front (shown by the dotted line) on the straight of the material and the larger section of the back and its facing to the fold.

THE MAKING.  Join each band section of the back to the front, matching single notches.  Stitch shoulder seams.  Dart waist as indicated and press.  Stitch shoulder seams of facing, neaten the inner edge and press.  Place facing over the neck and fronts of waistcoat, right sides together, and machine within outer edges.  Turn facing in to wrong side of waistcoat, press seamed edges, and catch-stitch to the shoulder seams.  Face in all remaining edges.  Wrap right front over the left, with centres matching, and button at waist.  Button or press-stud the lower side edges of the bodice-back to the wrong side of the front waist darts.  Button the ends of the band sections of the back to fit the waist.  Face in the upper edge of the pocket and make a buttonhole in the centre.  Turn in all remaining edges and stitch to right front of waistcoat where indicated on diagram.  Sew button opposite to buttonhold.

I scanned the diagrams at 300 dpi, so if you download and print them off, they should be clear enough to work with.  Good luck, and remember: if you do trying making either of these garments, I'd love to see the results!