Penny Vintage Coat by Ellie Inspired
/As we continue on with our BundleUP! reviews, we are so excited to share the Penny Vintage Coat and Dress by Ellie Inspired. How awesome that you get TWO patterns included: a detailed empire waist fully lined coat, and an adorable drop waist knit dress. Check out the reviews from Kari and Paige, and make sure to add this to your BundleUP! sewing list.
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Hi there! I’m Kari from That’s-Sew-Kari. I am so excited to share my review on Ellie Inspired’s Penny Vintage Coat & Dress Set included in the Bundle UP sale. I am just smitten with my results (and I hope you are too!)
The Penny Vintage Coat & Dress set is a 2-piece pattern pack which includes, you guessed it, a coat and a dress. The coat is fully lined, complete with a peter pan collar, belt loops and tie, side pockets, and button closure. Its classic shape is simply beautiful and completely timeless. Underneath the coat is a playful, drop-waist, sleeveless knit dress with an optional ruffled neckline. This set comes in sizes 1-16!
As I was browsing the patterns coming to Bundle UP, this set caught my eye. Immediately, I thought I could get a jump on my Easter sewing. I had last year’s Easter dresses finished in January and it was so much less stress so I knew I had to go for it again. I’m so glad I did too!!
Pattern Details:
- Sizes 1 – 16 (chest 21” to 32”)
- Fully lined coat – peter pan collar, side seam pockets, belt loops/tie, buttons closed
- Knit dress – drop-waist, sleeveless, optional ruffled neckline
- Pattern Pieces – 21 total pages to print (only 8 for the dress), nested, B&W ink
- Tutorial – Line drawings accompanied by written instructions
- Charts included: Yardage, Sizing, Cutting Charts (for any rectangular pieces)
- Tips for sewing with knit and/or outerwear fabric are included
- Sewing level: Adventurous beginner to intermediate
Now that the pattern details are covered, how about we talk about this gorgeous coat?!
There’s something about polka dots – much like the Penny Vintage Coat, polka dots are timeless. They match most anything, can be dressed up or down, and quite frankly, put a smile on my face. I knew they would be a perfect match for this pattern.
Now, I will not lie – this coat is not a “whip it up in one hour” type of project. It’s one of those labors of love, but completely worth it! Of course, now that I’ve sewn one, my next one will be quicker for sure. It also takes a substantial amount of yardage, but nothing too crazy in the realm of coat making and completely worth it if you choose your fabrics wisely!
My favorite details are the pockets and the belt loops/tie belt. I positioned the belts loops slightly lower than the pattern suggests because I like hiding the seam line with the belt. The sleeves are able to be cuffed if you like. I chose to not cuff mine and simply hemmed the excess length off. I added a small light aqua button for detail at the hem of each sleeve. The other change I made was to use metal sewn-in snaps to fasten the coat. This gives me the freedom to change my front button colors whenever I’d like without having to worry about needing a specific size.
Now that we’ve talked about the coat, how about the dress?!
I mentioned above in the pattern details that the dress is all-knit, but I didn’t realize the skirt portion was too when I was deciding fabric choices. So, I used woven so I didn’t have to go through more fabric selections-- and it turned out just fine! I used clear elastic to stabilize the knit bodice before attaching my woven skirt.
The dress goes together much quicker than the coat! I think the binding the neck and arms took me the longest. I think that’s my least favorite part of sewing knit – if only I could pay someone to add all my bindings…lol. For added interest at the waist, I added large bow (not included in the pattern – it was the belt to a pair of shorts I made a year ago.)
Well, thanks to the Penny Vintage Coat & Dress set, I’m halfway done with my Easter sewing. When you Bundle UP, definitely add this in your cart – it’s totally a two-fer and will get so much use!
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I made the Penny Vintage Coat and Dress by Ellie Inspired. This set includes a sleeveless knit dress with a drop-waist and a fully lined coat with pockets. The coat can be made with a wide range of fabrics. Wool or fleece would be great choices for winter but I went with a cotton version for spring.
I liked the dress so much I made two. The dress can be be made with a ruffle collar, ribbon trim, or without embellishments. It's a beginner level pattern and goes together in under an hour.
The coat took me quite a bit longer but I was so happy with how it turned out. The designer has features for making this coat at varying skill levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) so you can choose from different options. For example, you can choose from button loop closures, traditional buttonholes, or bound buttonholes. I like having the choices and this makes the pattern more appealing for all sewers.
Both the dress and he coat have a good fit. Due to the cold, my daughter has her arms tucked up in the sleeves.
This pattern includes:
*pattern pieces for the coat and dress for sizes 1- 16
*charts for fabric requirements and body measurements
*cutting measurements for the coat and dress skirts, coat hem, optional ruffle collar and belt
*glossary
*lists for suggested fabrics and notions
*cutting instructions and pattern layout
*fabric tips
*assembly instructions and line drawing pictures
*tester photos
Measuring is required to determine the length of the neck and arm bindings on the dress. Even though it's not difficult to figure out, I prefer when the measurements are provided. It's just a personal preference and it won't stop me from making more of these dresses. I'm looking forward to seeing my daughter wear her new coat and dresses when the weather warms up.
Happy Sewing!
Paige
