Vintage Clothing Repair Project
Casual, but ever so stylish plaid coat.
I picked up this rather spiffing coat the other day. I was instantly drawn to the colour and weave. It’s slightly A-line in shape with wide sleeves, and I love the colours – navy-blue mixed with soft beige and cream. It’s very easy on the eye.
Going by the texture and feel of the fabric, I thought it might be wool and I was right. The label reads: Fine Woollens Woven in Scotland, Pure New Wool. I recently sold a jacket with the exact same label as this although it dated c.1980s. My new coat dates a little earlier.
Fine Woollens Woven in Scotland
The famous woolmark symbol was designed in 1964 by Italian graphic artist, Francesco Saroglia. It’s used in garments made only from 100% wool. The other symbols shown below include the ‘Woolmark Blend’, used for products containing a minimum of 50% new wool, and the ‘Woolblend’, used for products with 30-49% new wool. More info from The Woolmark Company website.
The buttons were all wrong!
It was only when I got my coat home that I realised the buttons were all wrong. They had looked navy-blue, but when I checked them again in full daylight, the buttons were actually purple. Prior to buying the coat I had also spotted a small hole in the collar, but I knew I could fix that easily, providing I had the same colour thread in my sewing box.
I was hoping to find replacement buttons in my large stash of spares. I’ve collected so many over the years but alas, I didn’t have exactly what I was looking for. I needed eight buttons in total; six for the bodice and two smaller ones for each cuff. Undeterred, I went along to my local sewing and haberdashery shop in Didsbury. They didn’t have navy-blue buttons that were large enough so I found a nice alternative. I also found the exact colour of thread I was looking for and here are the finished results. What do you think?
Small hole repaired on the collar.
The finished result! I chose wood-effect buttons which match perfectly with the soft beige colour of the coat. They're plastic, but will stand up well to the rigours of dry-cleaning. Buttons made from real wood can often split during this harsh cleaning process.
Slightly smaller buttons required for the cuff.
Sadly, the coat is too big for me otherwise it would definitely be a keeper! It’s currently available from the website, so please stop by and see if there’s anything else I can tempt you with.
Hey! Good job. it looks so much better with the new buttons
Thank you! It was a satisfying job!
That coat has a lovely late 30s vibe. The new buttons are much better,
Thanks so much. I agree! The coat has a much older vibe. I thinks it’s those wide sleeves. I can see it teamed with slouchy, wide-leg trousers and a head-scarf. Very retro!
What a lovely coat. Gorgeous tweed. And that little hole is completely gone thanks to your sewing expertise! The brown buttons look so much better against the blue background. Great job!
Thanks Marjorie. My first choice would have been navy-blue buttons so I’m glad they didn’t have them in the sewing shop now. I think the wood-effect ones look better too.