Coda Quilted Coat: Part 4
Welcome to Part 4 of the Coda Quilted Coat SAL! At this stage you should have the outer and lining both separately assembled. Next, we'll be putting them together and binding the coat! As previously mentioned, for this SAL we are assuming that you have not quilted the lining to the outer of the coat. If you have done so, you will need to finish the interior edges of your coat with bias binding as well (or you can serge them). For other posts on the Coda Quilted Coat, visit this link. Note that the Sew a Long posts require the Coda Quilted Coat Pattern.
Put Together Outer + Lining
When I got to this stage of making my first coat, I felt like I was missing something because it was so easy…but nope. Putting together your outer and lining is as simple as making sure your lining is wrong side out and slipping the arms inside your outer arms! The outer and the lining should have their wrong sides together. This is a good time to do a final try on of your coat before binding it to see if you like how it's fitting; once it's bound you don't have much of an option for alterations.
Make sure that the underarm seams are lined up at the end of the sleeves for both pieces and pin a few places around the sleeve, ensuring that the lining sleeve isn't twisted inside the coat. Then, gently adjust the lining so that all of the edges are lining up with the outer of the coat. Carefully pin around the exterior of the coat (all of the raw edges) to help it all stay in place when binding.
Creating Bias Binding
If you've never created bias binding before, it can sound a bit intimidating! However, once you've done it you'll realize there was nothing to be scared of.
A quick note on bias binding vs. quilt binding: If you're a quilter, you've probably made tons of binding before. However, bias binding is different than standard quilting binding (though some people use bias binding for their quilts too). Bias binding needs to be able to stretch around curves on our garments (think the neck hole and the curved bottom of the coat), so we cut it on the bias of our fabric. If you cut standard WOF strips for this binding, it will not work.
I personally love this tutorial on creating bias binding. It's the method I use, and I think it explains the process quite well! Plus there's a video if you prefer. Ironing the bias tape just right can feel a bit trick and tedious, but it's the best way to do it if you're new to bias binding. When you become more familiar with it, you can use some hacks and shortcuts to speed up the process but I would following the instructions as is until you're really confident sewing on bias binding.
Sewing Bias Binding
You'll be using 3 pieces of bias binding to finish your coat. One to go around the primary body of the coat - the neckline, the front, and the bottom hem - and two others to finish the sleeve ends. I like this tutorial if you're new to sewing on binding, and it shows a good example of how to create a closed binding loop for the end of the sleeves.
Note: most people sew bias binding to the right side of the garment first, so that the top stitching isn't seen on the binding (in theory, when you stitch down the binding on the interior of the garment, this seam will disappear into the fold of the binding on the front of the garment). However, I've found this to be challenging for beginners, so if you don't mind seeing the top stitching along your binding on the front of your coat, you can consider doing this process in reverse for less frustration. This would mean attaching the binding first to the lining side, then doing the top stitching on the outside of the coat)
Binding the Coat Body: Rather than pre-measuring and closing the binding as we will do for the sleeves, I suggest you start sewing your binding on at one of the shoulders, leaving a 6-8" tail of binding unattached that can be used to close the binding when you reach the neck. Sewing on bias binding is pretty similar to binding a quilt, with a couple of key differences. This tutorial will show you how to approach sewing your bias binding using your quilt as an example. Just make sure that you adapt the measurements provided to fit the width of your bias binding if you have not used ½" bias binding, as this tutorial is assuming that the binding strips are 2" wide total.
Right Angle Corners: There are two right angle corners your binding will need to be sewn around - where the coat front panels meet the bottom. If you're a quilter, this is handled in essentially the same way as biding a quilt corner, but with the binding completely opened up. Here is a video tutorial that shows you how to bind a mitered (or right angle) corner.
A Note About Sleeve Binding
Technically, you can use WOF-cut binding for the sleeves as they have a straight edge. So if you've run out of bias binding and don't want to make more for the sleeves, you can make some super quick traditional binding instead.