My thoughts on the Assembly Line Lab Coat
After months of having it sit on my sewing table unfinished, my colorblocked Assembly Line Lab coat is complete! For some reason this project just took me forever. Not in actual sewing time, just in motivation to work on it. It turned out a little more “lab coat”-esque than I had expected. Don’t ask me what I was expecting 😂 I’m not sure that I would make it again since it’s such a statement piece, but I am glad to have it in my wardrobe.
The fabric
My lab coat is made in a ventana twill. I bought this fabric online and was expecting it to be a bit heavier. The end result is much more lightweight than planned and I’m not sure how functional of a jacket it will be in my wardrobe. If I were to make this again, I might try a heaver fabric like wool or even a sherpa.
In retrospect, I think choosing white as a mistake. I think it takes the ‘lab coat’ look just a little bit too literally. That’s something I would definitely keep in mind when choosing fabrics.
The pattern + sizing
This is my second time making an Assembly Line pattern and I’ve found that the pattern directions are typically clear. The instructions offer illustrations which guide you as you go. There are a few tricky parts to making the coat, but I found if I just studied the directions carefully I could get through it. The construction and drafting is solid – better than some other indie jacket patterns I’ve tried like the Ilford.
Despite aligning more with an “S” on the size guide, I sized down to an XS because the jacket has a fair amount of ease and is designed to be oversized. I didn’t think an oversized look would go with my fabric choice. I would definitely size down again regardless of what fabric I use.
Sewing the Assembly Line Lab Coat
The construction of the jacket is quite simple in some places – no collar, no sleeve placket – but complicated in others – particularly the double front button placket. I found the directions to be somewhat clear, but it definitely took a few reads for it to “click” for me. This blog post on sewing hidden button fronts helped me as well.
The pockets are the other interesting part of this pattern. They aren’t difficult to sew in any way, but they are HUGE. You end up sewing a horizontal line across them to shorten them, but they are still quite large. I personally like this look, but you could attach a different style of pockets or omit them altogether.
Final thoughts
If you’re looking for an oversized statement piece jacket, I would definitely recommend this pattern. I’m not quite sure how often I will wear mine, as it seems to require the right weather and the right occasion, but the few times I’ve worn it I’ve gotten compliments! If you’re looking for inspiration, you can check out my Pinterest board.
