The layout and the cut

I knew I had bought an uneven stripe (it looks different from right to left) so I thought about how I could make the striped side of the coat look better than the little blouse I just finished with the uneven stripe. I decided to fold the fabric width-wise so that the stripes would line up on the matching pieces (i.e. that two fronts, the two side fronts, etc.). This would not work if the fabric had any nap because then the nap on one front would be opposite to the nap on the other. But with cotton twill, there isn't any nap so I think I am safe.

There are eight main pieces to the body of the coat - two fronts, two side fronts, two backs and two side backs. Here, I have pinned three of the four pattern pieces to the fabric and the fourth piece is off to the left. The fabric is wider than the table because I have folded it along its width. Usually, you fold a fabric along its length. So when I cut out the four pattern pieces, I will get the eight coat pieces.

Here, I have made the bottom of the sleeve piece square by measuring the bottom and then measuring up on the body of the sleeve and drawing lines down to make the same measurements line up. In this way, I will be able to hem the sleeve to the proper length without worrying about trying to ease a smaller bottom edge into a wider body of the sleeve.

On the shirts I have been making, the top of the collar is cut with the same pattern piece as the bottom of the collar. In this pattern, the underside of the collar is a slightly different shape from the top and it is supposed to be cut on the bias. Because I am trying to make the coat equally reversible, I am going to cut the top and bottom of the collar using just the top pattern piece.

Finally, because of the uneven stripe problem that I suffered with the blouse, I decided I would cut this collar with the stripe running lengthwise down it. I am only cutting one because the other side of the collar will be solid red. And that's the same with the front pieces. Normally, you would cut four front pieces and two would act as facings. In this case, I am cutting two red and two striped. I am also going to interface all four fronts and both collar pieces.