For years, this Anise coat was a languishing UFO. It would have stayed unfinished if my husband hadn’t shamed me into completing it before New Years.

Long Road to Done

I bought the pattern in 2014, fit the muslin in 2015, and started the coat. It stayed unfinished for three years. On Dec. 31st, I sewed on the final button and brought an end to my longest sewing project. I’m so pleased with how it turned out and really wish I had finished it years ago when I was living in D.C. and could have worn it often.

At first, things went well on this project. The muslin fit well and underlining was easy. The shoulder pads were awkward to sew in, but looked fine. Generally, things were going okay until I got intimidated by the prospect of lining the jacket and sewing eight button holes (my old sewing machine mangled button holes). Freaked out, I stuffed Anise in a bag and proceeded to move the unfinished jacket three times.

When I unpacked it in our new house in Florida, my husband did a double-take.

“You still haven’t finished that coat?”

I attempted to defend my neglect of Anise, “It’s almost done.”

He raised an eyebrow and told me I should just finish it already. Specifically, I should finish it that very day. It was Dec. 31st and he declared that I shouldn’t start the new year with an unfinished coat. Five hours later, the job was done.

I don’t remember making any adjustments to the pattern. I think I sewed up a size six. When I bought the pattern, I also purchased the companion ebook which was very helpful in breaking the process down into beginner-friendly steps.

Fabric, Directions, & Fit

Anise is complete in a black and white wool tweed with a turquoise polyester lining from Fabric.com. I did a quick search, but it appears neither is available anymore on the site. The buttons were purchased at Joann’s.

Finally finishing a coat after such a long time brought a few stressors. Would it still fit? (Surprisingly, the fit is still good.) Does the style still feel on-trend? (The vintage cut and collar give the coat a classic vintage vibe and keep it from looking “last season.”) Does it still work with my wardrobe? (Yes, thank heavens I chose classic black and white and not some crazy color combination.)

Final Thoughts

Once I finished Anise, I immediately wished I could have told my younger self to shrug off the feeling of intimidation and finish the coat already. I’m bummed it missed years of wear.

Ultimately, my husband is to thank for pushing me to finish. He has a knack for knowing when I need a loving shove in the right direction.

Now, all I need is some cold weather (or a trip up north)!