This pattern was reviewed in Threads #151 (October/November 2010). The “Style Tip” from Linda Henry was spot on! “To highlight this coat’s bias-cut, select a balanced plaid fabric or stripe.” My inspiration came from a contestant at the 2012 National Make It With Wool Finals in Scottsdale, AZ who had done exactly that! She highlighted her coat’s bias-cut by selecting a big, bold, balanced wool plaid fabric.

Before cutting out my fashion fabric, I researched how to cut plaid fabric on the bias in order to achieve a chevron effect. It’s easiest with an even plaid, but can be accomplished with an uneven plaid as long as the fabric is identical on both the right and wrong sides. (Being indentical on both the right and wrong sides allows one to “flip” the fabric to align the chevrons.)  I was prepared to do this until I read an article by Anna Zapp in which she stated “raglan sleeves might not match, as the front and the back sleeve pieces may be on slightly different angles.” This was a great piece of information! In other words, pattern pieces that meet (center front, center back, sides, and in the case with Burda 7587, center sleeve) must have identical angles in order to chevron plaids properly. After checking the pattern pieces, I discovered the raglan sleeves were cut on different angles.  (This explains why the plaids don’t chevron properly in the photograph on the pattern envelope.)  Now, I noticed the plaids didn’t line up on the sleeve when I purchased the pattern, but assumed it was the result of an improper layout or not being precise about matching the plaids.  Little did I know it is an inherent problem when attempting to chevron plaids cut on differing angles.  At this point, I switched my fashion fabric from a big, bold, balanced wool plaid fabric to a nondescript Houndstooth check wool fabric with stunning results!