The Übercloak

March 27, 2026

There is no such thing as a coat that’s perfect for all occasions. Especially not in a climate like ours, here in Nova Scotia. But this project was born out of a desire to have a coat that can respond to almost anything Mother Nature throws our way.

The idea is to have a coat with multiple layers that can be swapped or removed depending on the weather. This is the Thompson Coat by Daughter Judy Patterns and will function as the base layer. The fabric is a dry oilskin from Merchant & Mills. While not waterproof, the fabric is water resistant making it perfect for anything from a misty fog straight up to an average rain. A downpour will likely prove to be more than it can handle but luckily we don’t seem to get too many of those days. And because it’s a dry finish, the coat doesn’t have the look of a rain slicker. It doesn’t feel oily or waxy in any way but I spritzed it with water to test it out and the spray just beaded up. The drape is firm but fluid making the coat feel substantial without giving that stiff or restrictive feeling. I love this fabric. I would use it again in a heartbeat.

Sleeve Detail

The Thompson Coat features one of the most unique sleeve details I’ve ever sewn. It’s a raglan sleeve cut in three pieces. The top half is made of two pieces. One for the front and one for the back. The lower sleeve is one piece but cut on a diagonal. All sewn together, the sleeve has a slight barrel shape. The cut is so clever.

We recently upstyled a different coat that she had in her wardrobe. That coat had a lot of tabs and buttons that needed to be removed. Since they were the perfect size and colour, we used them on this project. I love it when things like that happen.

She also picked the most incredible lining for this project. It’s a bird print cotton canvas. The colours are perfect against the main fabric. She couldn’t have found a better match. There wasn’t enough to line the entire coat so we went with a yellow cotton voile for the sleeves. Again, it’s the perfect colour. Not only is it the perfect compliment to the navy on the outside but it pulls the exact yellow right out of the bird print on the inside. Just perfect.

And I love how the bird print peeks out a little when the top button is left open.

This coat pattern does offer a hood and a detachable one at that but she opted to go with something else entirely. It’s the Merchant & Mills Audrey Kerchief. This pattern is the perfect compliment for this coat. Sewn up in the same fabric you would never think they were patterns from two different companies. Being a kerchief, it’s easy to pop it on or leave it off without having to mess with any buttons or snaps. It just provides an easy option for those rainy or windy days.

There are plans in the works for two more coordinating layers that can be worn under the coat or on their own. She’s thinking of a vest and a car-length coat. It took a few years to go from the seed of an idea for the perfect coat into having a mix and match coat system to handle most kinds of maritime weather. It’s a brilliant solution. No wonder she nicknamed it the Übercloak.