Wool Coating Deals in the Garment District

$9.99 a yard is quite the price for wool coatings. Chic Fabrics, 225 W. 39th Street.

What's the key to surviving another brutal winter? Outerwear that makes you look and feel good, not to mention keep you warm. Sewing your own coat or jacket is a lot easier than you'd think, especially if you choose a loosely-structured style without a lot of tailoring and fitting demands. And when you make your own coat, you can customize it to meet your personal warmth needs.

To the best of my knowledge, Chic Fabrics on W. 39th Street has the most attractive deals on wool coating, at $9.99 a yard. Not a huge selection and the coatings tend to be on the lightweight side, but that's a great price. Do inspect your yardage before it's cut, as I found water spots on my wool coating after I got home. (Fortunately I could cut around them.)

You can find more wool coatings on W. 39th Street at the stores west of Chic but on the same side of the street. The selection gets better but the prices do go up, starting around $18 a yard. Also, Mood Fabrics has a large selection of wool coatings at a range of price points, as do B&J, Paron's, NY Elegant and Rosen & Chadick.

Don't forget linings. For warmth, I like the flannel-backed satin linings at B&J, or the quilted satins and nylons at AK Fabrics. For a luxurious touch, add a fur collar from Mood or Prime Fabrics (W. 35th).

Happy sewing and happy holidays!

Ready-made fur collars at Mood Fabrics. Add one to that coat you're going to make.

Here's my coat in progress: Wool coating from Chic, fur from Prime, quilted lining from AK.

Make Your Own Winter Coat This Season

Fur Collar Trench by Boy by Band of Outsiders. Trench style wool coat with removable fur collar and self tie belt. $2,240 at La Garconne.

A winter coat is one of the most satisfying and cost-effective things you can sew for yourself: You can build it exactly to your specifications, and not skimp on linings like even some of the better RTW companies do. And you can save lots of money when you make your own coat, because even on sale winter coats are still pricey.

This season I am really taken with the above Boy by Band of Outsiders winter coat and am hankering to make one like it. First, I can repurpose a fur collar from an old coat that's been languishing in my closet. Second, how great is it that it has a quilted lining. Our NYC winters have been cold lately and this winter I'll be prepared with a quilted lining.

Lucky for us wool coatings abound in the Garment District. Shop around, trying W. 39th Street first for bargains before heading to standbys like Mood, B&J's, Paron's, Rosen & Chadick, Elliott Berman Textiles, Lace Star and NY Elegant. You can find quilted lining fabric at Mood, B&J's, A.K. Fabrics and NY Elegant. Now get sewing and finish that coat before the first snowflake falls in the tri-state region. (Oops, too late.)

Quilted fabrics at NY Elegant...

...and at Mood Fabrics.