Cruella de Vil has long been a popular choice for Halloween costumes, and with Disney dropping her live-action origin story earlier this year, I have a feeling she’ll be dominating this season. The film featured a handful of stunning looks that would make gorgeous costumes, but I personally fell in love with her two-toned dalmatian coat.
Purchase Materials Used Below:
- 8-9 yards Stratton Winter White Solid Organic Cotton Twill (Outer Shell)
- 3-4 yards Stratton Black Solid Organic Cotton Twill (Outer Shell)
- 8-9 yards Limo Black Stretch Cotton Sateen (Skirt & Hood Lining)
- 3 Italian Black and Gunmetal Adjustable Buckle Closure – 5.5″ to 7″
- 1 122 Black Jacquard Textile Paint
- MDF266 – The Cruella Coat Sewing Pattern (free download below!)
Alternative Recommended Fabrics:
First, if you’re planning on painting some spots onto your fabric, I recommend doing it after your pattern pieces are cut and before you start sewing.
Note: Since this garment is lined, all seams were sewn regularly with right sides facing.
1. Attach the center front and side front panels at the princess seams, lining up any notches. Press open the seams and repeat with your lining.
2. Add your darts into your back panels and press toward the sides. Repeat with your lining.
3. Attach the two back panels at the center back seam and press open. Repeat with your lining.
4. Attach your front pieces to the back at the shoulders and side seams and press the seams open. Repeat with your lining.
5. Create each of your sleeves by sewing up the inseam and press open. Repeat with your lining.
6. Matching up your side seams and notches, set each sleeve into its respective armscye.
7. Here you can add your darts into your hood if desired. Personally, I chose to skip the darts and instead pleated the hood into the neckline in a later step.
8. Create the remainder of the hood by sewing the two panels at the center seam. Clip the seam allowance at the curve and press the seam open. Repeat with the lining.
9. Lining up the center seams, sew your lining along the front edge of your hood, turn right side out, and press.
10. Matching up the center back seams and shoulder seams, attach your hood to the outer layer of your coat. (If you chose to pleat your hood rather than sew the darts, pleat accordingly here.)
11. Attach your coat bodice lining to your outer layer along the center front and neckline, sandwiching the hood in between. Turn right side out and press.
12. Attach your two back skirt panels at the center back seam and press open. Repeat with your lining.
13. If desired, you can easily add some inseam pockets at the side seam here. For tips, check out this inseam pocket tutorial!
14. Attach your front skirt panels to the back at the side seams and press seams open. Repeat with your lining.
15. Attach your skirt lining to the skirt along the center front edges and hem. Line up the center back seams and side seams. Turn right side out and press.
16. Attach your skirt to the outer layer of your jacket at the waist, lining up the center back and side seams again.
17. Fold the raw edges of your bodice lining inward at the waist and slip-stitch.
18. Press your sleeve edges up 1/2″ and slip-stitch your lining inside each sleeve.
19. Attach your closures along the center front of your new coat!
Tip: For some extra security, you can also add some hook & eye closures inside the center front of your coat.
52 comments
Definitely going to try this! Thank you
I love this! When I saw the movie I knew that I wanted this coat. Now I can make it, Score!
Would it be possible to get this pattern in A0 paper size?
Hi Jenefer! Currently our patterns are only available to be printed on Letter & A4 sized paper. 🙂
I cannot wait to get started.
Love, love, love this coat! I do have a question. The strap closures are higher on the bodice; how do you secure the waistline….with a hidden hook and eye. My mind is spinning. Thank you for all you do for us! Virtual hugs, Donna
Hi, Donna! Since this was modeled on a dress form, it sat nicely without any extra closures, but I think I’d probably add some large hook & eyes inside for a real person. 🙂
Is this coat really made of 20 yards of fabric? I can’t imagine how much it weighs….is this a misprint?
Not a misprint – it’s an extremely dramatic coat, and was even more so in the film. This one was made with a cotton twill, which, while super sturdy, is pretty light so it’s not daunting to wear. Plus, if someone were to make it in something even easier on the wallet for a simple costume, it’d probably be even lighter. 🙂 I can’t even imagine the weight of the original film’s coat though!!
What fabric is the lining? Is it the 8 yards of cotton sateen? The cotton twill is only 3.5yds??? Confusing, Mac.
Hi, Mac! The black twill and white twill were used for the outer layer of the coat and the sateen was used for the lining of the skirt and hood. The entirety of the outer layer of the back skirt is cut from the white twill, which is why it calls for so much more than the black twill.
Anxious to try this and a bit nervous. Sure is a fun and beautiful pattern, thank you so much.
This is one of my favorite looks! (Even though it is technically a costume)
How should it look in the back regarding the skirt?
I have a little trouble visualising how the two parts are put together
Hi, Ann Sofie! They attach at the center back seam like in the pattern flat up top. 🙂
Hey! i’m attempting this pattern as one of my first outfits and i just had a question. Is the front skirt made from the white Dalmatian fabric or the black fabric. I’ve been trying to cross reference with the photos but I haven’t figured it out. Thank you!
Hi Cole! The front skirt, while one pattern piece, is in this example cut out of both the white dalmatian fabric and the black fabric. 😀
If the printed pattern totals 450cm*126cm (15 A4 times 30cm and 6 A4 times 21cm) how is it possible you need 9 yards which roughly means 9 meters of fabric? If the pattern is 4.5 meter? Seems like to much fabric.
Hi Pip, The black twill and white twill were used for the outer layer of the coat and the sateen was used for the lining of the skirt and hood. The entirety of the outer layer of the back skirt is cut from the white twill, which is why it calls for so much more than the black twill.
I made this pattern and found it to be easy to follow. Great results!
Stunning – thank you so much for sharing! Which pieces are cut in black? I get the bodice – but for the “skirt,” are F & G cut in both Dalmatian and black, or only one F?
This pattern is amazing! I documented how I made it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQMfq7Eklk0
It’s a great pattern and looks so beautiful. Thank you!
I haven’t watched the entire video, but the end result looks great!
Why does this coat need stretch lining, please?
Hi, Carol! The stretch is not required. 🙂
thank you `
I’ve just finished sewing this and wanted to make a couple of recommendations. First, it really needs a waist stay, the skirt is HEAVY! And secondly, that the bodice would really benefit from being interfaced, as well.
It certainly is a dramatic coat, and went together without too much trouble, except the amount and weight of the fabric in the skirt made it a challenge to work with at times!
can this be made with silk or satin for a more flowy skirt?
Hi Natalie! You could certainly use a satin if you would like a more flowy skirt, however, the skirt may lose a lot of body. In addition, we would suggest stabilizing the bodice portion of the coat with an interlining or interfacing to maintain its structure. 😀
What is the seam allowance on this project?
Hi Maddi, we’re sorry for the delay in responding to your question! We get dozens of comments and questions each day, and so many questions get buried and, unfortunately, unanswered. We are now focusing user support on patterns 2 years and newer. We hope this will prevent questions on our more current patterns from going unanswered. Although this is late, we wanted to respond in case anyone else has the same question: the seam allowances are 1/2″ unless otherwise stated 🙂
If I’m reading this correctly, the skirt part of the jacket is a total of 8 pieces cut not 4 pieces cut? The skirt is giving me a headache. Help!
Hi, Karen! The main layer is 4 pieces and the lining layer is 4 pieces for 8 pieces total. 🙂
What would you suggest if I wanted to make this long sleeved to use as an actual coat instead of just a costume?
Hi Julie! The sleeves are three-quarter length, so theoretically, all you would need to do is lengthen them. If you want to change the sleeve shape or need additional instructions, we have the Valli Sleeve Pack and instructions on drafting a sleeve sloper. 😀
OMG!! Amazing! Thank you!!
how long is the back of the coat, from the neckline to the floor?
Hi Lucy, we’re sorry for the delay in responding to your question! We get dozens of comments and questions each day, and so many questions get buried and, unfortunately, unanswered. We are now focusing user support on patterns 2 years and newer. We hope this will prevent questions on our more current patterns from going unanswered. Although this is late, we wanted to respond in case anyone else has the same question: the length is 63 inches.
The pattern won’t send please help!
-angie
Hi Angie, I’m sorry to hear that! Just email info@moodfabrics.com and they’ll send it to you. 🙂
Hi, can this be made with faux fur?
Hi Belen, we’re sorry for the delay in responding to your question! We get dozens of comments and questions each day, and so many questions get buried and, unfortunately, unanswered. We are now focusing user support on patterns 2 years and newer. We hope this will prevent questions on our more current patterns from going unanswered. Although this is late, we wanted to respond in case anyone else has the same question: you could make this out faux fur, however we would recommend using short hair faux fur!
How do I attach the lining for the sleeves?
Hello there!
Thanks for visiting the Mood Sewciety Blog! We’re proud to have released over 350 free sewing patterns, and we hope you’re enjoying them.
Behind the scenes we’re a dedicated team of three, and we want to be able to offer top notch support. We have exciting plans for our patterns on the horizon, and as we continue to grow, we’ve decided to focus our sewist support on patterns from the last 2 years. If this pattern hasn’t been recently reduxed or updated, we won’t be able to respond to technical questions on these older posts.
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Thank you for your understanding and happy sewing!
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The Mood Sewciety Blog Team
How wide does the fabric need to be?
Hi there! We used 58″ & 59″ width fabric for this project!:)
Bonjour, est ce qu’on peut utiliser de la matière SoftShell ? Peut-être sans doubler la partie jupe ?
// Hello, can we use SoftShell fabric ? Maybe without lining for the skirt part?
Merci à vous pour tous ces beau patron gratuit !!
Hi Solene, we’re sorry for the delay in responding to your question! We get dozens of comments and questions each day, and so many questions get buried and, unfortunately, unanswered. We are now focusing user support on patterns 2 years and newer. We hope this will prevent questions on our more current patterns from going unanswered. Although this is late, we wanted to respond in case anyone else has the same question: you can use SoftShell fabric and will not require a lining.
Je souhaite ce patron cruella. Merciiiiii
Thanks for this pattern. I love the drama. I made it for a teen school play. I cut the size 10. I bought 4 metres of white polyester and 4 metres of black polyester and squeezed the coat out of the 8 metres by not lining the skirt as the fabric is the same colour both sides. I just had to piece the front skirt panel but it is not visible in the folds of the coat. Even with half the fabric in the skirt I agree it is heavy. I also put white piping on the edge of the hood like in the movie version and it really enhances that lovely hood shape
Hi, this pattern looks amazing, I was wondering if it possible to add a mega bell sleeve to it. And if possible how would one do it,
Many thanks
Hello, you can add a mega bell sleeve by gathering the sleeve at the top to fit onto the armscye.