The Nova Coat by Papercut Patterns is a great first coat to sew and here are 3 reasons why.
1. The Nova Coat is easy to sew because it has an easy fit.
The Nova Coat is made with a drop shoulder design. There is no shoulder seam to fit - either traditional or raglan. Often sewists assume that raglan sleeves are easy to fit, but I found out when sewing the Clare Coat that fitting them can be difficult. You can read about the lessons I learned sewing the Clare Coat (including fitting raglan sleeves here).
2. The Nova Coat has no fastenings.
There are no zippers and no buttons. The design is clean with no fastenings whatsoever. If you wish to add a zipper, there is a tutorial on the Papercut Patterns website on how to do so.
3. The Design of the Coat is simple with minimal pieces.
The Nova coat has a built in collar and pockets. There is no separate collar piece and no separate pocket pieces to sew. It does have pockets but they are part of the front pattern pieces and are formed when sewing the top front to the bottom front. There are also minimal lining pieces. The bottom side lining and hem lining are extensions of the main coat pieces rather than separate pattern pieces. It makes sewing the coat quick and simple.
The video below gives sizing and fabric tips as well as a tutorial on inserting the lining. I hope you give sewing the Nova Coat a try!