Rugging up

Warning - pic heavy post ahead!

While snow and sleet are not exactly part of winter on a daily basis in Australia, it still gets cold enough for small folk to need a decent winter coat.

And of course this little person likes things in pink at the moment.

So I decided to have a go at making the Oliver + s School Days Coat in wool, very bright pink wool!

Like all Oliver+s patterns this came together beautifully.
There are A LOT of pieces to trace and cut (keep in mind I traced it in three sizes!)

It's fully lined - I just used a quilters cotton that the small person chose.
In the back I added a hanging hook that I made from a bias folded (but not bias cut) strip of wool, just at the base of the hood.

It has a hood and I went for front snaps rather than traditional duffle-coat-style toggles.

This is the size 7 - and she would have fit a 6 better right now but I wanted it to last for next winter too.

To give you an idea of sizing - Miss L is a thin 122cm tall child.

In typical O+s fashion there are good tips on the pattern about grading seams and doing slightly widertop-stitching when using a thick fabric like wool.

I'm not a fan of velcro - and like it even less in a lovely coat like this so think I will use sew on snaps for that step next time - it just spoils the look of it for me...

There's a little hand-stitching to secure the lining of the sleeve and coat to the hems but the rest was done easily on the machine.

Even the pockets are lined, another nice touch.

I wanted to use self-covered buttons on the closures but my machine couldn't cope with the thickness of the double layer of wool, it wouldn't feed at all.

So I opted for snaps - in the same colour as the coat and I am really happy with how they came out, given they were not my first choice.

My friend is very happy with her new coat.

Even if I wouldn't let her wear it to kinder today, where she and her friends have taken to playing a game called "Smashy" on the slide - where you all pile together, one person's feet colliding into the back of the next.  Hmmm - not good for a new coat!

So instead she wore it on an outing to visit the ducks and have a run with her sisters.

It seemed to do the trick!

Are you following me with that camera??

If you want a traditional winter coat that is stylish enough to be good at the park or a party this is a great option.

I highly recommend this pattern  - and there's nothing in it for me. 

I'm just blogging, not flogging (definition number 2).