Raspberry delight!

You knew it was coming didn't you...

I promise - this is the last School Days Coat you will see for some time!

So, coat number three.

All went pretty much the same as the last two, many pieces but lovely pattern and easy to put together.

To get her to smile more naturally I asked her to think of something that makes her happy. The response "Mummy sewing me this coat makes me happy."

She'll go a long way that kid!

This wool was quite a bit thicker than the last two - I got it from the Geelong Wool Mill about 15 years ago I think. (Does anyone know if they still have a sales area?? I couldn't find them last time we were there??)

As 'The Guy Who Lives Here' said, I've been waiting to make this coat for a long time! He was right.

Here's a shot of the lining, with a blurry headed child.

(Who appears to be poking her belly out!)

Miss A chose well for the lining, very impressed with this Japanese Lawn from Spotlight, the colours match perfectly, I adore it.

She was a super-shopper - in and out in no time at all.

She loves it too - this is the size 8 - so again, it will fit next winter.

So there they are all together - warm and snug for what's left of winter!

I think I might pull out a few summer patterns now and make a start on the next season.

Little Purple People-eater!

I have three kids - so you knew this pattern would be coming at you again didn't you!

This coat was the bargain of the year (so far anyway).

On the good advice of Nikki and her sewing buddy, I popped into Rathdowne Remnants one day to look for wool.

 

I picked up this piece in the remnants section - supposedly it was 2 metres long and was $20, that's cheap you say...

But the smile on my face was even wider when I got it home and measured it to find it was actually 3.2 metres long and very wide too.

So far I have cut this coat, a large Red Riding Cape from Oliver + s and have possibly enough for one more small cape as well.

This is a size 5 and it fits our not-quite-three-year-old 105cm tall child really well.

Again the sleeves are a little long but it will be great for this winter and next.

I wanted to show you the lining but we have terrible light at the moment and so these pics don't really do it justice.

It's a lovely lightweight Japanese lawn and complements the outer perfectly.
The snaps actually match better than they appear to in these photos, and again, velcro on the inside.

Oh, and before you even ask, you know there's another one coming don't you!

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).