The Patchwork Coat

 Hello Readers. It is cold and snowy in my area. It is really feeling like winter so let's refashion a cozy wool coat. This little black and gray coat had some touches of mustard yellow that I loved. It wasn't bad in it's original form but I had another vision for it.

 

Before and after. 

 

This coat had a lot going for it. I love the different fabrics and colors. The fit wasn't great on me. The sleeves were too long. (Call me Miss Short Arms.) And that snowflake on the black side did not go with my plan. 

 

I wanted to go with a sewing theme because I like to sew and because I have had these buttons for a long time. I have never been able to find a good use for them. They are too big and heavy for a button down shirt. They needed the right jacket or coat. The colors of these buttons and this coat were made for each other.

 

I cut off the bottom of the coat. I thought a cropped length would look better on me. I am really short so shorter lengths are better. And the sleeves needed to be shorter so they got cut too. 

I made 2 pockets out of some gray wool I had on hand. I made it big enough to cover the snowflake design. The coat did not need pockets but it seemed like the easiest way to cover the snowflake.

This a view of the pocket upside down. I was stitching it onto the coat. 

 

You can see I used a zigzag stitch on the cut edges to keep the coat and its lining all together while I was working on it. I added this black trim to hide the cut edges and the zigzag stitches. 

My newest refashion is definitely a favorite. I love these buttons!

 

Sleeve close-up. Adding the trim was a fast easy way to finish the edges.

 

  

Coat close-up #1.

Collar close-up #2.

My new coat was warm because of the wool it was made out of. The new buttons and shorter length made it so much fun to wear. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself. 

*Year End Note From Chickie- I have been wearing this coat all winter. I still love the sewing themed buttons.

The Coat Skirt

Hello Readers. It might be cold outside but Spring is going to arrive eventually. I'm pretty sure anyway. Cold weather means you need a coat right? What if you have a coat that can't do it's job?

  I found this coat at a clothes swap but it wasn't very warm. I loved the look of the material but it wasn't really able to keep me warm. Probably because it was machine washable cotton, not wool.

The sleeves were too long too. Of course.

I decided to make this into a skirt. First, I cut the top of the coat off. 

I folded the fabric in and stitched it down. I made sure the lining of the coat was tucked in too so all the raw cut edges would  hidden.

Look at those cute dots!

I stitched the front of the coat/skirt closed but left the waistband open. I used one of the sew-on snaps that were on the coat originally at the waist.

 I tapered the waist a little and left the front pockets alone. They are real and it's always nice to have actual pockets that I can use.

Here you can see the lining. It's like a built in slip, which is nice in the winter when I wear tights a lot.

I liked how it turned out.

I tried to make a red shirt to go with it and it was a terrible failure with giant shoulders. 

GIANT SHOULDERS!

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

  *Year end update-This skirt is an all time favorite!

 

Jimmy's Irish Cloak Coat

Hello Readers. How are you? I am freezing. I am in the middle of a cold snap that my area of the world doesn't usually get. So, we freak out, bundle up, and generally whine until it warms up again. That will happen in a few days. In the meantime, this is a good time to make a warm winter jacket. 

I found this pristine red wool cloak at a clothes swap in the Fall. It was made in the Republic of Ireland by Jimmy Hourihan of Dublin. I don't know the company or Jimmy personally, but he makes a beautiful cloak. I am Irish, so I figured it was fate. This refashion was destiny. It is made of new wool, lambs wool and cashmere.  I decided to look up the different types of wool and learned more than I can share here. Basically, this fabric is top quality and very soft. This was a great find.

Here is the simple problem with this cloak, it's just too big and there is too much fabric for me to wear. I am lost in here.  I couldn't carry a purse or more importantly, care for my little guy. He is an active toddler, I need to be able to use my arms to catch him when he runs away into traffic.

As beautiful as this cloak is, it just doesn't suit me.

If I were taller, it would look stylish and chic. On me this cloak makes me look like a hobbit or an elf taking a ring to Mordor. My kids liked this look and wanted me to keep it, I didn't.

But it is so pretty, that red fabric was so gorgeous, and look at this built in scarf. Someone decided to give this gem away so it's mine now. Let's get to work.

I love red, this is going to be great!

I used a coat that fit well as a guide.

I used chalk to mark the fabric for cutting. The arms and body need to be full and loose to fit over layers of winter clothing and I hate tight jackets. I marked the fabric and made it larger than the coat. 

 The front is a little too open to keep me warm. I was worried about that.

There is only one button closure at the neck. I moved it over about an inch. That pulled the two sides towards the center and the fabric over lapped. I thought that would help, but it needed to stay closed around my body and I wanted more shape through the jacket. It needed a belt.

I started making a belt to tie the waist closed. I used some of the fabric I had cut away earlier. I thought it would be easy. 

The belt turned out too thick and the whole coat looked like a bathrobe. Ugh! I used a thinner belt and pinned it on to see how it looked. The thinner belt was much better and I decided to shorten the jacket to hip length because I thought that would look less like a robe and it would be easier to throw on with jeans. I gave it a quick hem around the bottom.

I left the built in scarf untouched. It is the nicest, warmest scarf I have ever had. The arm length worked out perfect all by itself, I told you it was refashion destiny. Thanks Jimmy Hourihan!

This jacket is really light weight but is nice and warm. I am in love. The design and shape was very basic, that lets the color and fabric to be the star of the show.

Thanks for reading, now go make something fun for yourself.

A "New" Coat

Hello Readers. I hope you are ready for winter. It gets cold where I live and I was not ready. I washed my old jacket and my washing machine destroyed it. I found this heavy fleece jacket at a clothes swap recently. It was just in time. It is much too big but I thought I could work with it. Those GIANT pockets are going to be great and the hood is nice too.

The arms are a serious issue. Why are my arms so short?

I have never worked with fleece before. I knew it wouldn't fray, but would it be difficult to sew through? The answer was, NO! 

I cut the cuffs off and hemmed the arms. I also took the sides  and arms in a bit. I left it roomy and comfortable because I want to wear winter clothes under it. 

Here I am at the fabric store, one of my favorite places. I was cozy and warm all day. This jacket cost me nothing and it fits me well. Win-win.

Thanks you for reading, now go make yourself something fabulous.

I Can Work With That