I Made A Coat

I have always loved toggle coats.  So when I decided I wanted to make Stella a winter coat it was very easy to find the perfect pattern.  And I had actually bought the Oliver and S School Days pattern at the Maine Quilt Show this summer.  I have a list I carry on me of out of print Oliver and S patterns in case I come across one.  I don't know why I avoid digital patterns but I do.

I used a wool blend that I think I found at fabric.com but it doesn't look like they have it anymore (unless I bought it somewhere else).  The lining is quilting cotton from Joanns.  I was really nervous about making the coat which is one reason why I chose a wool blend instead of wool.  And even though it came out, I am still happy with the wool blend (wool and polyester) I picked.  It looks like wool and feels like wool.  The seams were a little tough to press but not bad.  

I made a size 3 knowing it would be large and wanting her to be able to wear it next year too.  When I was first making it the coat seemed so huge I thought she would be wearing it to Kindergarten.  But once I put the lining in it fit better.  I guess I should have known that would happen.

The pattern was much easier for me than I thought it would be.  I didn't topstitch where it said optional and I probably should have.  The hood lining slides out a teeny tiny bit but I love the lining so it is not a big deal.  I was a little afraid that it would be difficult to topstitch because of the bulky seams but when I had to topstitch in later steps it wasn't really hard.  I became stuck at sewing the sleeve lining to the sleeve because I was trying to figure out to do it by machine and with a little help I realized that I couldn't and just hand stitched.  Since this is the first coat like this I have made, I wanted to keep it simple and not insulate it.  Next time I will.  I live in Maine and I think your coats can't be too warm here. 

Stella loves the toggles.  But purple is her favorite color and she has two purple coats so I think I am going to have to bribe her to wear this one instead.  Hopefully when I make Bitty Baby's matching coat she will be more agreeable to wearing it.