In a thrifted grab bag of cloth last year, there was someone's beginning of a baby blanket. It was a big square, with a two-faced pre-quilted brown on one side and an aqua minky dot on the other side. I picked out the stitching and used the minky as part of a jacket for me (
blogged here, and, yes, I'm wearing it as I type this) and thought from the start that the brown would go into a bit of outerwear for the kiddo...which I finished today.
I knew I wanted to make something roomy, because it would probably be worn very few times each year and he has a lot of growing left--it's nice when my efforts aren't outgrown too quickly *glances at
the last coat I made for him which he may already have been too large for last year--it never got cold enough to find out*
I thrifted this pattern
and had a moment of dismay when I realized the kid sizes didn't even go large enough for the size he is now (and I wanted to be good and not rely upon ease to compensate--coats need to be roomy.) But! The adult sizes start at pattern size 6, which is for a 30½" bust; the kiddo's current clothed chest measurement is 29. Close enough.
...of course, measurements in the other directions were all too long, but that was OK, because I had a very limited amount of cloth to use, so I happily started folding pattern pieces shorter. They didn't get quite short enough for the front and back to fit on the pre-quilted brown cloth piece, but that was fine because I also now had another thrift grab bag pre-quilted piece that actually coordinated so well you'd think it was intentional
And it was double faced with coordinating prints! My print-mixing heart was joyful, buuut the kiddo wasn't so enthused about the floral side ("Flower on a coat doen't make sense.") Not a problem. Not gonna line this coat anyway, so some of the floral will still be visible inside. (I considered lining it, of course--especially since I have that roll of thrifted lining in bright pale green that would match the green in the prints. But, no--no lining for this.)
The cloth grab bag that yielded the printed pre-quilted cloth also had about a third of a yard of the dot print in regular yardage, which I used largely, 90° off grain, for facings.
I'd say things worked out pretty well
Yeah, it kinda has that art sewing look, but it also kinda has that fashionable moving blanket look, so it balances.
I didn't have a zipper in the right length that matched anything perfectly (no I was not going to cut down the brown zipper with metal teeth, thanks) so I went with a coordinating color. Any color that's not in the main print is a 'coordinate' right?
And, yes, the zipper not being as long as the front was an intentional choice. Really.
The way the top stitching zig zags past itself like that was something I'd first done around the pockets
because I wanted to top stitch beside the pockets, but not all the way up the side seams. That part wasn't decided upon until I was actually sewing, so...yeah, more my usual "improvisational" work.
The improv on the sleeve contrast was at my usual level, too--that is, vaguely aware of what needed to be done and thinking I was doing it right and I didn't and I made it work anyway. More or less.
It's a fairly smooth sleeve cap, honest.
I did think of maybe some sort of appliqué on the back...and front...and sleeve...but I decided it's OK to be plain. Sometimes.
And the unlined inside is a mess
but it's a
completed mess. (Maybe you can see where I tried encasing some seam allowances in bias tape? Yeah, didn't do much of that overall.) I had just enough--after a bit of piecing--of the unquilted print to face the bottom edge, and also had a piece of the quilted cloth that I picked the quilting out if (which was easier than expected) and the sleeve hems are faced with the floral print.
May it fit him for years to come, and may there be enough cold days to actually use it...
