What Coat Sew Along!?

Today is the last day of November and that makes it the last day of my virtually non-existent Coat Sew Along! And am I finished with my coat? Errr. Ummm. Would you believe me if I told you that the cat ate my pattern?

Because she totally did! At least she nibbled on it a little bit.
Alright, alright. I can't entirely blame my cat. I'm not sure what I was thinking by trying to make myself a coat during my busiest crafting time of the year. I made some good progress on it earlier in the month, but I stalled at the sleeves for-ev-ah, and it has looked like this for the last two weeks:

It just stands there, staring at me, wishing it had a head that it could shake in disappointment. At least I don't have to make eye contact. But the guilt is thick and ever present.
The main problem was that I wanted to modify the pattern to make it look more like the Hiraku sleeves (which if you recall was the pattern I wanted but was unable to buy due to a website glitch). And since wasn't *exactly* sure what I was doing, I ended up avoiding the whole thing altogether instead of sitting down to figure it out. But today I DID figure it out, and I finally took the plunge, assembled the sleeves and attached them to the jacket.
Also, the pattern I got did not come with instructions with how to fully line it, so that was another road bump for me. But, again, I went ahead and cut the pieces today and am trying to trust myself to know what I am doing. There are a few modifications I need to make before I try to assemble and attach the lining. The waist needs to be taken in oh-so-slightly. And I think the sleeves might be a tad too long. Although, I like a longer sleeve with a cropped jacket, so maybe I'll leave it alone.
Will it get done today? Probably not.
Alright. I'll be honest. Definitely not. But it is coming along. And I will finish it!




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Cyber Monday Free Shipping!

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If you are looking for some fun-tastic stocking stuffers, you should come and visit my shop Dreadful Girl today. I am offering free domestic shipping today only for Cyber Monday. Use the code SHIP4FREE at checkout! (International friends, I can't offer you free shipping, but use the code WORLD10 for 10% off your purchase :)





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Winners and Losers

Thanks you to everyone who voted in my Which Coat Should I Sew? poll. The Hikaru military-style jacket won handily, getting 61% of the vote. Unfortunately, when I went to buy it, Burda's purchasing software was down! They said to try back later in the week, but it looks like you have not been able to buy anything from the site since late October. To make it even better, they don't mention anything about it being down until you actually go through the process of trying to purchase a pattern! Free patterns are still available for download, but both the Hikaru and the Larissa have to be purchased/downloaded, and I couldn't find either coat available anywhere else. They are both download-only patterns and not available already printed.
Bummer! I could wait a week, but I don't trust that their shopping carts to be back up by then, and with Huck out of school all next week for Thanksgiving, my Quiet Time will be a lot more limited. Plus, I signed up for Freshly Picked and Ardor Hoilday Gift Swap, so I have that on my plate, too.
So I spent yesterday looking for another military-style jacket to alter to look more like the Hikaru.
I found Simplicity 2341, View C:

It isn't perfect, but it is pretty close. The Hikaru's seams are prettier, and I'll have to sacrifice that. I'll also have to adjust the cuff and make the pockets from the Hikaru. Fortunately, Burda lets you see all of the instructions on their website, even for patterns you have to pay for, so I can draft my own pockets and adjust my Simplicity pattern with some guidance.

As for color, a lot of you suggested red, red, red! I also love red, but the problem is that I wear a lot of red already, especially in the winter! I was concerned about too much red on red. I also wanted to take my winter accessories into consideration. I have a black and gray herringbone cowl that my dad got me from Pip Robins on Etsy. I love it, but haven't been able to wear it much with my gray coats.

I also have a pale yellow knit scarf that does look nice with the gray, but would be to pastel-y for a dark red. What I found instead is a deep pink (I'd call it ruby rose) twill. It looks great with the gray and yellow and the darker reds already in my closet. It also goes great with my skin tone :)
I haven't decided on buttons yet. I think I'll have to search around on Etsy for some vintage buttons since all of the ones I liked at Jo-Ann were way to pricey, and I need a bunch of them! If not, I'll make my own fabric covered buttons. Or maybe Shrinkydink buttons!
So there you go! That's where I am with my coat. I'm washing my fabric right now, and hope to get it pinned and cut during Milo's nap tomorrow. The Flickr Pool already had some fun, colorful coats in it. Check it out! You still have time to join!




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Coat Vote!

Help! HEEELP! I'm stuck. I cannot decide which coat to make. I've narrowed it down to two favorites and I've decided to leave it up to the masses and let you guys vote for the one you think I should sew. Below are my two choices (in no particular order), and at the bottom of this post is a voting box where you can cast your ballot. Voting closes on Saturday night! Thanks for helping out!

The Hikaru military-style jacket:

Source: burdastyle.com

OR

 The Larissa zippered motorcycle jacket:

Source: burdastyle.com

Your color suggestions are welcome in the comments, too! I was thinking of a mustard yellow (like the Larissa shown here) but I'm open to other ideas.

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Inspired by Famous Not Neutral Jackets!

Well, so far my Coat Sew Along seems to be flat on it's face! Nobody in the pool but me! C'mon! You know you want to join in the fun. 

No? Well then you leave me no choice. It is time for some propaganda. Celebrities and whatnot. I've gathered together five iconic, Not Neutral coats and jackets and found look-alike patterns.

Kill Bill 

Are you as bad ass as Beatrix Kiddo? Because that boring gray coat you're wearing tells me you are not, my friend. But if you make yourself a yellow Burda 7424 and get a really big sword, then maybe I can finally take you seriously!  

Burda 7424

Mary Poppins

Okay, so maybe you're too sweet to pull off a Kill Bill motorcycle jacket. I searched and searched and searched for a look-alike for Mary Poppins' beautiful chimney sweeping coat (wasn't Young Dick Van Dyke just dreamy as Bert?). I couldn't find one! I don't know why there isn't a look-alike out there, as I think it is practically perfect in every way. The collar on Vogue 8473 was the best match and could probably be tweaked just a bit to look more like the real thing. Burda 7304 also has a very Mary feel. Or, if you like the bottom of the jacket that starts at the waist and slopes down to the back, try Vogue 8601.

Vogue 8473

Thriller

Are you thrilled about the 80s styles making a comeback? Then perhaps this Blouson style jacket is for you!  I wasn't sure if Burda 104 would be a great match for Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket, but when I saw that one of the finished projects was modified to be that exactly, I had to share it here.

Burda Blouson Jacket 104

The Pink Ladies

Perhaps this is the one that you want. I think it would be so fun to have a gen-u-ine pink ladies jacket with "Rizzo" embroidered on the breast. Butterick 5648 was the closest that I could find to the original, but if you want something with the same idea, but with a more fitted cut, try Burda 7582.

Butterick 5648

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

This look was good enough for the Fab Four, and it's good enough for you! Don't you want one? Picture yourself in a boat on a river wearing a Kwik Sew 3466.

Kwik Sew 3466

Wasn't that pun? Now somebody pleeeeease come join me in the Flickr pool!



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A Sew Along!

Last week I mentioned on my Facebook page that I had another sew-along brewing. I got the idea after making Huck's Halloween costume this year and realizing that I can actually make a pretty good lookin' garment with a decent pattern and some some patience. His costume was definitely more work than my usual slap-dash, naptime sewing jobs. There was a lot of pinning and planning and hours of sewing (and ripping seams, unfortunately), but in the end I was impressed with myself and super proud of the final product.
So I want to do it again, but this time I'm making something for me! All of my coats, jackets, cardigans, even my hoodies (and I mean ALL of them) are gray or black. Hmm, what shall I wear today? How about it doesn't matter because I'm about to cover it up with BORING? Yes, I will be a lump of coal today. All winter long I shall be a gloomy little frump of sadness.
"NO!" I say, "And neither shall you!" We will be rays of sunshine together! You and me. We will be rainbows in a sea of rain clouds! We shall warm our bodies with goldenrod and fuchsia and turquoise and plum and the people in the streets will fall to their knees as they exclaim, "COLOR! Your COAT! It is a COLOR!"

Do you see where I'm going with this? It's time to ditch the safety of black and gray and brown. It is time for

I'll say it again: The No Neutrals, Anti-Boring, Gimme Some Color Coat Sew-Along!
Here are the rules: You sew a coat. It is a color. You post a picture.
That's it! Any coat, jacket, cardigan, windbreaker, or cloak...Heck, make a cape if sleeves freak you out. Any kind of outerwear will do. As long as it is a color! That means no black, gray, brown, beige, white, off-white, off-black, camel, coffee, charcoal, granite, dove, smoke...
That doesn't mean it has to be neon. Muted colors are okay. But it HAS TO BE A COLOR.
There is a Flickr Pool where you can post your work throughout the month of November.

More stuff? How about some badges to put on your blog? Done!

<a href="http://www.hideousdreadfulstinky.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6237/6289712813_d5b2cac885_o.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://www.hideousdreadfulstinky.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6019/6290231036_2806b7572c_o.jpg"></a>

<a href="http://www.hideousdreadfulstinky.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6108/6289712523_3cfac0b11b_o.jpg"></a>

Let's do it! I'll have lots of inspiration for you throughout the month. And remember, for those of you who have never done a project like this: just because you've never done it, it doesn't mean you can't do it. Grab a pattern, find some beautiful, colorful fabric that inspires you, and take a deep breath. Who cares if it's the middle of winter? It's time to jump in the pool!


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