Vintage Simplicity 7948

Sometimes a sew is just glorious.
This one was one of those.

~Back Story~
We holiday in Winter, that is the quietest time, on farm, for us.
As a family we love Victoria.
It is so green and pretty and seems so glamorous after dusty, country South Australia.
On our trip last year we traveled to Daylesford to met up with a dear friend and her children.
Whilst there, we popped into Alpaca Passion , a beautiful boutique that had a large basket of Alpaca blanket lengths for sale (amongst other stunning clothing items)
Jed, Liddy and Tildy spent quite some time 'playing' with them and the lightness and warmth convinced Jed to buy some pieces.
They were jolly expensive, $150/m but 2m wide and the quality is divine.
Evidently, Alpaca fibre is hollow and that is why it is light but so warm.
Belive me, if my Merino loving husband was convinced this stuff is the bomb.

For such a special cloth I wanted a special pattern.
Lidia requested a detachable hood and a secret pocket for her i-pod. 
I found this pattern on eBay.

I took my time with this one.
Before I started sewing I interfaced the facings, the pocket edges, the sleeve caps, the front and back yokes, the front edges and both sides of the collar and collar stands.
This meant some areas were doubly interfaced and this was a perfect finish.
I overlocked all the edges of every piece, except the collar, pockets and hood, before sewing. This took some time but was well worth it to stabilise and neaten every thing.

I ended up using three different pieces of satin for the lining.
A thick, vintage satin for the hood which ironed with a very hot iron so I think it may have had some natural fibre content. I chose this for the luxurious look and drape of the fabric.
A soft but weighty satin for the sleeves and a very stretchy satin spandex for the body.
They were all remnants, thus having to use three pieces, with not quite enough for a full lining in the body but the wool is so soft it is not an issue. 

There are so many lovely details.
The deep tucks are stitched in place.
I resisted stitching them with pink thread as I can swop out the pink buttons if Tilly doesn't fancy them.
The pockets are fully lined with the pink satin.
I have noticed on high end clothing that the buttons holes are always sewn and cut, even if they are not functional, so I did that on the sleeve tabs.
The buttons are enamelled, coconut shell and are very lush!

The jacket has a neat A-line with good walking ease but is not bulky.
The back yoke has a beautiful cut and lots of room for Liddy's wide shoulders.
It actually fits me!

The hood is lined and removable.

The buttons are hidden neatly under the collar when not in use.

Lidia loves the hood.

I hand-sewed the hems with a deep hem, during the construction but the coat is edge stitched, as advised in the instructions.

I wasn't sure about this but is does finish it nicely and stop the thick fabric rolling.

 I noticed I didn't get the buttons stitched in quite the right position and the hem is slightly uneven so I must go back and fix that #latenightsewingmistakes 
The instructions were very good. They are to the point but everything I needed was there.

~Lidia's Verdict~
This coat is just so warm, it really feels like a blanket I am enveloped in.
It is extremely comfortable and there has only been one day that I haven't worn it. I think the removable hood is just lovely and very clever.
I still can't decide whether I like this coat or my brown coat that mum made me last time.(I think this one just wins)
Mum's so clever I feel as though I am forever in her debt.
Thank you Mummy I love it.

Thank you for reading.
xx N
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