Yey - it fits and is windproof completely!
Boo! - it was all lumpy and not as cosy as it should be!
Here are some snaps of another big winter project that I embraced last week; I adore this coat, and it is super warm for the cold months - BUT - it was always ill-fitting, which has become more of an issue with my expanding womb recently! This winter I decided to finally make it appropriate not just for this winter, but for next - when I'll (Goddess willing) have a young baby and will be prioritising sewing for them rather than myself!
I began with the adjustments by deciding to allow the front to sit out, rather than it being a wrap-around style. This is how I have done for a few jackets and skirts, especially for pregnancy wear... I then started to choose a zip... and settled on this one, above.
I had to chop a fair bit of fur off the edges of the jacket! Quite a messy job! I use a lot of my sewing scraps to line sleeping boxes for my wee cats... I did some work trimming edges of cuffs also: over the years since my friend gifted me this coat, I had singed one cuff more than the other, what with bonfires and stoves and suchlike winter activities... It felt good to trim it all neat!
(before, above - after, below)
I spent some time humming and hawing over how much fur to cut off!
The old hooks and eyes were very messy too, as I've used this coat very actively - like whilst chopping wood, e.g. - and the fastenings have pulled each other out of the coat a bit...
I took them all out and then sewed the holes shut: they can still be seen a little, but not enough to make it a problem!
This is when I first tried it on to feel how it fits with the open lapel... I decided immediately to add a couple of buttons to the lapels, to have the option of a closed fit at the top, when it is super cold...
For this I took quite a while to find the right buttons - such a fiddle and focus process! I settled with the above old tie from a dress for the button hoop, and two perfect big wooden buttons:
I was sooo pleased with these buttons and loops!! They sit perfectly, and give the whole jacket nice balance and shape. I also like how the lapels meeting in the middle like this allows a good bit of space for a big heavy scarf which can sit inside of the front of my chest. The former shape of the coat was also a bit tight across my bust, which is now obviously exacerbated by my gestation!
In this shot you can see the wee holes which I closed up. I love the overall shape of the coat now - even if it's a tad frumpy! - I am thinking of how to jazz it up even better by adding a contrasting or complementary belt of some kind; part of what I loved most about the old shape of the coat was its fitted waist.
Do you like my funny slippers/ pantofole ? Hehehe - I have a couple of pairs of these that are almost worn through - another project that I'll do soon, as one must have cosy feet on cold tiles in a medieval quarter in winter!
I'm sitting in my coat now, enjoying the warmth whilst a cold wind and beautiful sunlight flood the room...
