A New Adventure....way out of my comfort zone...

Curly needs a coat. We searched the world over to find this one almost fits. It actually fit just right...but just right doesn't work for this budget conscious mama. It needs to be just large enough to get at least two years, but small enough to be easy to play in. We've never had a problem finding such a coat. I guess being a size 3 across and size 6 long has just made coat buying a bit difficult.

Curly really likes this coat, along with the scarf. So off to the fabric store we go with the promise that we'll only make it if we can find the fabrics that she likes, and also make mittens and a hat to match the scarf.

Praise the Lord. On the way out of the Joann's potty, we spotted the perfect pink ripstop nylon to accompany the black we'd already found. She had to have a two color outter shell as the store coat has. Curly even drew a picture of the coat the moment we got home so I'd remember where to put the colors. The pink had just come in that day and wasn't even in it's spot yet, just tucked into a bottom shelf in the back. With an outter shell of pink and black we were off to choose the fleece lining to compliment it. We looked through the fleece several times narrowing choices as we went. We limited the options to Anti-pill fleece only. I don't want this coat to look overused quickly....two years is the goal, afterall.

She found just what she likes, pink, purple, and a host of other colors. I has flowers, cats, dots...It's a big and busy pattern, but she likes it and is so excited. The cats are so big I'm not sure one will fit on a mitten, but the color combo will be beautiful.

All of the fabric, pattern, and the zipper cost....under $30. Well the insulation layer is in my stash already. But, I'm quite happy with that price for a custom coat that can grow with my Curly.

We're using a Burda pattern as our starting point. I'm making the sleeves long enough to cuff, and we're color blocking the outter shell similar to the coat in the picture. The fur on the hood will be replaced by a fleece band. The fur at Joann's said it needed hand washing...no way!

And, I'm not intending to quilt the outside like the pictured coat is. We're also adding pockets of ripstop, trimmed in fleece. There will be two larger pockets near the hip and one smaller chest pocket. The pockets are similar to ones I found in an Ottobre magazine.

I cut and reworked the pattern pieces Friday evening. On Saturday, I spent several hours cutting out all the pieces. With an outter shell, insulation layer, and lining, it was like cutting three coats.

I hope to sew it up this week...
I don't think this one will become a SquigglyTwigs Designs Pattern anytime soon. It doesn't really fit the quick and easy description.

So, if you have the inclination...a prayer would be so appreciated. This is so much more uncomfortable for me that sewing any wedding dress was. Maybe because my little girl is counting on me to deliver a master piece.