Baby, It's Cold Outside

The coat is finally finished:
The snaps came in the mail a few days ago, I set them in place, and then today the snow came. Again. Snow in Oklahoma in March?! When we moved here from Colorado, we were told that it "never" snows in Oklahoma. Hello. It's snowing.

One nice thing about the snow---Emily will get to wear her coat this year, after all. The pictures were taken today, and brr, baby, it's cold outside!

Pattern Description:
Ottobre Design #15 from the 04/2007 issue. Reversible coat for two looks; narrow ruffles around the hood, down the front, and at the sleeve hems; pockets with elastic opening

Pattern Sizing:
European sizes 80-110; I made as size 110 for my almost-5-year-old daughter. I think the size 110 is a US size 6 or 6X.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, very much so except that I used a thick and soft textured corduroy instead of smooth poplin for the outer.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
The instructions for sewing together the inner and outer layers of the sleeve hems were confusing. I read through the instructions, but then didn't follow them because of the changes I made to the pattern.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
My daughter needed a dressycoat for church and other outings, and this pattern fit that need. The ruffles make this coat something special---feminine and fun. There is nothing I did not like about the pattern.

Fabric Used:
I used a wide wale corduroy for the outside and a cotton woven for the inside.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
The pattern is meant to be reversible, but I did not want a reversible coat because I was worried that I wouldn't get the two separate hemlines to hang evenly.

I decided not to make the coat reversible, so I changed the pattern by cutting off 1 inch from the hemline of the inner layer and then "bagging" the jacket following the instructions at Threads. This worked very well, and I am very pleased with the result.

The funny thing is, Emily decided she wanted to wear the coat inside out. We tried it, and it actually looks fine, even with the 1 inch of corduroy showing at the hem. So yes, after all, the coat is indeed reversible. : )

I started this jacket a month ago when we had snow, but I didn't finish it until this week. I'm glad that Emily will get to wear it some this winter. Hopefully it will still fit her next year, too. :)

Stay warm,

Outside

Inside