This is a tutorial to be used in conjunction with the COOKIE COAT sewing pattern. The coat is a gloriously wide coat with 3/4 sleeves... the pattern includes 3 sizes, small, medium and large, for a toddler aged 2-3 to a 6/7 year old.
Sizing for this coat:
Small 2T/3T: length from shoulder: 22"
Width at waist: 21"
Sleeve length: 12"
Medium: 4T/5T: length: 23"; width: 24.5", sleeve: 14"
Large: 6/7: length: 25", width 26" and sleeve: 15"
I recently made the Cookie Coat for my Amelia... who is 6. She's a petite 6 with long legs... Anyhoo, we selected 2 fabrics from one of my recent collections, FAIRY TIP-TOES, Cupcake Medley in Blue and Pink Silhouette Polka for the lining, neck and sleeves....
So, the first step for this is to prepare the fabric and pattern. I designed the bodice for the coat to be cut all in one piece. A little unconventional but a method which is quite efficient. Simply fold your fabric in half lengthwise (as it comes off the roll), and fold again along it's first fold. Lay the bodice pattern with the neck at the folded point, sleeves facing toward the selvedge edges. Pin so the center of the bodice lays down the double fold, and the sleeve top lays across the short fold. Cut through all 4 layers. Then first cut the back neck shape through all layers, and then just the front layer you're going to cut the deeper neck line which would be the front of the coat bodice.
Next carefully cut through the front fold and only the front fold as in the image, to form the front openings of the coat.
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Next is the skirt part of the coat.
The pattern piece is used to cut both the front and the back. First lay the piece along one fold of the fabric, and cut out the skirt as the pattern indicates, then using the same piece repeat for a second piece. Once cut out, again cut through the fold of just one of the pieces - to form the front openings of the coat.
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Then cut the bands, and strips for the remaining bits and pieces for the coat as indicated on the pattern pieces.
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Now repeat for the lining fabric - both bodice and skirt are cut the same way as above.
NOTE: If you use a fabric like I did here, with a directional pattern, when you fold the fabric the second time to cut the bodice out in one piece, the birds will be upside down on the backside. So, what I did here was to cut the front and back separately with a 1/4" seam allowance along the shoulder top
. Once cut out, I simply seamed the shoulders to form one piece.
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SEWING
The bodice calls for two coordinating strips topstitched onto the bodice piece.
The image shows placement of these strips.
The next item is the pleated strip along the back waist band of the coat. I love this because it ads such flavor to the coat. Pleat the band so it measures 21" or sits inside the edges of the sides of the coat.
Next is the skirt. On the pattern I show pleat marks where to pleat so as to fit along the bodice edge. Use your judgement here, I created a deep pleat center back, which was enough to fit the bodice edge.
The next images simply illustrate sewing the lining coat to the exterior coat along the front yoke strips; adding the frilly collar, and binding to finish the raw seam allowance.
And finally an image of my Amelia in her finished coat.
The two latest collections, Treetop Fancy and Fairy Tip-Toes were featured in fabric shows in France, Spain and in Germany. They were received so well.... so much so that there is an upcoming show in Prague and one of the most simple quilts I did is being shown at the PRAGUE PATCHWORK MEETING and EXHIBITION in a few weeks... April 4th to be exact! They are featuring the quilt and creating kits.... wow! I thought you'd like to see. I have also added the quilt pattern to Free Patterns look on the left there, so hurry and get yourself one. Treetop can be found at any one of the stores listed and online at quilthome, fabric.com, fatquartershop and more. I want to make this same quilt in the pinks and yellows... oh maybe in the Eggplant Souffle colorway! What do you think?
