I made a coat

After a year of procrastinating, I made Grace a coat.  

For a year, I've had a Heidi and Finn pattern for a swing coat that came with the following disclaimer:  all my patterns are great for those just starting to sew and all you need is a sewing machine - no fancy tools needed!

After a year of being intimidated, despite the disclaimer, I printed out the pattern.

Then, after month of looking at this printed pattern, taunting me, I finally bought some herringbone fabric I liked and I cut out the pattern pieces.

 

 

I let Grace pick out the lining for the inside of her coat, pink, of course.  She used the excess to decorate herself and the dog.  

I obviously overestimated how much lining I needed.

 

Things were going surprisingly well, until it came time to top stitch.

This is where my amateur sewing knowledge becomes really obvious.  I wanted the top of the coat to have black thread and the inside of the coat to have pink thread.

In a panic, I sent Jill from Sew a Fine Seam an email, explaining my problem.  She wrote back minutes later, hopefully not laughing too hard, telling me it was as easy as having the thread in my bobbin pink and the thread on the top of the machine black. 

Thank goodness for wonderful bloggers like Jill because I was able to finish my coat without throwing my sewing machine out the window :)

Believe it or not, despite having made a few pillows and on a fluke a fitted domed circus tent topper, this was my first experience making clothes. 

Are there flaws...yes.

But I don't think Grace noticed or cared.

As I proudly finished my coat, I pinned the following quote:

Don't be afraid to fail, be afraid not to try.

I am so glad I finally decided to try.