Monday, March 29, 2010

Another finished project!

I love making things. I have been that way for a very long time, as long as I can remember. Because of my enjoyment in making things, I tend to start a lot of projects. Many of them I complete but some of them....well sometimes they get forgotten and stuffed away and left useless for quite some time.

    One particular project was a coat. I started it when I was 15 or 16 during a time that we enjoyed visiting rendezvous - an event where people would act and dress in period (the ones we went to were set in the 1800s) clothing. I had fun making costumes for the guys in my family and I to wear to them. One book I had showed a fun pattern for a cape which I helped a friend to make and then I wanted to make one too. My Mom advised that having a coat connected to it would be much more practical in our cold MN winters and so I did that.

   Well I got most of it done but then had some troubles and basically just got tired of the project. I wasn't completely liking how it was turning out and I think my interests had drifted a bit. Anyway it got set aside and I worked on other things. I did pull it out to use it a couple of times for victorian strolls (a Christmas time event) in Albia, IA when we lived near there but I used it without buttons and a make shift hem.

   But finally, as of yesterday, it is done! I still might make some improvements on it but it is fully hemmed and has buttons and buttonholes. It feels so nice to finally finish this project!  It is a unique coat (and my family is not sure that they are that fond of it -though I think Megan said it was pretty) and I am not sure that I will wear it a lot but I enjoy unique clothing from time to time and I think I will enjoy having it as an option. The length makes it pretty warm (too warm for our current weather!).


Here is the back view. I made this out of a couple of old army blankets and I tried to dye it but that didn't work to well and you can still see that there are two different shades. Any suggestions?

With the hood up. It is a pretty unique hood and I can't imagine wearing it much.

 Now I am on to work on a hammock that has been sitting around and whatever else I can pull out of my desk and closet! Do you have old projects that need finishing sitting around? Maybe I am the only pack rat that keeps unfinished projects around for 16 or so years!

This is linked to:

A soft place to land


Sumo Sweet Stuff

12 comments:

Abigail Jasmine said...

Job well done!
Bravo!
Great skills Abbi!

Unique indeed..I love it!

Would be perfect for a snowy night's walk

God Bless~

Jackie said...

Wow! That is an impressive project to have finished. I really like it. I love that it is made of wool army blankets. I bet it will keep you nice and warm next winter. Way to go for finishing another project. You are on a roll! :-)

More than Survival said...

Way to go with perseverance!!!! I think it would be so fun to participate in rendezvous!!! This coat would be so fun to wear to one!!! You are very skilled!! Do they still do rendezvous in your area?? We have one that is at an earlier time period... mid 1700's French/Indian trading post along the Wabash River.
Heather

Cheryl said...

I have never heard of rendezvous. Sounds similiar maybe to what I am used to where I am from....Renassaince Fair? I love your coat. I love the fact you made it from old army blankets and I think you did a marvelous job with it. I bet it keeps you super warm when you wear it. Way to go persevering and finishing it up.

Nola said...

Wow that looks neat. It looks like something from another time.

Nope you're not the only one that keeps things around. LOL my daughter is using craft things leftover from when I was a child...things that never got used up or even used at all but were bought. Also, I just finished one set and going to make another set of the curtains I bought fabric for 5 years ago. I bought it and then moved a few times since then and now used the fabric to make curtains for totally different windows!

Betsy said...

I didn't notice the two different colors until you point it out. I think it adds nice texture though, so I wouldn't worry about it. I really like the top cape part, especially the gathers/pleats. Good job! Lots of projects going on around here to get ready for Baby.

Martha said...

I like it. I think you are beautiful.

Greg and Donna said...

the cape/coat is beautiful. And I like the unique style. I think we all have "antique" unfinished projects lurking somewhere, whether we admit it or not!

Anonymous said...

I LOVE IT! Great Job.

Terry Morris said...

Way too go Abbi!! I must say that I am surprised that your family does not like it. I think that all secretly want one. love you Angie

Jessica said...

I love it! I like to visit your blog to see what project you are working on.

Abbi said...

Thanks everybody!
THere are still rendezvous in our area but I haven't gone for many years. Some time soon I would like to take my kids though!

Angie, Mom wanted you to know that I was talking about my small family (Ken and kids) not my larger family as far as the people that weren't sure they liked my coat to much.

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