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| Peacoat in action on a cute date at the Kennedy Center in Washingon, DC |
This year, though, it started looking a little rough. The wool on the outside has worn wonderfully, and still looks new. The lining is a different story. The pockets are completely shredded and unuseable, and the inner lining is slowly disentegrating.
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| It looks even worse in person |
I had a new peacoat on my shopping list for the past six months, and had even browsed for one last winter, but I never saw anything that seemed just right. They were all too long, bulky, artsy (weird collars), or cheap looking.
Thus was born the idea of simply fixing the coat I already own! I was originally considering completely replacing the lining, but my mom and my best friend talked me out of it. It would be too much work and a genuine pain in the ass.
Because the entire lining wasn't wearing out, just the bottom, I decided that I could patch it.
A trip to Hancock Fabrics yielded a lovely floral fabric that feels like lining (1 yd.), Pellon wonder-under transfer web (i.e., double stick iron on stuff for fabric, 2 yds.), and some cute flannel (1/3 yd). I wanted the inside to still be silky so it would move nicely over my clothes. I got the flannel for the pocket lining. You never see it, and the flannel seemed like it would be soft and snuggly.
I ironed the transfer web to large sections of the fabric, then cut out one edge along the flowers. The other edges I trimmed to fit perfectly over the old lining. I pinned the piece in well, and ironed it on. I then repeated this for the other side of the coat. To finish it off in a fun way, I cut out complete flowers and ironed them on top of everything, sometimes covering the wool. I apologize that I didn't take intermediate pictures! I just got so caught up in all the fun.
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| Floral lined peacoat |
Next I tackled the pockets. They were clearly unacceptable as-is.
I cut out the existing lining to get a fresh start. One of the pockets wasn't too bad, so I used it as a template to cut the new lining. I traced them and then added a generous seam allowance.
Next I pinned the new lining into the coat. I really had to wrestle to get it in there, but the pinning was well worth it later!
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| pin twice, sew once! |
I sewed as much of the seams as possible with my sewing machine, because it makes a stronger stitch. I had to really wrestle all the fabric to get under the presser foot, and I was terrified I would sew my finger, but it ended up OK in the end. Plus, the seams are all inside this coat, so who cares if they look a little wonky?
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| see? you can't tell it's wonky inside! |
I'm really happy that I won't feel like a rat chewed up my coat anymore, and I'm super excited about the snuggly pockets!
Altogether, this project cost a whopping total of $13, and took about two hours (which includes a tea break). I didn't even use up all of my materials.
I'd say that beats $100-$200 and six months of shopping for a new coat!!! And who knows? Maybe the floral lining trend will be the next big thing.
