The Cape/Coat - Not in time for Winter

I am not really a cape kind of girl. Mainly, its because capes don't have sleeves, which I find really weird. Enter the New Look 6007 pattern. It's still a cape but it has a belt! Most people will probably wonder what makes the belt so special? Well, its no so much the belt, but the design and how it incorporates the belt. With this design, the belt loops through the inside of the cape and back along the outside of the back, before looping into the cape again. This has the effect of creating sleeves (kind of) and a cape with sleeves is my kinda cape!

I probably still wouldn't have tried making this, but my sewing teacher had made one in a gorgeous royal purple and had it on display at class. I tried it on and loved it. So much so that I vowed to make one or steal Maree's when she wasn't looking. Obviously Maree wasn't so keen on my taking hers, so that left me with the option of making one myself. We both made view C.

During the course of the next week, I went to various fabrics stores looking for cashmere or a nice wool blend in a colour that wasn't grape, mustard, black, red or grey. I thought that it would be relatively easy to find, its not like I was being picky over the colours or anything. I had no luck. None that is, until someone suggested Rathdown Fabrics in Brunswick. So I coerced my husband to drive me there and found this beautiful royal colour that is cashmere and only $30 a meter!!! I was pretty excited about the cost as cashmere was not that cheap anywhere. I bought some blue lining as well and was very happy with my purchase.

After I got home and begun cutting and sewing up the cashmere and then the lining, I decided I didn't like the lining I bought. When I next happened to be in Joy's, I saw some beautiful blue silk. It was divine. It would look divine with my cashmere. It was only $10.80 a meter???! I thought about my other lining at home for exactly two seconds and purchased the new lining.

There were a few mishaps sewing cashmere and silk together (they do not seem to be the best of friends). There was also the issue of adding interface to the hem to stabilise it, the cashmere was a bit fluffy and the interfacing did not want to stick to it. This resulted in me accidentally stretching one of the 'wings' when I was trying to make the interfacing stick. Luckily, with a bit of careful ironing, I managed to shrink the cashmere back into its original shape, more or less.

My biggest disappointment is that although I finished it before the end of winter, its the end of winter. I am sure Melbourne will have plenty more chilly days ahead in Spring!

I need to apologise for the photos. For some reason this site keeps changing the colours, or maybe there was a patch of sun when I took the photos. I have tried to play around the colours through Instagram, but had no luck. The true colour of the coat is closer to the colour in the photos with me wearing it.


The Facts

Fabric: Cashmere $30 pm from Rathdown Fabrics, Silk Lining $10.80 pm from Joy's
Pattern: New Look 6005
Notions:  none
Time to complete: 4.5 classes (I was really slow)
First worn: not worn yet
Total Price: about $90