A Fast Raincoat

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I'm heading to Chicago in the morning to have a sewing weekend with some fabulous friends from all over the continent. Patti, who lives in Chicago, has invited us all to come and attend the Haute Couture Club's Fashion Show and Luncheon. We will naturally take the opportunity to do some Power Shopping of the Fiberly Kind, and of course there will be lots of chatting, show and tell, etc. At the last minute, almost (about a week ago) we decided to have a challenge, and any garment we started after the challenge was issued and finished before the event counts. I can't wait to see what Patti, Linda, Kay, Ann and Nancy show up with. This raincoat is my challenge garment.

I decided I needed a new raincoat for the trip, and since I've had this fabric on hand waiting to be a raincoat for a couple of years at least, I was ready to go, sort of.

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Deciding on a pattern was my next problem. I think a raincoat should be very roomy so it's easy to pull on over bulky layers if necessary, and I decided to go with the Marfy cape pattern #0493 I've used before, but I knew I would lengthen it both at the hem and the sleeves. So it's only sort-of capey. I started this on Sunday and finished it Tuesday. It's unlined, as the fabric has a very slick finish on the wrong side. The right side is a coated print. When I bought it, it was almost sticky/rubbery feeling, but now it's not sticky at all, so I don't know if it's aged well, or lost its oomph. It's much nicer now, IMO.

I enlarged the pockets from the original, and I think they're just the right size now. I love this style with the gathered pocket placed into the band.

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I think the most interesting and fun detail on the coat is the closure.

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I knew I needed some kind of focal point, as there's just so much pattern to the fabric, and with the cape-styling, there's a large expanse of unbroken fabric. I originally thought of Ultrasuede for some kind of front band or something, but I couldn't find any Ultrasuede anywhere, or anything to stand in for it. I thought of snaps, and was very pleased to find these Magnetic Snaps at JoAnn's in their handbag notions. They're exactly the same as those in the snap area, but much more reasonably priced. I used 5 in all, but still wanted something like Ultrasuede to place on the right side of the snap placement area. There was nothing, so I scouted around the store, thinking there might be some small suede or leather scrap stuff in the craft area that would be big enough for what I wanted. Well, you'll never guess what I finally used. In fact, I think it would be fun if you all just guess. So leave a comment if you think you know. I'll give you a hint or two. It's not fabric. I purchased it at JoAnn's, and it comes in quite a few colors.

I think it's going to be a nice coat to just throw on when I need it, and it's going to be perfect for my trip, as it's no-wrinkle, and certainly won't show any spills, if they don't just wipe off anyway.

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