We're trying to hit a nerve with garment sewers in addition to quilters and other crafters. I just finished the Amy Butler Little Splashes hooded raincoat to display in the store.
Hopefully there will be enough interest to offer it as a class in the early fall. It's a darling coat. As you can tell from how shiny it is -- it is laminated! It's also lined in a very soft cotton. It's my first time working with laminate, which requires a teflon coated, plastic, or roller foot to keep the fabric from slipping. Even so, I did end up with a couple of looped stitches (I did use a microtex needle in my machine). You are also not supposed to pin it, so when you are holding your fabric together to sew you need to use clips. I've experimented with large paper clips, hair clips, etc. and haven't yet come up with a favorite. You also cannot iron it, at least not on the exterior, so it is difficult to get crisp lines. And, of course, it has absolutely no give so it does require a bit of manipulating to do curves nicely. As you can tell if you look closely at the curve on my patch pockets, they are definitely not 100%. On the positive side -- it does not fray at all.
It calls for buttonholes and covered buttons, but I haven't made up my mind yet whether to do those or snaps. It seems as if laminate buttons may be a bit slippery for tiny hands. I also haven't decided whether to make the thread loops for the belt or if I prefer it unbelted.
It has some cute features, like to loop on the inside to hang up your coat by. Definitely a sweet little coat, well drafted and the directions are good.
What an adorable little coat! Very class-worthy. Just teaching people how to sew on that fabric would be a good class in itself. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'll take 2! Very cute and as always, well done. I wondered where you were, and now I see you've been busy and productive. :-)
ReplyDeleteFran, that coat is so cute! Not sure I'd want to bother with such a high maintenance fabric myself, but wow, very cute.
ReplyDeleteI love the primate phot on your blog header! So funny and I think it's new?
The coat is great! I have done quite a bit with the laminated cottons. I just have to pin things together. I now pin the pieces together close to the edge - so the seam will be beyond the area where I place the pins.
ReplyDeleteI made a rain coat with the Amy Butler Love fabric and desperately want to put some big pink buttons on it, but my automatic button hole foot won't go that large. Due to the fabric, I have not figured out a way to make a manual button hole. I have practiced and practiced, but I just can't get it to work. I think I am going to have to order some big snaps instead.
I wanted to make one for my little girl...size 3. In my experience Amy Butler's patterns call for way more fabric than needed. Did you use up most of the laminated fabric? Did you seem to have a lot left over?
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