A Li'l Coat Refashioning♡

Hello lovely lovelies♡ A lovely welcome to you♡ Another Sunday has drifted in here at the bottom of the world. Another pleasant, summery day to do whatever I please. A walk in the garden?? Gathering bunches of hydrangeas?? Snipping a few roses?? A little book reading?? Of course, a little Slow Sunday Stitching will be enjoyed throughout my day.

Not a lot of stitching has happened here this week, as I have been unwell. A dreaded lurgy I brought home with me. Airports and planes are not the healthiest of places; a Petrie dish of germs. I have enjoyed a little EPP, though. Some EPP diamonds. I bought a couple of packets of EPP diamond papers last September and with no thought in mind as to what I was to do with them.....just 'diamonding' along. Of course, I have a clearer notion of what to do with these pretties now, but that I will chat about next week. I know, I know....such a tease. =)

Today I wanted to show you a little refashioning of an old and well-worn overcoat that has been in my closet for many years. I purchased it from an op shop about ten years ago and it has seen a lot of wear. So much wear, that if I was going to wear it again it would need a little pick-me-up, indeed, a little gussying up. A comfy, navy blue, pure wool coat with a classic cut.

Last November Pete and I went to San Fransisco to visit our daughter and son-in-law. My daughter said I would need a warm coat as it would be chilly there. So, I dragged out my old, blue little number and pondered how I could add a little beauty, a little oomph. Of course, as it turns out, it was quite warm in San Fransisco and my refashioned blue coat never saw the light of day.......oh well. =) But come this winter, here in Tassie I will wear it all the time.

Last September Pete and I went to our favourite market which turned out quite fortuitous for me. One of those right place at the right moment kinda days. A lady I know from whom I had bought needlepoints once before was going back home to New Zealand to care for her aged mum. So, she had to get rid of her huge collection of needlepoints and other pretties rather quickly. Hallelujah! This was my lucky day.  One hundred dollars changed hands and I went home with 27 needlepoints, one gorgeous embroidery piece (which I used on my blue coat) and two gorgeous crochet blankets.

It's hard for me to resist an old needlepoint. I use these pretties all the time. Fashion a new bag.....tart up an old coat or jacket......fashion cushions, recover old chairs......so, so many pretties can be made from them.

Anyway, back to the old blue coat. I didn't want to go overboard (yeah....I know....kinda hard to believe) so I only added embroidery to the lapels and added pieces of a needlepoint to the pockets. I carefully snipped segments of embroidery from the beautiful piece I acquired from the market, carefully stitching these to the coat with invisible stitches, adding touches of embroidery with stranded embroidered cotton and tapestry wool, here and there. A few crochet flowers snipped from doilies were added into the mix, too.

Goodness, when looking at these photos I see these photos were taken in late September. September, when Spring was just beginning to dance. The waratahs, the daffodils, the bluebells.....all had bloomed to sashay in a happy dance.

I always enjoy refashioning a garment that has seen better days. It was fun to give new life to my old, blue coat by the appliqueing of snippets of pieces of old embroidery and embroidering some new flowers and leaves.  In essence a 'new' coat for winter when the frigid season invades my little place again. Plenty of time for me and my old 'new' coat to be sashaying around town. I might just get a few more winters out of my old blue coat yet. But as the very thought of winter chills dem ol' bones of mine I will just soak up all those summery moments of the months of summer I have left. You lovelies, up there in the northern hemisphere can entertain Old Man Winter some more. On second thoughts, you can entertain him forever, if you like. I don't mind. I don't mind at all! =) 

There are many needlepoints left in my armoire waiting to be 'stars of the show' in a new creation. As quite a few of my last haul of needlepoints are large......perhaps I will fashion a jacket?? Mmm....sounds like fun.

Have a beautiful, stop-and-smell-the-roses kinda day, lovely lovelies. I'm off to stitch a few EPP diamonds.

Until the next time......