Psst…Come here!

So. I did it.

I mean, it will probably never be more finished than it is right at this very moment. My fabulous brown velvet pea coat with the torn lining and falling-off buttons is now even more fabulous-er with its black with white polka dot lining, bright pink handstitching and buttons sewn back on with pink thread.

Here, take a look:

I did this in the most Ramona Quimby way possible: using safety pins and scotch tape I attached the blouse (minus the collar) to the inside of the jacket. I realized that the front plackets of the blouse were going to be too generous, so I would need to cut them, so I just sewed the whole thing at the top neck, then worked my way down, carefully cutting bit by bit.

The blouse had front pockets, so I decided to use them as a guideline. (My pea coat now has inside pockets! What an unexpected bonus!) I overstitched them and voilà. I then took a piece of the front blouse placket, carefully trimmed it and sewed it to the center near the back neckline, making a nice little loop to hook the jacket from. All in all, it took between an hour and a half and two hours.

Something I did not do was cut the cuffs off the blouse, so now, the black with white polka dots peek out at the wrist. I find it quite charming. Also, I am too lazy a crafter to sew any more than I have to.

Things I learned? At forty-three years old, I finally learned what a needle threader is for and how to use it. With my really terrible and getting worse eyesight, I get why this is a gamechanger. Also: I need to be more careful when I rip seams. In general. You never know what you will decide to keep or need later!

While sloppily done and largely unfinished, it has reached “good enough for me” status and will officially join the ranks of the Pantheon!