Because I'm insane, I made this little coat to donate to our church's coat drive. Usually, I just buy coats from secondhand stores and garage sales, and I have a few of those, too. But I have a few new sewing resolutions, one of which is "Use up my stash" and another of which is "Sew for others", and this fits right in with those goals.
The pattern isn't lined; I eliminated the facings and put in a lining of quilted velveteen (on the body) and quilted nylon (in the sleeves). I quilted it (by machine) myself and it took a long time. Other than that, this is a very simple pattern and it was very easy to put together,
which is why I picked it, along with the fact that it didn't call for much yardage. The red and black plaid is a wool. I only had a little over half a yard, before I felted it (does that make it boiled wool now?). Besides quilting the lining, and working with a lot of thick boiled wool and quilted layers, the challenge with this coat was utilizing the very limited yardage I had. The green velveteen sleeves aren't just a design decision. There wasn't enough plaid for the sleeves.I'm really pleased with the way it turned out, after all the trouble.
Just as a side note, I'd like to encourage everyone to give any extra used winter coats to coat drives in their area (or, as I do, buy inexpensive ones at thrift shops). Every year there are kids (and adults) who need warm coats and can't afford them.