Getting started...

Be excited Blogosphere. Be very excited.

I've started cutting out the pattern and working on the overall design of the Penelope Coat. Like I mentioned in my previous post, the coat is a modified version of a classic princess seam coat. So, it will take a little bit of trial and error to get it right - or at least something that I'm happy with.
I will keep you updated with more posts and photos as the work progresses.....

Penelope Coat update

I've had a few requests for the Penelope coat that I plan on making. Once the wedding is over, I plan on making my 'mock-up', and if all goes well I will start taking custom orders. I've even found a place online which sells the purple coat wool
(let me tell you, purple coat wool is very hard to find).So, please be patient and hopefully I will have photos up of the finished coat by November.

Penelope, who?

I'm just dying to tell you about my lastest project idea. Have no fear, the can-can dancer is still in the works. I hit a bit of a roadblock with her as I'm trying to figure out how to get her full skirts all worked out. But, as is the case with an ADD crafter/artisan (I think I can call myself an 'artisan') I can't do just one project at a time!

Ok, enough babbling and on to the project......

So, I was looking though Etsy's Alchemy site trying to find something to make. I saw that several people had mentioned 'Penelope scarf' and 'Penelope coat'.
The coat and scarf are ADORABLE! They're worn by the character Penelope, played by Christina Ricci in the 2008 movie 'Penelope'. While I'm not a knitter, I can sew and I'm pretty sure I can make this coat. I've looked at all of the photos available on the web, and determined that it's a pricess cut coat with some sleeve modification. The edging is easier I think that it looks. It's simply another color of wool placed in the seam - much like you would do for piping on a throw pillow, etc.
I scoured the internet looking for patterns. I found several that were close, but this morning I think I hit the jackpot!
I found this pattern on both ebay and etsy (http://bontonvintage.etsy.com) in 2 different sizes. I think the yellowish dress with the sleeves of the red dress is the way to go. I ordered both patterns and hopefully they will be here in a week or so. I'm going to keep looking for more copies of this pattern.

Now I just need to find the fabric and some large coat buttons like the ones on the original coat. If all goes well, I'm hoping to sell these coats as a custom order at my store on Etsy. Granted, it's closing in on spring......but, I'm pretty sure it will get cold again!