The Cordelia Files: Dreams Do Come True--Part 1

Confession:

The thing that makes my skirt fly up like nothing else can, is a beautiful winter coat.

I mean I LOVE winter coats.

I love designing them, I love making them, I love wearing them, and I especially love the compliments I get from them.

My affinity for the winter coat can make me somewhat obsessive.

For example, when I was about 17 I decided I absolutely could NOT live without a red wool winter coat, and I started searching everywhere for red wool. But, because I live in NM where winters aren’t know to get too especially cold, and good fabric stores are harder to come by then a pile of buried treasure, I had no success.

And then, one day I was in a fabric store in Philadelphia and a bolt of red wool was steering me in the face.

I brought my red wool home (it took up at least half my suitcase) and I made this:

My first winter coat.

I put a lot of love and attention into this coat. For example, I added an extra interlining for warmth.

And I piped the lining and facing seam.

But this was my first coat ever and so it had a few problems.

Like for example, for some reason I decided it would be a good idea to line the sleeves with fleece.

I think I convinced myself it would be warmer that way.

Well just incase you are thinking of doing this yourself, DON’T.

I repeat: DON"T!

It was a terrible idea. My sweater sleeves get caught on the sticky fabric and then they get all bunched up in the sleeve and it’s a major pain. Linings are meant to be slippery for a reason.

Well, I wore this coat for a few winters and the Coat Bug bit me again. This time I decided I would perish if I didn’t have a light blue coat.

So, while on a trip to San Francisco I picked up some fabric and made this little baby.

This little friend got me through most of my college carrier and is still my main winter coat.

Which means it’s been around the block a few times and it starting to show it’s age a bit.

But that’s OK because I still love it.

I used some vintage mother of pearl buttons that came from an antique store in Maine.

And at this point in my life I was really into my double needle so I used it to do all kinds of decorative top stitching around the collar,

And the sleeve hem,

And the waist ties.

I got all fancy with my alphabet stitches and embroidered my name in the neck facing.

And I included the quote, “It’s a warm coat I have.” ~Jack Kerouac, because I hoped that by saying my coat was warm would magically make the coat warm. It must have worked.

Oh, and I piped the lining with this beautiful textured poly blend cut on the bias.

Well, even though I had this fabulous coat to wear around in the back of my mind I still felt I NEEDED a white coat. It has been a life long dream of mine to make a white coat.

And this spring while in Britex, I stumbled across the most beautiful white wool ever. So I purchased it.

And I have at long last finished my white wool coat.

My longest, deepest, most demanding life dream has been completed.

I am fulfilled.

But I am evil and you will have to wait until tomorrow to see the coat.

Bwhahahaha!

I will, however, leave you with this teaser.