coat obsession

I have this problem - - I can't look at people's faces anymore; I only look at their coats; seriously, I can't help but take every coat I see off its hanger and examine the piecing and lining; every time I leave my Friday morning coffee with Rachel and Miriam, I have have a two minute coat consultation with Rachel (really, that coffee shop has some cute coat traffic).

and I just want you to know that you don't know realize all the possibilities until you start looking:
pockets? no pockets?
hidden pockets or external pockets?
pockets with flaps? pleats? gathers?
pleat in the back or no pleat? pleat at the shoulder blade or pleat at the waist?
piecing on the sleeves? on the front panel?
partial lining or full lining?
no top stitching? yes top stitching? three rows of top stitching?
double breast or single breast?
pointed collar or rounded collar?
(and the options go on and on and on . . . .)

It all started a couple of months ago when I saw this lovely little number and became convinced that if I could learn to make a classy coat (because really, that's 90 % of visible fashion here in Pamplona's late fall to early spring) my children would be in need of nothing else. I could dress my Selma in the most ragged and hideous of outfits, but with a cute coat on, no one would ever know!

I think there may be a verse about that in Proverbs 31.


I started this coat as a practice run; I figured it would serve as a template (because what I really wanted to use, of course was the blue velveteen), but I liked this one enough that I'll wait to use the blue velveteen for next year's coat. Or maybe I'll use the infamous velveteen for some bloomers that she can wear with tights and ballet flats (so, so Spanish, you know)