A Coat Story

Once upon a time there was a rather shabby old corduroy coat. It had been through many winters, and was becoming a little bit threadbare in places. Lucy inherited the shabby coat three years ago from an Old Friend who wanted rid of it but felt it was too good to go to the charity shop. The Old Friend told Lucy the coat was "Designer". The old coat was really too big for Lucy and made her feel a little bit frumpy, but it was warm and did the job, and besides Lucy didn't have any other coats for Winter.

The thing that Lucy loved most about the old coat was the unexpected bright pink satin lining.

The thing that Lucy hated most about the old coat was the incredibly dull beige colour.

Even when she jazzed it up with colourful crochet scarves, it still looked drab.

Lucy began to fantasize about spending a ridiculous amount of dosh on a jazzy little Boden number.

She had a hankering for a scarlet red coat you see.

Then one bright day in the middle of a glorious October Autumn, Lucy was hit with an idea.

Dye. Tulip Red fabric dye.

It might not work, but it was worth the risk.

If it didn't work out, then Lucy would have to look for a cheap coat to replace the up-cycling failure.

But if by some miracle she could indeed turn the boring beige into glorious Tulip Red, well, it would be a very happy tale indeed.

Have you ever dyed clothes in the washing machine?

Have you ever been through the killing, toe-curling suspense of such a thing?

My, my, it is tough! Lucy's washing machine is in the cellar, and the full cycle takes a few hours.

The wait, and the constant to-ing and fro-ing up and down the cellar steps was torture.

The washing machine cycle eventually came to a shuddering end, and it was time to pull the coat out.

The washing machine looked frightfully scarlet.

You know what happened, don't you?

You can guess how Lucy's beige coat fared?

Yes.

It was.................

....a complete success.

Oh Happy Day!!!!!

Lucy was thrilled to bits, she couldn't quite believe her good fortune.

After the first dyeing cycle, the coat was indeed bright scarlet, the exact colour of a tulip.

After the second rinsing cycle, the colour faded very slightly, but Lucy was still exceptionally happy with it.

As you can see, the synthetic parts of the coat did not take up the dye. So the toggles, fake fur, zip and stitching remained beige. But Lucy did not think it mattered and she remained happy as Larry.

The colour was everything she had been hankering after.

Perfect.

Just perfect.

Lucy wore the coat with pride, and was thrilled when so many people complimented her on her New Coat.

She told everyone about the dyeing success, about this being an Old Coat really, not a new one.

How wonderful to be the owner of a Red Coat! It gave Lucy a lot of pleasure.

Then a few weeks ago something happened.

A little nugget of a creative idea began to germinate, and the idea refused to go away.

The more Lucy thought about it, the more she knew she would have to give in to it.

The coat would have to be PimPeD. AdOrnEd. EmBeLliSheD.

Crochet would be involved.

Lucy already had the perfect yarn for the job, a gorgeous bag of Drops Cotton Merino in delicious colours.

It was this amazing creation that sparked the idea. Little Squares.

Of course. They would be perfect.

A short row across the pocket flaps, and maybe a ring of them around the cuffs?

Yes, perfect.

The pattern for these little squares was nowhere to be found.

But by scrutinising Kirstens photos, Lucy was able to work out how to make something that looked right.

It was fun.

Those little squares whizzed off the hook in three quick rounds.

The yarn was a joy to work with. Smooth and easy on a 4mm hook.

The colours were delightful, a funky mixture of brights and pastels.

It  was satisfying work.

And these little squares made Lucy very happy.

Lucy knew these rows of little squares would do something good to the red coat.

She knew it was going to make the coat Completely Hers.

It was all a little bit bonkers, but then Lucy does have a soft spot for bonkers.

She edged the rows in red to match the coat, so that it would be easy to disguise the stitching.

Crocheted Pocket-flaps and Cuff-rings. Yes, bonkers!

Yesterday morning, Lucy had a few child-free hours and she couldn't wait to complete this project. She settled herself into the Big Chair in the light of the bay window and quietly stitched.

Oh, just look at that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The sight of embellished pocket flaps suddenly made Lucy feel very happy indeed.

The cuffs were a little trickier, as the Old Coat is showing signs of wear.

The fabric is thin and there are holes.

But Lucy slipped the cuff-rings on and knew that it was going to be ok.

Careful stitching, that's all. Lots and lots of tiny, neat, careful little hand stitches to attach the hooky to the worn out fabric of the coat.

This morning, Lucy wore her Upcycled Tulip-red coat with embellished pocket-flaps and cuff-rings for the very first time.

She felt self conscious, like EVERYONE would be staring hard at her cuffs.

But of course no one did. Only Lucy was aware of them for every step of her walking day. It was a private, secret little well of happiness.

And so this is the story of how a drab old unloved beige hand-me-down was turned into something bright and beautiful and a little bit bonkers.

Lucy is very, very, very delighted with her old/new red coat.

It is a whole lot of happy-ever-after.

The End.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps re the pattern for the little squares :: I'm trying to contact the Norwegian designer to check that it's ok for me to write up my version of the pattern. Fingers crossed, as I would love to share it.

pps I almost forgot!>>> Fig1.co.uk announced the winner today for the Happy Rice Giveaway, chosen with a random number generator thingy. Thank you to everyone who entered! The lucky lady is Emma from Devon :: Emma we have contacted you, congratulations :o)

EDIT TO ADD :: Yes, the washing machine is absolutely fine :o) Dylon Fabric Dye is pretty respectable stuff, if a little bit scary when the colour work is in progress!

 

♥.....more snippets from the Attic.....♥

The Studio Story

I made A Hat :: Ta-dah!

Comments

[Ruth]

I'm surprised the Old Friend did not renege on the prior donation! ;)

[Helena]

Well done Lucy. Your amazing feel for colour continues to inspire me. I'm now sitting wondering if there's anything boring in my wardrobe that could benefit from a dose of the Red Tulip treatment. :-)

Like Susan above, I'd love a pattern (or instructions on where to find the pattern) for the beautiful shawl pictured with your scrumptious snuggly looking coat.

[Sandra Barry]

Absolutely beautiful!

[Jelena]

I love this story!You really inspired me, I'll do something like this for spring!Thank You!

[Emma]

How did faux fur trim make out with the dye?

[Kitty]

Oh my! Thats almost the same as the beige coat I gave to charity a few weeks ago because it was so dull and boring...
*kicks self hard*
If only I'd known about you then... :-)

[Jo]

Is there a pattern for the flowers shawl/scarf in tge last couple of photos? The whole thing looks great :-) I do love red!

[Clare Morris]

I love the great idea of transforming your coat it is a work of art😂 and unique! Exciting and inspirational thanks for sharing xx

[ninifee]

I love your red coat very, very much - this is such a lovely colour. And the crochet bordure comes out great.

xxx
ninifee

[Susan]

I want to know which pattern you used for the beautiful scarf/shawl that matches the wonderful hooky squares of your coat! They are absolutely beautiful together.

[Neha]

Hi Lucy,

Great job! The coat looks stunning and the squares make it even more beautiful!!

I love the scarf that you have hung along with the coat too. Do you have the patter for that too?

Thanks,
Neha

[Susan Harris-Rohde]

You have inspired me. A navy coat was bequithed to me. I must replace the zipper, but the coat is warm with a plaid flanel lining... just a but dull. I think some hooky embelishments are in short order. Thank you!

[craftygreenpoet]

what a wonderful transformation!

[Meredith]

Well aren't you just blooming marvellous! What a cheery story, I loved it :)

[Frivole]

Loved reading the whole story and your red coat is just beautiful! You have inspired me to pick up my crochet hooks again. I have recently discovered your blog and really like the joy and colourfulness of your projects.

[Judy]

A coat to make everyone smile!! x

[Sylvia]

Love it! well done.

[Julie]

I love this so much. I am a member of a refashion clothing pinterest group and have pined this there. I hope thats ok with you. If not let me know and of course I will remove it. Thanks for the lovely idea.

[Catherine Slater]

Well how fabulous is your work!! You have woken up my inspiration this morning. Thank you.

[Kristen]

Oh, gorgeous! I love the creativity. Just my style, too! :-)

Thanks for the inspiration!

[Dyantha]

I too had a drab beige coat until 2 days ago! What a fantastic idea! I dyed mine 'intense violet'...oh it's intense; I LOVE IT! I have dyed numerous things in the past but for some reason I persevered with this boring old jacket...my only regret is that I didn't take a before picture! ARGH! x

[Jana]

ooh
wonderful!!!!!

now i know what to do with my old coat!!! thank you so much! and i simply love red!

[Rudi O]

Beautifully Bonkers!!!

[Bari Jo]

I love what you did with your coat!!!!

[Gillian]

Lucy, it's fabulous! Totally gorgeous and very you. Not at all bonkers. xx