The Houndstooth Military Duffel of Doom

The winter cold has arrived here early this year. Maia's Fairytale Coat from last winter is a bit short in the sleeve so I stole some time over the weekend to sew her a new winter coat.

I've had this black and white houndstooth wool in my stash since I found it on sale last year, but I was never sure what to use it for. When in doubt, make a coat. That's my mantra.

I used the same pattern as I did for the Sorbet Military Duffel. The wool was a bit tricksy to sew because it's a very loose weave and unravelled as soon as it was cut, so all the edges had to be serged before I started construction. To add to the masochism, the coat is lined with Polar Fleece with snuggly fleece pockets. And I got ten thousand bonus Masochism Points for an inner lining of Thinsulate. It's proper winter warm.

Under that hair cape is a big fat fleecey hood.

The six faux plackets are rather less noticeable than I'd like with all the hardcore houndstoothing. I considered coloured buttons but black ones probably make for a more sophisticated and understated toddler.

Thankfully, it's passed her stringent apparel control standards despite lacking even a smidgen of pink. I'm happy that I've finally tackled wool. And I also attempted another thing for the first time... sleeves inserted in the round rather than sewn in flat! Non sewers call your sewing friends right now to confirm how exciting that is.