Laminated Cotton and a Cute Trench

Autumn shares her first venture sewing with coated cottons.  Come to Bolt tomorrow (Saturday, February 27) and receive 25% off all of our coated cottons and other fabrics on tall rolls!  We carry beautiful bolts from both Westminster and Kokka.  You'll also be supporting a great cause.

Now that you've gone to Bolt and bought some of that beautiful coated
cotton, what are you going to do with it?  More importantly, what can't
you do with it?  You might already know my plans... a simple and chic trench coat. 
After I brought my fabric home, I started to feel very intimidated by
it.  Can I wash it?  Can I iron it?  I decided to do without both of
those things. 

Once I cut into it, I started to feel a little better.   I was so happy I remembered that any pins I put into my pieces would probably leave small holes, so I only placed pins close to my seam allowances and never on the fold (I didn't want holes down the center of my jacket). 

I started to get a little scared again when I actually started sewing.  I was really happy that this pattern is so simple.  What if I make a mistake and need to take out the stitches?  Well, it happened.  I really wanted to sew a hood onto the jacket, but after one failed attempt I decided not to.  Fortunately my holes are in inconspicuous areas of the jacket and are hardly noticeable.  

I'm so happy with the finished product-- much happier than I thought I was going to be.  The coated cotton is a really great product and the beautiful pattern choices are hard to resist.  I would love to use the same techniques for a raincoat for my kids.  I'm happy to just wipe down the outside of it when it gets dirty and since kids grow out of a size each season anyway, I can take advantage of all the gorgeous prints!

Thanks Autumn.  While most manufacturers recommend not machine washing laminated/coated cottons,  Kathy wrote a very helpful wash vs. non wash comparison as well as other tips-- there is also a beautiful tablecloth and totebag.