Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

It's cold. I am not someone who normally gets cold, but 40 and 50 degrees in late May with new snow on the mountains doesn't make me happy. Maybe its too long with multiple heavy layers and fur from the Rus persona, but I've decided I need a coat, just in case. Actually, I decided to take a break from the project and make my kids some hooded cloaks for next week to wear to fighter practice since they were getting cold in the late evening last Tuesday. Figured I'd throw something in for myself while I was at it.

I've had this two tone velvet in my stash for quite awhile. The nap is a blue green and the backing is a cranberry. I love the effect. In a completely separate purchase I bought a lining fabric that shifts from an apple green to the same cranberry the velvet does. They look perfect together. I wanted to make the velvet into a coat/loose gown, but there's only 4 yards of it. I did a little jig when I saw Katerina's Cappotto. Its exactly the sort of thing I was looking for and should work with my yardage restrictions. I also snagged these gold buttons that have been kicking around in my stash for a few years. They chime a bit when the baggie they've been stored in is shaken and my kids have been using them for bells recently, so its probably a good idea to use them before they disappear into the toy box. I tend to lose a lot of notions that way. . . I would love to do thread worked buttons, but I've been down that road before and there's too many other projects involving me making trim and notions right now. This way the cloak will get buttons and I should be able to whip up a fast outer layer rather than adding it to the not-quite-finished pile. As far as trim goes, I am toying with the idea of doing piping with the lining material. Maybe I'll couch it down with gold pearl cotton. I think that could be great looking as well as being fast. So, anyway there's a Dutch cloak, juppe, ropilla or somesuch in the works now. Hoping to finish it and the kids cloaks in a marathon over the long weekend.