A coat for the Princess- Kestrel Coat by Clever Charlotte

Sometimes I do actually sew up things for other people! Especially for my Princess!

I had enough coating fabric leftover form my polka-dot cape (blogged about HERE) to make a fancier winter coat for my granddaughter, known as Princess Victoria, more commonly known as V.

YAY for pockets!!

I picked up this pattern at JoAnn's! I was so surprised to see it there and it is just so adorable and unlike some of the big 4 children's patterns this comes in a large size range. From 2T all the way up to a size 8. Winner in my book.

 This pattern from the children's pattern designer Clever Charlotte is well drafted, has good instructions and went together quite easily with a very unique and charming look to it. A nice addition for a young ladies wardrobe for her 'Sunday Best'. There is also an alternative simpler neckline addition that is available as a free download on the website.

Front of the coat

Back of the coat

Inside of the coat

I used the same outer fashion fabric and the same cotton lining as in my cape and even used big snaps for the closure.

If you are wondering if it is your eyes... or are those snaps not in a straight line. Well it is NOT your eyes! The area of the felting is very thick and hard to hand sew through. The beauty of snaps is that when the coat is snapped up you never even see them :)

I ordered reflective piping from Seattle Fabrics as an extra safety precaution. They have quite a variety that you can find HERE. The pattern has several great horizontal seams that I was able to add the piping to as well as in the side seams and on the sleeve. I also underlined the coat in a light cotton flannel and of course added patch pockets. She LOVES her pockets! All kinds of treasures can be found in her pockets.

I left extra length in the sleeves so that as she grows they can be let down and grow along with her.

The weather in Chicago is warming up so this coat will go into the closet to wait for the fall. However, she did get good use of it on a recent trip to Gdansk, Poland to meet her Great Grandparents on her dad's side. This coat was perfect for the weather and she looks quite fancy in it!

V and her daddy both writing in their travel journals!

As you can imagine getting a 3 1/2 year old to model for pictures is pretty impossible! However, I think you get a good idea of how it looks on her.