Once her swift and proper velveteen boots were made, there came the need for something matchy. Something to envelope those small shoulders and guard the body from the gales of autumn and the snows of winter. A coat, she said. A matching coat, please.
Dear lord have mercy, I mumbled. An entire coat made with slippery, ever-so-stretchy, mind-fumbling, lint-in-my-bobbin case, velveteen? Yup. That's the one. The annoying and mysterious velveteen.
Accomplishment of accomplishments. These dolls really do know me better than I know myself. She knew I could do it, even though I had serious doubts about the sewing brain and the tired hands. Sewn almost in its entirety with the sewing machine, with only one itsy bit of closing a hole by hand. I have quite a few coats before but this one takes the cake. Not only because it is fully lined (sleeves and all), but because of the wider hem that folds under, the one-piece facings, the circular collar, and the fact that I managed to sew it with this last little bit of my vintage velveteen. Mother fabric of quite a few bears and bunnies, not to mention countless doll boots.
And knowing Amelie, we just had to add a bow. A fabric one would have been stellar, but a knitted one was the perfect icing on this velveteen cake of a coat. She wore it for a few hours today, as the weather turns more and more into fall. Boots on her feet, corduroy on her legs, soft jersey on her chest and a knitted hat. She is a happy girl.
