I’m just home from our latest quilt challenge reveal party (next post!) and feeling revitalized by the shared energy of the wonderful, funny, unique, and strong women I get to call my friends. Good food, a little wine, sharing of hearts and quilts – the best!

Before getting to the reveal I thought I’d mention that while December has been a quiet place here on the blog, it’s been anything but that in my sewing studio. The room currently looks like a tornado blew through it.

Last year I was nearly undone by wedding napkins, this year I had the crazy idea to make a coat as a gift. Since the last garment I made was my sister’s prom dress in 1981 it would not be a stretch to surmise that I might be a little rusty in the apparel construction department. And let me just mention that I bought plaid wool… and since it was a gift there was no fitting it to the recipient.

Thank goodness for Candy, who came over to get me started, told me I needed to steam shrink the wool, showed me the right kind of interfacing to buy, and helped with pattern sizing and layout.

Long story short – it’s not perfect (I’ll never tell where the mistakes are) and wasn’t entirely finished by Christmas, but the coat fit and my daughter loved it!

I’m a little proud… of both daughter and coat.