Adorable Baby Coat

My son's friends had a baby last summer...it's a strange thing when you realize your kids are legitimately old enough to have friends who are married with children...I guess that means it is highly unlikely that I am still only 27.  Reality might be setting in...

Anyway, my son's friends had a baby girl last summer and I just made her the most adorable coat.   (I'm a terrible photographer, but trust me, this coat is truly adorable.)   I got the pattern from Etsy.  I really like the indie patterns available for download.  The ones I've found have tended to be terrific and the instructions make them oh so doable, even for a novice.

Too cute for words...I love the texture of the outer fabric.

The outside of the coat is a polyester suiting fabric...the texture makes it substantial without being heavy.



Love this bright, happy cotton print.

The lining is a lightweight quilting cotton.

Matching buttons...too cute!

The hood is designed to be folded back to show the lining.

I used the Hearts Hoodie pattern from Puperita. 

My local copy shop binds my PDF patterns for me.  Love the ease of this format!

 

It generously includes sizes from newborn to 5 years old.  Now that I've finished the coat, I can recommend the pattern with confidence.  It really was a breeze to make.  The directions were quite clear and easy to follow and the results were gratifying.

Just what a well-dressed baby needs for spring!

Will a 6-month old baby girl appreciate it?  Nah.  But her mom sure loves it!  Definitely a win.

The Kindness of Strangers...

Like so many people in our area, Friday and Saturday seemed to be filled hurried trips to stock up on groceries, gas, and other things before the next snow storm arrived. So, it was no surprise that we found ourselves with our two younger children sitting outside the Home Depot waiting for Superman to finish discussing the intricacies of snow chains with my dear old dad. I'd settled into idle people-watching, when I noticed an older gentleman rolling one of those big lumber carts to his truck parked right next to us. He really struggled to maneuver that cart in the snow and I wondered if he had someone to help him put his load in his car. A moment or two later, I realized this old man was going to attempt to lift an entire toilet up and into the back of his truck BY HIMSELF. Prince Valiant and I quickly got out of the car and lent a hand. (May I say here that a toilet is really, really heavy? Superman is really strong, because he's never asked for my help with our toilets.) We made short work of getting the task (Valiant is getting so strong!) and wished the man a Merry Christmas and headed back to our vehicle. A moment later, a tap on the window and this man gave us this amazing birdhouse as a thank-you for helping him. I was so touched by his generosity, especially because we really didn't do much. It turns out he makes these out of large recycled cans and sells them. (I wonder if he knows about Etsy?) Anyway, I thought I'd take a minute to share his information with you, in case any of you would like a birdhouse like this in your yard. They are so cool and the picture doesn't do it justice. He's even made it so that you can unscrew the lid to clean it out. These are definitely meant to be used. (Dad, cover your eyes, cause this one's for you!)  The next time you see an opportunity to lend a helping hand, don't pass it up. It is the little moments that add up to make life so wonderful.