Aster Swing Coat Re-Mix and Watercolor Kudzu Skinnies

When we landed back in London two weeks ago, the impending school year was suddenly in my face, and when I saw that Willow & Co was hosting a back to school sew-along using their incredible patterns I knew I'd like to join in.  I've just baaarely made it but I'm so glad that I did!  I bought a few patterns from this company when they were having a summer sale, but I wasn't able to try any of them out before our trip, and this was the perfect excuse to dive right in.

With the weather firmly planted in the 60s and 70s, I knew Hannah needed some warmer options and the Aster Cardigan was front and center on my radar.  But once I decided on a great fabric, I wanted to line it, and then I started playing with the shape and before I knew it I had taken the adorable Aster bones and mixed it into a warm and polished little swing coat.

 

As for bottoms I knew she'd be better off with pants then shorts so the Kudzu Cargos were the obvious choice.  I am DYING over these pants, but more on those in a minute… 
I found this incredible black and white diamond stretch woven fabric at Jo-Ann's that was fun but neutral and it had to be made into a coat.  I cut the sleeves big at the top so that they could be puffed up and cut a really wide sleeve to match the swingy shape of the coat.  I kept them a little short though as a nod to the original design, so they fall just a few inches below Hannah's elbows.   

Obviously since the Aster cardi is typically a crop length I lengthened the bodice considerably to make it a coat.  I cut the bodice with a very wide swingy shape and dropped the armhole down to accommodate the wider sleeves.

I used a fun woven gold fabric for the collar which gave it a perfect amount of shape-holding stiffness and finished it off as per the pattern with a thin strip of black and white striped fabric.

I lined the coat with a soft buttery pink knit material.  This added a few steps to the coat-making process, obviously, but I cannot deny that it is becoming more and more important to me how a garment looks on the inside as well as on the outside, particularly a coat that she'll be taking off once she gets to school.  

 

The swingy shape is so playful and fun, I just love it and so does she!!

As for the pants, I didn't change much from the original pattern at all.

I found this incredible fabric (also at Jo-Ann's) that was a lightweight cotton with a  little bit of stretch, and even though I wasn't sure what I'd be doing with it I knew I couldn't leave without it.  It has this beautiful textured pattern that looks like a watercolor painting.  I absolutely love it and when I was sewing with it I was kicking myself for not making it into a pencil skirt for myself instead!  Next time, next time...

I have never made pants before, other than leggings, so I was a little nervous going into this pattern, but I shouldn't have been.  It was one of those incredibly satisfying sews where a garment goes together like all of the pieces of an intricate puzzle.  I just kept following the instructions and before I knew it there was a pair of pants.

There was plenty of top stitching, but if I'm being honest, I loved it.  I used a gold thread to help the details pop and I just loved how it made the whole thing look so professional and polished.

I omitted the cargo pocket details, mostly because the print on the fabric was so busy and I didn't want to draw any attention away from it.  I went for a skinny leg option and used the slant detail on both legs, which I just adore.  It is definitely one of those details that makes a difference.

That and the knee pleats.  She is such a cool little cat in this outfit!  

 

Yet just as much of a ham as ever.  My girl. :)

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