Beautiful Buttonholes

My time in New York City was fantastic. Just incredible. The Preacher and I had a day together to do some sight-seeing and then I had two days to myself in the garment district while he was at a conference.

On the first of my "just me" days, my top priority was finding buttons for my coat and getting the buttonholes done at Jonathan Embroidery. I chose buttons from Pacific Trimming. I had a hard time deciding between two different buttons, so I bought enough of each for the coat. There wasn't space to spread out the coat and get a good feel for the overall look with the buttons, but I didn't want to regret a choice when I got home.

Option #1:

And lined up on the coat front:

Option #2:

And lined up on the coat front:

Neither are what I would consider novelty buttons, but there are a lot of other details on the coat and I didn't want to overdo it. I like both of them and haven't decided which to use.

Now, about the buttonholes. If the only reason I had gone to NYC was to get these buttonholes, the trip would still have been worth it. They're perfect.

The experience of having them done was fascinating. There were two people ahead of me, so I waited maybe 10-15 minutes, but it was interesting to watch the process for their projects, too. When it was my turn, the employee chose two different weights of thread to match the coat and then went through what looked like a very complicated re-threading process on a very intricate industrial machine. It made threading my serger look really simple. The buttonholes were stitched (very quickly!) and the machine punched the eye of the buttonhole. Then the employee cleanly cut the straight part open. Threads were left for me to snip off. I paid $1.00 for each buttonhole - by far the best deal I found in the garment district.

The photo above is taken from the right side of the coat and the one below is the wrong side. The heavier weight thread is on the right side.

So, that was a great start to my garment district time. Next, I'll show you all the goodies I picked up.

The Burda Skirt Again

I'm not sure what prompted it, but awhile ago I decided that I needed a green skirt. The last time I was at Fabricland I saw this green wide-wale corduroy. I wasn't really looking for the skirt to be corduroy and the color was a little different than I was hoping for, but since I had my eyes peeled for awhile and hadn't seen anything better, I thought I'd try the corduroy. After looking for a suitable pattern, I settled on the Burda 2/2010 skirt that I've already used three times . Because of the weight and bulk of the corduroy, I didn't want to try to mess with too many details. I'll use another skirt pattern soon. Really, I will. One of the things I really like about this pattern is the pockets. This time I made the pocket facings and part of the pocket bag out of a cotton woven solid to reduce bulk. Since I'll be wearing this skirt with tights I added a lining. Adding the lining was really simple except that I cut the lining exactly the sam

Grocery Bags

More gifts! These are just like the still-all-too-ubiquitous plastic grocery bags, but they're fabric. I followed this tutorial and you actually use a plastic bag as a pattern. The instructions are very good and include a pocket so that the bag can be folded up and is easy to keep in a purse or a car's glove box. Mostly for the sake of the gift recipients, here's how to fold up the bag.... 1. Lay the bag pocket side down and fold it length-wise using the edges of the pocket as a guide. 2. Fold it in half, aligning the top of the handles with the bottom of the bag. 3. Fold in half again and then reach into pocket with your hand and turn the whole thing (pocket included) inside out. Happy shopping!

Shopping Bags

Most stores in our town charge you a nickel for a plastic bag when you check out. I love this practice and the way that it encourages people to bring their own cloth bags or reuse their plastic ones. My habit of bringing along bags to the grocery store is well established, but I used to find myself stuck at places like the drug store or farmer's market or other impromptu stops. Then I picked up a bag at an upscale kitchen goods store that rolls up quite compactly. Now I keep that in my purse, so I always have a bag with me. I like my bag so much that I wanted to replicate it for the art sale. The final result is a hybrid of the bag I purchased and these that I made last year. The bag is a little bigger than the average plastic grocery bag. The velcro tab is used to keep the bag rolled up, but also can close the top of the bag when it is full. Most of the bag is a single layer of cotton, but the handles are faced. There is a double row of top-stitching around both edges of

VanessaApril 9, 2011 at 12:28 PM
Awesome post! Your time in NY looks like it was fun. And those buttonholes are perfection! I would love to see what buttons you choose, they are both nice.
CindyApril 9, 2011 at 12:31 PM
Those are some gorgeous button holes! I like option #2 for buttons.
JamieApril 9, 2011 at 1:41 PM
How cool!
AnonymousApril 9, 2011 at 1:53 PM
Wow! Love the pretty button holes. I am for option 1. I like how it makes the camel color of the coat standout
MILApril 9, 2011 at 3:05 PM
the button holes turned out really nice! i vote for the dark buttons from how the pictures look.
can't wait to see the rest of the stuff.
Jane MApril 9, 2011 at 5:51 PM
Those buttonholes are definitely worth the trip. I was so interested about the two weights of thread, also, so thanks for that idea. my opinion, for what it's worth, is option #2.
VictoriaApril 9, 2011 at 10:18 PM
You picked up some great buttons! Buttons can make a powerful statement on coats and it's great that you're trying to find the perfect one's!
MushyWearApril 10, 2011 at 1:42 AM
Wow, how awesome! I can't wait to see your goodies. I really like the darker buttons with your coat.
Pin QueenApril 10, 2011 at 3:37 AM
Wow, I didn't know you could get buttonholes done for you; I don't think I've heard of that here in the UK. What a great job and at $1 each it saves the "buttonhole anxiety" I always suffer! I'm loving the darker buttons too.
LoriApril 10, 2011 at 11:12 AM
those are amazing buttonholes. I can't believe they were $1 each, best bargain ever. I can't wait to see your finished coat. I like the darker buttons.
SewingelleApril 11, 2011 at 6:18 AM
wow.

Gorgeous buttonholes!

This is where I'm sorry I live in little old Adelaide in Australia. You want custom made buttonholes. What??!
SEWNMay 7, 2011 at 6:22 PM
Gorgeous. I am sure you will be proud of this coat for years to come!

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