I hung the coat from my upstairs railings down into the kitchen below to facilitate hemming it.
Erm, y’know that coat?
Yeah, the one I’ve been cracking away at all week?
That I was hoping to finish today or tomorrow?
So here’s the thing.
I don’t have any buttons for it.
Yeah, I know. Wee bit of an oversight, there.
Um. I’m forgetful that way?
I do have the button insta-stash now, but while it does have a few large buttons, it has nothing like the eight to ten matching ones I need for this coat.
Now, in addition to having no buttons, I have no money. Zero cash. As in, bank overdrawn, credit card maxed, parents already hit up for money this month. Ouch. September always bites this way, and every year I swear I’m going to plan for it, and every year it whams us like a frying pan. I had tuition to pay, kids have school fees (most of which I put off but I kinda have to pay for Syo’s school bus fees up front because… well, it’s a long, ranting story better saved for the non-existant “Kids school blog.” And I had to register and book a plane ticket to the big yearly conference I’m presenting at next month. Speaking of which, anyone know any good fabric stores in Pittsburgh?
Anyway, next installment of money comes soon, we are not about to starve or lose the house or anything, but it does mean I can’t justify buying buttons until at least next week. No coat for me. 😦
However, that didn’t stop me from spending most of my Saturday (between ferrying hubby to work and Syo to buy a birthday present
A whole lotta coat!
and then later go to the birthday party) working at the coat. It’s almost entirely hemmed now. The front facings still hate me (or each other). I swear by the time I’m done the front panels are pretty much going to be pad-stitched to each other. It’s like some part of my brain is convinced that if I throw enough hand-stitching at it, it’ll all turn out alright. I think I need to coin a new word for this… basse couture? Pauvre couture? Whatever it is, it’s like the opposite of haute couture, but still with all the hand-work.
Also, I spread it out on the floor just to see, and the skirt is almost a full three-quarter circle. That’s a whole lotta coat!
I really hope this coat ends up gorgeous at some point. Because on the hanger it just sorta looks bleh. And I was not going for bleh. Not at all. 😦
I think tomorrow I need a quick, satisfying project. Another Lydia or something.
In Self-Stitched September news, the outfit is a complete, item-for-item repeat of the ninth, so I decided to accessorize.
The backdrop of my crummy garage really doesn't do us justice, I know.
I know, you can’t really see the clothes.
In real life the skulls are actually a medium grey. They reflect the flash from the camera, however.
Sadly, I don’t actually ride this myself. I do an awesome job of looking cute on the back, however (or so my hubby assures me). I hope we get at least a few more days in before the season truly ends.
Tanit-Isis Sews 
So what size and how many buttons do you need? Cause my mother-in-law has a box of buttons so big my daughter would sit and play in it when she was four. Of course, I’m in Georgia, so by the time it got to you you’d have the money to buy some.
At first glance I thought your coat had taken a wrong turn and been granted corpse status, hanging there like that. Great idea for hemming though!
Have you ever considered using non-matching buttons for the coat? I did it once on a thrifted coat- the buttons were all the same size and shape but different brightly colored “crystal”(plastic). It was funky and cool, not sure if your coat is suited for such treatment or what types of buttons are in your stash.
Nice skull jacket!
yeah, I left it there overnight and gave myself quite a turn when I went down to get some water later. I’m pretty sure this one will get worn, if only out of stubbornness and desperation 😉
I’m sure the coat won’t be blegh. The good thing is, even if it looks bleh on the hanger, i am convinced that putting you in it will make all the difference.
About those buttons: I would love to send you some, but I’m afraid you’ll have finished three other coats before they would reach you all the way from here. 🙂
And cool accessory!
Girl, I’d offer buttons, but I am a really bad notion stasher. I find notions to be too painfully expensive to stash (apparently I don’t feel this way about fabric, which costs quite a bit more, so go figure).
I think you should hold off judgement on the coat until it’s finished. I think it’s going to be ok. Although I don’t think you’ll be able to wear it with your latest accessory. Good thing it’s a winter coat.
Thanks everyone for the offers of buttons! I’m sure I’ll have my own by next weekend, I’m just impatient. I would’ve been wearing it all this week already if it were done.
Beangirl, I know how you feel on the notions. And yet the ones I do have stashed around make me supremely happy and definitely come in handy (like the ribbon, lol)… weird eh?
Pittsburgh here. Do you have transportation and if not where are you staying? PM me @ PR. DreinPA!! I see you are not a paying member so I have sent YOU a PM.
Andrea
actually i hate august for the same reason! wow, glad to see someone else forgets about notions when they get excited about a project….i’ve been known to go to jo-ann’s for a zipper and thread and come out with fabric for 3 more projects and no notions for anything! aaaannnnnd, if it were my coat and i wanted to wear it, i *might* not be above wearing it without buttons or adding velco “buttons” to it to close it 🙂
We’ll… If I had any Velcro that might be tempting. Unfortunately this particular coat doesn’t really work open…
Do you have an old, unused coat with perhaps eight buttons? Or buy a thrift store coat for super cheap and harvest the buttons! Recycling at its best! (Or look in alleys for duffle bags with coats, with buttons hehe.)
Sadly my old coat had only four buttons, two of which are now missing. And even a thrift store coat is out of the budget at the moment. My kids walk home from the bus stop through the alley, though, and always have their eyes open for useful junk I mean treasure. 😉
You look seriously badass on the bike!!
I have a ton of buttons, in nice safe dark colours! I bet I have something that would work AND I’m not too far away by mail 🙂 Although, I am slow, and perhaps by now you have solved the button & cashflow issue…
Oooh… Buttons from the sewaholic herself might be worth waiting for… And not far at all by mail. ;D I remember your button giveaway….
How many & what size? 🙂 I’ll take a look and send you some photos in the morning. My black/brown/grey stash could spare a few…