coat of many colors

Last weekend, I was at Jo-Ann fabric store using my coupons and getting some things that have been on my list for a while that happened to be on sale. It was on that trip that I bought the sequin embellished knit for the project I shared last week. While I was wondering the aisles, I came upon a fabric that I thought was simply stunning. It is a black knit with many colors of wool yarn tacked down and then felted through the fabric. I tossed the bolt in my cart and continued on!

When at the cutting table though, I really was at a loss as to how much of this beautiful, colorful fabric to buy since I did not have any project in mind at all. So, I just went for a yard and 1/2 since that would give me a few options without generating too much waste.

The fabric was not cheap. It was $25 a yard, but luckily I had a 50% off coupon. If you like this fabric, I discovered fabric.com carries different colors at a much better price than Jo-Ann (unless you have the coupon)

I happened to have a hair appointment last weekend too, so as I waited for my color to set, I flipped through a Style magazine looking for inspiration for my new fabric. What I decided was that I wanted to have raglan sleeves and duplicate the silhouette I saw for many leather tops. I just needed to find a pattern.

As luck would have it, my BurdaStyle magazine from November 2012 had a jacket that had a very similar silhouette. It was meant to be a short sleeve fur jacket, but it worked perfect for this fabric.

ummm... my skirt does not look this short in real life

I planned on inserting leather strips as piping at the sleeve seams. But the fabric was so bold, I decided I should not go crazy.

But in order to add some unique specialness, I used antler buttons. I picked these up in downtown Anchorage during an artisan market this summer. The vendor is Antlers & Ivory and they had beautifully carved antlers. I could not afford the carvings, but I could pick up a couple of buttons.

wrong side of the fabric and my pocket

I think they a perfect with this jacket. I placed them up top, so the jacket can swing open easily as I plan on using it as a layering piece.

brown twill lining

I also lined it with brown twill. I was unsure how the felting would hold up when wearing, so I figured I should protect it. And it does create a very finished look. Since I was adding a lining, I also added a small square patch pocket on the inside. That way I could toss my phone in there if needed.
Though it does have inseam pockets that are just the right size for me.