Ellie Inspired Holiday Collection

Hi everyone! Let me introduce myself… I’m JaNette, a self taught seamstress and the maker of all things over at Merri Poppins. I was so excited to get to sew up not 1 but 2 Ellie patterns for the blog tour!!!! And they were both coats! So Ellie Inspired is having a sale all week!!!!! Please stop by and check out all of their lovely classic pdf patterns and SAVE 25% when you use the code PARTY in our etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/ellieinspiredclothes

Now on to the patterns….

I’ve only sewn girls coats and I love them! I know coats can seem intimidating because of the fabric yardage they require. The worst is really over once you tape the pattern together and cut out the fabric pieces. I made both of the coats out of linen and kept them super simple.

First up is the Polar Express Pea Coat

Patrick, my son, has been obsessed with the movie The Polar Express since forever. He wanted one that looked “just like the one in the movie” except I know he NEEDED a nice jacket to wear for chorus. Mom won this round. I picked up some navy linen from JoAnn’s and a beige cotton for the lining. I’m no expert when it comes to what fabric is used for what, so I just make things with what I like. Linen is pretty easy to work with except it frays…a lot. Thank goodness all of the seams are enclosed!!

I was happy that this went together fairly quickly! It has a nice size range too (1-16). I made the size 12 and he has some growing room. I left off the buttons because I liked it without them. Super simple!! My kids love pockets and these were so easy to add.

Overall I liked everything about this pattern. It’s a classic staple that every young man needs in his closet. I will make more of these!!

Next up is the Sweet Pea Coat

When Jenna was little, she had a red pea coat and I was so sad when she out grew it. Immediately I knew what color this Sweet Pea had to be! I absolutely love it!!!

Again, I kept it super simple but the possibilities are endless with this style. There are several advanced options the pattern gives instructions for. I’m definitely going to try my embroidery skills on the next one! I love the pleats and they were very easy to make. I use to shy away from making things that have pleats and pockets and collars. They do require a couple extra steps but are so worth it.

I should have made a muslin to test the fit first. This pattern also goes from size 1 to 16. I made the size 8 thinking it would give her room to grow. Nope…should have made the 10 width. Lesson learned. So she will hopefully get to wear this through Christmas…fingers crossed! She absolutely loves it though. She is pocket obsessed. I think that sealed the deal when she realized she was able to twirl and have pockets. Win-win.

I can see so many other possibilities with both of these classic coats. I can’t wait to make more as my babies grow! Thanks for letting me be a part of the blog tour Ellie Inspired!

Until next time….

JaNette