A Valentine coat for your viewing pleasure…

As you will see in a second…I had some time in my sewing room today and managed to get this sweet coat finished. Nellie asked if she could model it and since Samantha is still standing in her pink Valentine coat, I told her she could.

I think Nellie looks pretty cute in this bright pink printed corduroy and hope you will too. It really is a magnificent fabric! Fortunately my pictures turned out pretty true to color for being taken inside and at 11:30 p.m. On my monitor the color is pretty true to life. Last night I said it was a hot pink… but today I’ve changed my mind… it’s a bright pink… with maybe a touch of bright coral in it??? Help on the color… I need a word for what color it is.

Let’s take a look… Don’t you love how flattering this is?

I was going to put green buttons on the front, (like I used on Riley’s set) but they just stood out too much and the rosy colored ones I used looked much better…

It drives me crazy when I forget to move the buttons just a slight bit to line them up with each other. They are sewn on evenly, but because of the slight movement with the thread, they look crooked…

Since I didn’t have much to show, I thought I’d show you the inside of the coat. All the seams are serged and the coat has been hand hemmed.

Here’s one last look…

Well, the coat’s done…now let’s get that dress started!

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeane

26 thoughts on “A Valentine coat for your viewing pleasure…”

  1. Charlotte Trayer

    Love that pretty coat, Jeanne! And, yes, the rosy buttons are perfect with it!

    I think I’d call it a bright pink print; as you said, not quite hot pink, and not really quite fuchsia, either.

    1. Thanks Charlotte,
      Whatever I decide to call it, it IS a bright pink! You got that right! :o)
      Thanks so much,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. I love the flair of the coat, and the pretty pink buttons! The inside is so neatly sewn, and it certainly shows your experience in making things look so professional, Jeanne! It is just the thing to take away the winter blues, and Nellie is the perfect little model for this too!

    1. Hi Linda,
      I like the flare of the coat too! It’s probably my favorite part of the coat! Today wasn’t “too winter blue-zy” was it? Much better than what it has been…
      Thanks Linda,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. I love hand stitching hems. I find it very relaxing. I remember hand-hemming my own dresses when I first learned to sew in Junior High … it wasn’t as ‘relaxing’ on a long hem like that – and I was always SO anxious to ‘git r done’ that, I’m afraid many of my hems might have been ‘done better’. This really is a neat little coat! (I’m still not motivated to make one, tho! LOL!!)

    1. HI Mary,
      Thanks for your compliments on the coat… yes, sometimes those long hems took plenty of time, didn’t they? I used to make rows and rows of ruffles for little girls dresses and that’s when I bought a blind hemmer. I used to use it all the time!
      I’m glad you enjoyed seeing my coat… gotta get you into sewing a doll coat one of these days!
      Thanks Mary,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. HI Becky,
      Who says red heads can’t wear red? Well, it’s not exactly red, but then again Nellie isn’t exactly a red head either! But the coat still compliments Nellie’s hair! Thanks for thinking it’s sweet, Becky!
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. HI Shara,
      I like your idea of bright watermelon… that’s a pretty good description of it… hmmm…And Happy Spring is going on my “names” list! I like that!
      Thanks so much,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Hi Jeanne
    Such a sweet coat and so professionally made. I really like your choice of buttons too.
    Can’t wait to see the dress, the fabric is so dainty.
    I sure understand your previous post concerning the timing of seasonal offerings on Ebay. It seems those dates just creep up and then add to that how Ebay just decides to makes changes and you end up spending an hour or so posting a listing! Super frustrating but I guess that’s the love / hate relationship with Ebay. ;0)
    Hope you have a great day.

    1. Hi Leigh,
      I’m hoping to finally get into my sewing room in a little bit.. I’m anxious to start on the dress too… although it will be a little bit more tedious to sew than that corduroy was… I’m looking forward to seeing the coat and the dress together… I hope it looks nice together.
      Thanks Leigh,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  5. What a very slimming design. The flaming pink color would make an adorable raincoat to brighten a cloudy day. I picture Nellie skipping over puddles carrying an umbrella. Maybe some more outdoor photos. Perhaps a rain type hat to match would be great even without the umbrella. And definitely some white boots. Then when she arrives at the event, surprise, a lovely spring dress underneath. She will be the belle of the party!
    P.S. Love the interior finishing.

    1. HI Joy,
      Oh, now we have “flaming pink”… I like that too… and it WOULD make a sweet raincoat… I’ve always liked this pattern the best of all the ones I’ve tried. It will look better when she gets something to fill out the sleeves a little bit more.
      I like your story line about being in the rain and then opening up her coat to see her dress underneath… gotta remember that one with April coming on…
      Thanks for your kind compliments, Joy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  6. Dear Jeanne, What a wonderful coat! I love the vibrant color. It makes me think of strawberries. Is there a color called “strawberry pink?” I can’t wait to see the dress.

    1. Thank you Dorothy… I think I’ll add “Strawberry Pink” to my names list. I’m always looking for new names… I can’t wait to see the dress either… but I’ve gotta sew it first! :o)
      Thanks Dorothy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. Such a darling coat, Jeanne! Love the flared silhouette; it gives Nellie a very pretty shape. Glad you decided on the rosy buttons; the sweet floral design adds to the springtime aesthetic. Nice that you showed the inside work, as well. Professional finishing is something we have come to take for granted with Jeanne Marie Originals, and it’s good to be reminded of your dedicated attention to detail–serged and pressed seams, hand-stitched hem, evenly spaced and nicely aligned buttons, fancy cutting, precise fabric pattern alignment, careful top-stitching–all noted and appreciated, Jeanne! Love Nellie’s pageboy, too. Very shiny and bouncy looking, and her hair color complements the coat nicely. Looking forward to the coordinating dress soon. Wishing you a sunny day in your sewing studio!

    1. HI Anne and thank you very much for your kind words about my work… *sigh*
      Yes, isn’t this coat flattering on the dolls? They can sometimes just look like a block in an outfit, but this coat really gives the girls some curves…even at 10 years old! :o)
      Well, if you say the insides are as nice as the outsides, you ought to back it up with a picture… I wouldn’t say you could wear it inside out, but at least it’s neat!

      I was so thrilled at Nellie’s hair… it REALLY is nice and it wasn’t even mentioned in the auction, that I recall… maybe just that it was pretty… I love it and it’s a silky as it looks.
      Thanks so much Anne,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  8. Jeannie
    I think this just might be my fabric coat/outfit I’ve see so far. I think it’s the print, the colorway and that its corduroy. Perfection! Your attention to details are amazing and what makes your creations stand out from many I’ve seen. I am horrible with colors but I am thinking the dark background is actually a red of some sort, with coral, strawberry and pinks.

    Now if I only owned a American Girl. Working on that as I’m new to this but love to sew and they seem the perfect size. Especially when you can use up all those scrap pieces from larger projects.

    I read you post about eBay and wonder with items that are hand made and those rules that eBay have in place would Etsy be a better choice. Of course, how they cut into your profit margin is the biggest factor. Since AG have caught my attention I’ve spent hours on there and feel your frustration. I enter American Girl Dolls and I’m lucky if three dolls come up and there is a big difference between looking for a doll and searching for hand made outfits. I had two Etsy shoppes and never had customer saying they couldn’t find what I had listed or what they were looking for. Have you ever considered that option.

    1. Thank you Sandra,
      It really is a mixture of red, pink, strawberry, coral, watermelon… all stirred up together.. I think I’m going to ask my sister Cindy, (a color expert) and Deb’s hubby, (an artist too) what color they think it is…
      I do have an Etsy shop… (a very neglected Etsy shop) and have sold a few things on there, but I mostly keep it for my daughter’s doll necklaces, slips, pantalettes, the small stuff.

      As far as finding an American Girl doll… I was just on Ebay and typed in the search engine… American Girl doll and 69,XXX listings came up… now not all of them were dolls, but it’s pretty easy to sort them by price, or newly listed, or set your price limits at the side menu, (say $40 – $90 ) and lots will come up. I saw several dolls that would work for a very good price…
      You can also type in American Girl TLC and lots come up that way a little bit lower in price and many times nude… there is usually something wrong with them, but sometimes it’s an easy fix… loose legs, or marks on the cloth body, which is never seen…

      Maybe you’ll get an American Girl doll soon… I think you’d enjoy sewing for her…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  9. Poppy Pink! I, too, like the flare of the coat pattern. I always have liked the dropped waist dresses. Waiting to see the finished outfit. Thanks for sharing.

    1. HI Susette,
      OH GOOD…another name.. Poppy Pink. I wrote it down and love it!
      I’m going to get started on the dress pretty soon… busy day again!
      Thanks Susette,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  10. Yes, it’s a pretty coat. I like the way it is cut so that it has such a nice shape. I think the Rose-colored buttons were a good choice. I think Shara’s description of the color as bright watermelon is very apt as it does have a slight coral tint to it—at least on my screen it does. I’m never sure my iPad is showing me the true colors.

    1. HI Carolyn,
      I have lots of color options to think about while I’m working on the dress… Salmon, coral, watermelon, poppy, pink, strawberries, and maybe more…
      The coat really does have a nice shape doesn’t it? It makes the dolls look a bit curvy…
      Thanks Carolyn,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. Thank you Laura,
      I appreciate your kind compliments on the coat… and your thoughts on the color…
      Okay, I’m off to sew on the dress… finally! :o)
      Thanks so much,
      Blessings, Jeanne

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