I finished Delia's coat last week. It ended with a bit of swearing, the fabric was hard on my serger and I just felt very done with it before I was actually done. Despite everything the coat turned out really pretty and now the frustrations are a distant memory, party because I am working with some new fussy fabric on Lydia's coat, which is also almost done.
Delia designed this coat—she wanted a tie, and she picked out all the fabric. I didn't have to line this, the backside of this textured light blue fabric is slippery, so there was no need to line it because it already remedies any sleeve drag, which all kids seems to loathe. All the buttons for all the girls coast this year have come from their Great-Great-Grandmoher Birchie's button tin. I used Simplicity 2534, again (I think this might be the 5th coat I have made from this pattern) and once again, I just love this pattern to bits.
After Lydia's coat I'm on to Halloween costumes and am also going to try and finish this vest I started knitting last spring.
We just got back from a short trip to Hood River and picked apples and ran around outside. The weather was on our side, which was lucky. Tonight there will be apple crisp, a fire, and hot cocoa to celebrate the Autumnal Equinox. And possibly a game of Kingdom Builder, which Pete and I like more than the girls, but we still try to get them to play.
And unrelated, I was asking about buying owl pellets for the girls to dissect when we were at the nature center in Sunriver, and they told me about Acorn Naturalists, which is a big big website with all kinds of wonderful supplies, books and resources. Time suck alert! It's pretty wonderful.