29 June, 2009

The Red Coat


Red coat, originally uploaded by Ansis68.

This morning I started pulling apart a red wool jacket I'd made back in the early 90s (very boxy with big leather buttons) with a mind to make Hazel an Oliver + S winter jacket with it. When I stuck my hand into one of the pockets I felt several bits of paper. Sadly my first thoughts of "oooo unexpected money, how lovely!" were dashed, but I did come up with a train ticket to Chatswood dated 15 June 1996 and a ticket stub from a Otago V Brumbies rugby game in Canberra dated 12 May 1996. I guess you don't need to be an archaeologist to decipher this evidence from the past! Yes, I was living in Sydney then, we'd been there for about a year at that point. I'm surprised that I didn't wear the jacket much after that, but I suppose by that time it was at least 5 years old and starting to look dated.

I do love the wool it's made from though, it's the most perfect red, not too yellow, not too blue, just rich and saturated. I remember when I made this I really wanted to do all the edges with black blanket stitch and my mum convinced me not to. The wisdom of age over youth for sure in retrospect :) We did do a lovely job on it, my mum and I, handmade buttonholes and all. It may end up being too heavy for a coat for Hazel, but I'm enjoying spending time with it again after all these years.

So what were you doing in May/June 1996?

2 comments:

  1. I love an unexpected blast from the past!

    That's such a great idea turning your pre-loved jacket into a hopefully new-loved something for wee Hazel, great idea.

    Hmmm... 1996? I think I was 11...sporting cut off denim shorts over black opaque tights,over-sized knit fabric jerseys that I was just learning to sew myself and a terrible 'boylike' haircut, blissfully unaware of all the complications of teenage/adult life that were just around the corner. Oh to be 11 again! hehe

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  2. Ah 11, it's a good year that one. Old enough to be relatively self-sufficient but not old enough to have any responsibilities or cynicism.

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