Housecoats and Ponchos

Ugh, if I'd only known when I walked into Target that this one little purchase would prevent me from ever leaving the house again...

I just cannot take this thing off.  I get that I look like a fat old man cookie monster, and that there is grocery shopping to do and a new car seat that isn't going to install itself and mail to retrieve, but I cannot bring myself to even untie the sash.  I totally get now why grandmas call them housecoats.  Why would you ever relegate such a lush piece of acrylic to just one room or time of day?

So what to do stuck inside all day?  Sewing project!

I stopped at Joann's on Friday, not because I'm the kind of gullible person that gets manipulated by Black Friday "sales" but because the super-expensive batting was 60% off that morning (no, seriously, this was like a REAL sale).  So I was making a beeline for the stuffing corner when I saw this pattern out of the corner of my eye:

Now, I stopped sewing clothes for Miss J when I realized she'd never wear the 2 dresses I'd made her, because while she was busy outgrowing them, they were sitting in the IRONING pile.  But this was seasonally appropriate (no procrastinating!), and did not involve a zipper.  I went blue fleece to match her eyes, and trimmed it with a pretty ribbon that I also used for the velcro closure at the neck.  It has a Russian princess feel and reminds me of one of my favorite childhood books,  

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

.  So here's the finished product:

And here it is on my model:

Not the greatest shot, but we were interrupted by a well-meaning passerby who wondered why I was making my child crawl around outside in 32 degree weather with no mittens.  Dude, it's a poncho, you don't need mittens - be impressed I got her to keep the shoes on!

I'm pretty pleased with it - it's as comfortable as my housecoat but decidedly more attractive.