An Awhi Coat for my Daughter
When I was looking for a pattern to make a winter coat for my children, I couldn’t go past one that was named after a warm hug. In the Māori language, the word ‘awhi’ means to care for, nurture, embrace and cherish – the perfect name for a warm, woollen, winter coat!
I have always loved sewing Below the Kōwhai patterns. New Zealand designer, Sophie Mutu describes her patterns as being “Modern...with nostalgic charm” and I couldn’t agree more. I love that her designs are both beautiful and practical.
The Awhi Coat is a unisex coat pattern with a generous fit that allows for children to wear lots of lovely, warm layers underneath. It has a crossover front and a lovely internal facing for added warmth. There are a range of hood and collar options and it is cleverly designed so that you can either sew button loops, or buttonholes depending on your preference, without having to amend the pattern pieces. The coat is fully lined, including the sleeves, which are designed to be rolled up.
Below the Kōwhai pattern instructions are always detailed and thorough with clear photographs throughout which makes sewing them up such a pleasure. For this coat, there was also a video tutorial for the sleeves, which was very helpful! The excellent instructions mean it would be a great pattern for sewists of any ability level.
I wanted to make my daughter’s coat in a boiled wool so it would be warm and light for her to wear. I saw this bright pink fabric at Myfabrics.co.uk and thought it would be perfect! I chose a cotton flannel fabric for the lining, and made the facings in the boiled wool, as suggested, for added cosiness. I decided to do buttonholes instead of loops, and chose some vintage silver buttons, also from My Fabric House.
The boiled wool went through the machine easily and the lining sewed up beautifully too. I was a little apprehensive about topstitching through so many layers, especially where the hood attaches to the body of the coat, but I just went very slowly and carefully and it was fine. In fact, I really enjoyed working with it. I was a little worried about the buttonholes, both because they needed to be quite long, and because my machine is always a bit temperamental when it comes to buttonholes! I decided to hand sew my buttonholes and do away with the stress of machine sewing them on the wool. They look neat and I always find hand sewing to be so meditative and enjoyable.
The Awhi coat can be made with either a pointed collar, a curved collar, or a hood. I chose to make the version with the hood for added warmth. The only amendment I made to the pattern was to add mitten clips. Having lost many a mitten over the last few years I sewed some elastic and a plastic clip into the lining of each sleeve cuff. No more lost mittens!
This was the first lined coat I have sewn and I was quite nervous before starting work on this project. However, the instructions were so clear and well written that sewing this up was very straightforward and enjoyable. In fact, I decided to make another Awhi coat straight away in a larger size, for my son! I should mention that the pattern comes from sizes 18 months to 10 years, and it is true to size. My daughter has recently turned two and I made the size 2 for her. It has room for growth without being too big.
I love the way this coat looks on my little girl, and she loves wearing it. I can see the Awhi coat being a staple in her winter wardrobe for years to come.
