A Little This And That On Thursday/Chicago Marathon and The Pepernoot Coat

What in the world does the Chicago Marathon have to do with the Waffle Pattern Pepernoot Coat??? Absolutely nothing :)

Last fall, I decided that I would like to do the Chicago Marathon this year, and do it not only for myself, but for a charity that I am very passionate about. Fortunately, the Chicago Marathon is not an invitation only event like the Boston Marathon, but you do have to apply and this year the guidelines were a little more complicated. Since I have never done the marathon, and I did not want to do the marathon on behalf of one of their designated charities, I had to apply and then be put into a lottery. Well, if you've ever purchased a lottery ticket, you know how often you actually win...not that often. But I kept my fingers crossed, and this morning, this was in my inbox...

Rhonda Buss:

Congratulations, you have received an entry into the 2016 Chicago Marathon.

I am still beaming! I will do a post in the near future and tell you a little more about my decision and the charity. 

Now for the Pepernoot Coat. 

When I did my post for the sew along, I made a comment about how the jacket could be made without the hood and turned into a spring jacket. I was asked if I would explain more in depth as to how to delete the hood. I decided that it would be fun to have this coat for the spring in denim, so rather than just explain, I am making another coat minus the hood.

I love to look for fabric in antique shops. The bold red, white and blue print came from one of my fabric antique malls in Racine, Wisconsin. Sometimes I'm lucky, sometimes not, but I always enjoy having a look around. So my new spring coat will be made in denim and lined in the red, white and blue print. Rather fun I think :) 

There is really only 1 alteration to the pattern that will need to be made and that is the front band. In the picture of the coat below, you can see that the front band extends into the hood.

Below, I am pointing at the notch that corresponds with the neckline seam.

Simply fold the pattern piece back at the notch.

Now cut out the front band, BUT BE SURE TO ADD SEAM ALLOWANCE TO THE FOLDED EDGE. If you don't, the band will not be long enough.

My lining and coat are all cut and ready to go. I just need to decide if I want red zippers or denim zippers. Such decisions ;)

Although this is not a part of the official sew along, I wanted to do this just to cover the extra possibility of the pattern. Once mine is made, you can then decide whether this may be an option for you as well. 
Have a wonderful day!
Rhonda