Who could have known that an unassuming little brown quilt top, cobbled together from a couple decades' of narrow little fabric scraps … was destined for the opera?
Well, Joanne, for one. It didn't take her long, looking at the rich variety of toasty, chocolaty prints to start thinking raglan sleeves dressed up in velvet and silk. A plush, beaver-brown velvet trims the turned-back sleeve cuffs, bordered hemline, front placket and dramatic standup collar. Terra cotta silk dupioni lines the coat luxuriously, with a hidden interlining of wool gabardine adding heft and warmth. A single chunky wooden button slips through an elegant bound buttonhole at the neck and the broad velvet collar clips up to reveal a finished underside complete with an accent strip running up the nape of the neck. Hidden collar stays keep the collar laced in the upright position when desired.
Deep pockets are at the sides and the back swings elegantly open to reveal a little inset pleat panel piped with an accent fabric that looks like it was custom-printed just to accent this quilt! The source quilt top was collected in Pennsylvania and features fabrics popular in the 1870's-1890's era, with a few edge sections packed with fabrics more popular in the 1890's-1910.
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