"How Did It Hold Up?" The Green Apple Winter Raincoat

 Courtesy of a prompt by GMarieSews (https://gmariesews.blogspot.com/2022/01/is-it-possible.html?), we introduce a new feature:

    HOW DID IT HOLD UP?

You know, a thing I made and what happened to it? A  walk through the drawers and the closet to see what lasted and what happened to it.

The one on my mind right now is the big green winter raincoat. Cause I'm wearing it from October to March, from 2018 until now. Today, frankly.

Once again, we lost the war on Christmas

https://erniekdesigns.blogspot.com/2018/02/201718-winter-coat-that-is-not-black.html

The puckering wrinkles on the front placket don't annoy me while I'm wearing it

Because it needs some loving, and a small rethinking or two.

The interior pocket festival was great. The big 'holds my latte' pocket has also held a box of girl scout cookies, a handful of Covid test kits, a pair of mittens and a hat, a folded over Kangol hat, it's just too big enough for fun but not big enough to tear the lining from too much weight. I am not a shoplifter, but it could work for that.  The three piece hood (borrowed from the Green Pepper jacket) is just the right size with the short brim reinforced brim and the cut back sides (I can see with my periperal vision and if I turn my head, I can see even more and the sides don't swallow up my head).

One  side seam has popped at what would be the armpit, and I think I will tidy it up and open up the other side. This coat gets steamy on a cold day when I exert myself. Self-opened pit ventilation.

The zipper was too long, and has torn away from the front and see that wear at the bottom? Plastic just doesn't last, or at least the tape on this one doesn't last. But certainly the zip being too long has put undo wear on the far end when I zip it up with my little T-Rex arms. New shorter metal zip is in the WAWAK order. Sadly not orange, but a nice green. 

I added ring snaps to the top to make it close up better, and will add them all the way down the front to add back some closure at length. It's nice to be able to put it on and snap it on without having to commit to zippering the whole thing up to keep it on over my shoulders to run out to the garbage or the mailbox.

The reflective material is less reflective and needs work or replacing

Actual color of coat

Okay, so the appliques still reflect on a flash photo. They just look like hell up close.

The cheap lining started pilling the first month, but I can live with that and I still do. And I knew it would need replacing after a year. It's lasted longer than I thought it would. The handwarmer pockets need to be insulated from the outside. They get super cold.

The hard part is: I cannot get it clean enough. The waterproof coating stains easily, there's this big scrape on the front that won't come off, and I don't want to scrub it really hard to make that worse.

A print would have been a better choice.

But I .... can make this into a print.....

STENCIL SPRAYING TIME! (or when winter is over and I can take it outside to do a proper job)