Child's Raincoat

If your child likes to play in the rain, learn how to waterproof fabric for constructing a rain poncho.

Materials:

cotton fabric
adhesive vinyl
poncho pattern

Adhering the Vinyl

1. Peel off the paper from the vinyl. Place the sticky side of the vinyl onto the fabric. Place paper, shiny side down, on top of vinyl as a pressing cloth.
2. Press the vinyl and fabric using a medium-heat iron.

Constructing the Hood

1. Pin the pieces of the bill right sides together and sew them. Use a walking foot for this step, making a 1/4-inch seam.
2. Turn the bill right side out. Don't press it with the iron; rather, use your fingers to press the fabric.
3. Topstitch the bill on the right side of the fabric along the seam.
4. Sew the hood pieces right sides together. Flip the hood right side out.
5. Pin the bill onto the hood. Make sure the hood is flipped back so you're not sewing the rounded edge.
6. Using the hood pattern, sew another hood out of just the cotton fabric to be used as lining. Pin it to the top of the bill and the original hood, right sides together. Sew the three pieces together, and turn it right side out.
7. Topstitch around the edge of the hood to keep the fabrics together. Remember, don't press it with an iron.
8. Lay the hood right sides together onto the yoke. Pin together.

Poncho Assembly

1. You should have little slashes at the shoulder of the yoke to allow for movement. If you don't, go ahead and make them by cutting about one inch into the shoulder area. Start at the center back of the collar, and sew the hood to the yoke. Stop at the slash. When you reach the slash, turn the fabric up and over to form a right angle.
2. Lift the presser foot up and pull the fabric around. Continue sewing around the neck.
3. At the top, fold the facing at the throat back onto itself. Sew straight across it. Clip the point.
4. Turn the fabric right side out, creating a little extension that won't be scratchy when your child wears the poncho. (This is where you will put the Velcro later.)
5. Topstitch the little flap you just created. Join the bottom front of the poncho to the yoke, sewing them right sides together.
6. The next step is to add a pocket. Cut the pocket from the pattern.
7. Cut another pocket from the pattern out of plain cotton fabric to be used as lining.
8. Pin the two pieces right sides together. Sew all the way around the pocket, hand walking about two stitches on each corner. Don't leave any openings.
9. Take the side of the fabric without the vinyl and snip an opening in it. Trim the corners on the diagonal and trim the seams down to 1/4 inch.
10. Push the right side of the pocket through the opening.
11. Hand-stitch the opening you created.
12. Find the place on the poncho for the pocket, and topstitch the pocket to the poncho. Leave the top of the pocket unsewn.
13. Take your flap for the pocket and sew across the bottom of it. Turn it over the pocket.
14. Put Velcro closures onto the vinyl. Place the prickly side on the flap of the pocket and the smooth piece of Velcro on the pocket. Even if you use adhesive Velcro, sew it onto the poncho to make it secure. Use a regular foot on your machine to sew the Velcro.
15. Attach the Velcro to the neck of the poncho as well.
16. Use double fold bias tape for binding the edges of the poncho. Cup it along the entire outside edge of the poncho, placing the shorter edge of the bias tape on top of the fabric. Topstitch it all the way around.
17. Use a seam sealer around all the places you have sewn to make the poncho completely waterproof.

Resources
Simplicity pattern
Due to seasonal changes and new designs, the exact Simplicity brand pattern numbers seen on this show are often no longer available. Visit your local fabric store for similar patterns.
Simplicity Pattern Company
Niles, MI
US
Toll Free Phone: 888-588-2700
Email: info@simplicity.com
URL: www.simplicity.com
Also in this Episode

Sew Perfect : Episode SEW-305
•	Child's Raincoat