Conscious by Chloé

Chloé Lepeltier - Conscious By Chloé

A Sustainable Lifestyle Blog focusing on Zero Waste, Slow Living, and Ethical Fashion.

I Made a Coat out of a Family Blanket

An Erin Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern Review by Conscious by Chloé

Last summer, I was in France and spent time in my family's house in the Alps one last time (it's being sold).

While I went around the house to "stage" it for visitors, I stumbled upon a colorful blanket and immediately knew I had to bring it back to my parents'.

Then, the Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern popped up on my Tik-Tok feed and it all clicked.

Before my next visit, I bought the printed version of the pattern because I didn't want to research printing options in my area (it seems you can have it printed through this service).

And then, my mom and I (but mostly my mom, let's be honest) got to work.

The directions to make the coat are pretty much non-existent. A link leads to a Tik-Tok video that gives a general idea of how to go about it, but is not practical to reference.

I honestly would have loved to have had access to written instructions... Wink, wink!

An Erin Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern Review by Conscious by Chloé

So here's how my mom (and I) proceeded:

Material

Techniques

The whole coat can be hand stiched, all you need is the material listed above.

The idea is to choose a stitch length and height (using the same length and height seens to be pleasing to the eye) and try to stick to these measurements for aesthetic purposes.

An Erin Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern Review by Conscious by Chloé

Instructions

  • Print the pattern.
  • Cut the pattern.
  • Lay it out on your blanket to figure out where to cut each piece and make sure the front and back pattern match, and eventually the sleeves.

We decided to cut the pockets out of a more lightweight fabric and use a sewing machine to sew them together in order to be able to carry smaller objects that might have slipped through the blanket stitches.

  • Cut the pieces.

An Erin Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern Review by Conscious by Chloé

  • Stitch the shoulder seams.

An Erin Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern Review by Conscious by Chloé

  • Stitch the side seams and don't forget to add the front of the pocket to the front panel and the back of the pocket to the back panel.
  • Stitch the front and back of the pocket together.
  • Stitch the collar, the front, and the bottom of the coat.

An Erin Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern Review by Conscious by Chloé

  • Stitch the bottom seam of the sleeves, sew the darts, and stitch the cuff to the sleeves.
  • Stitch the sleeves to the coat.

An Erin Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern Review by Conscious by Chloé

  • Cut 2 slits in the coat for the belt, and stitch the opening to reinforce it.
  • Stitch the belt, and place it into the slits.

An Erin Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern Review by Conscious by Chloé

  • I secured the belt with an invisible stitch in the middle of the back of the coat so I don't lose it when I'm wearing the coat open.

An Erin Blanket St8ment Coat Pattern Review by Conscious by Chloé

I know the result looks totally insane, but it is SO me. I've always loved ridiculous pieces (does anyone remember my cow print clogs in high school?). And I'm happy to have a little piece of my family's history to wrap myself in.

It wasn't a precious blanket, it wasn't handmade, and it didn't have much history besides the fact that generations of us kids slept under it while spending our winter or summer vacation in our great-great grandparents' house in the mountains.

PS: This Reddit post made me laugh out loud!

I still have a little fabric left and am debating making a tote bag, a bucket hat, or mittens. What would you make?

The Conscious List

conscious-by-chloe-first-spring-bloom

Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? I'm getting ready for the last “spring forward”!

Picture by Biegun Wschodni

This post is not sponsored, but it does contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase via one of my links, I may make a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

An Easy Geometric Clay Fridge Magnets DIY

Easy Geometric Oven Bake Clay Magnets DIY by Conscious by Chloé

During the height of the pandemic, I stocked up on craft material in order to stay busy until it was safe to get out into the world again.

Now, I'm slowly digging into my reserves and experimenting with fun crafting projects.

And I just happened to have magnets on hand (I cannot for the life of me remember how they ended up in my kitchen drawer), so I figured I'd use up some of my oven bake clay to make fun geometric clay fridge magnets.

Easy Geometric Oven Bake Clay Magnets DIY by Conscious by Chloé

Material

Easy Geometric Oven Bake Clay Magnets DIY by Conscious by Chloé

Instructions

I don't really think a tutorial is needed for this kind of project. I grab a bit of clay, warm it up in my hands and form a ball.

Easy Geometric Oven Bake Clay Magnets DIY by Conscious by Chloé

Then I roll it into a slab of a consistent thickness thanks to my nifty rolling pin and cut out shapes with my exacto knife, making sure I cut out a circle the circumference of my magnet in the back of the piece so the magnet wouldn't stick out too much (my magnets happened to be pretty thick).

I then smooth out the edges with my fingers, transfer the shapes to a baking sheet and bake them according to the instructions on the clay packaging.

Easy Geometric Oven Bake Clay Magnets DIY by Conscious by Chloé
Then I mix paint colors, make many mistakes and eventually settle on pretty primary colors, a safer bet!

Easy Geometric Oven Bake Clay Magnets DIY by Conscious by Chloé

I honestly didn't think that all of my pieces would end up being magnets (especially the spoon), but in the end, I'm pretty happy with the result and can see myself experimenting more in the future, maybe until I'm good enough and can switch to pottery clay and am able to use food-safe material?

The Conscious List

Sled for Conscious by Chloé

Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? I'm gonna go sledding!

Picture by Igor Cancarevic

This post is not sponsored, but it does contain affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase via one of my links, I may make a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

My February Reading List

The Art of Feminism - Images That Shaped the Fight for Equality, 1857-2017 by Conscious by Chloé

The month of February flew by, I found myself busy planning a trip, taking the trip, and recovering from jetlag.

I did do some reading though, mostly while I was traveling or wide awake in bed in the middle of the night.

I fell in love with my Kindle again, so convenient to read in the dark while on a plane or while your significant other is asleep next to you.

So here's what I borrowed from the library during the month of February.

If you're interested to see what else is on my waiting list, check out my 2023 reading list.

And please share your recommendations in the comments (women, queer, POC authors are more or less all I've been reading since 2017 and I'd like to keep this trend going!)

Token Black Girl by Danielle Prescod by Conscious by Chloé

1. Token Black Girl by Danielle Prescod

I will never understand what it is to live as a Black woman in today's America, but I'll keep reading their stories so I can try to.

Futur.es - Comment le féminisme peut sauver le monde by Lauren Bastide by Conscious by Chloé

2. Futur.es - Comment le féminisme peut sauver le monde by Lauren Bastide

My admiration for French feminist, journalist, podcaster, and writer Lauren Bastide knows no bounds. I've been following her work for close to a decade and am in awe of her career and personal journey. Her podcast La Poudre is my all-time fave. French speakers, don't walk, run!

I'll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein by Conscious by Chloé

3. I'll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein

This hilarious book comforted me in my decision not to have kids :D I remember laughing out loud while waiting at the gate at the airport.

Kinfolk Islands by John Burns by Conscious by Chloé

4. Kinfolk Islands by John Burns

Did I really read this book? I mean, I came here only for the imagery. The wanderlust is real.

The Art of Feminism - Images That Shaped the Fight for Equality, 1857-2017 by Conscious by Chloé

5. The Art of Feminism - Images That Shaped the Fight for Equality, 1857-2017

I had a poster of the art that's on the cover of this book. When I downsized and moved, I offered it to locals and I believe it ended up in someone's classroom. I really like that! Yay to empowering future generations!

6-ish. Where I Was From by Joan Didion

Should one put on their reading list the books they didn't finish? I randomly downloaded this ebook without knowing what it was about. I was in the mood for a story, not an exposé, my mistake.

What are you currently reading? I'd love to know, please share your recommendations in the comments below!