Mad Hatters - The Coat

In order for maker Tanya to have enough time to fnish the remaining costumes, as of the day before yesterday I have taken on the task of the Mad Hatters coat! I have the benefit of being the designer and therefore know exactly how I want it to look. With this in mind I have already begun collecting what I need to be able to get the coat completed - but there has been a snag.

Firstly, I have found a good number of brilliant, perfect buttons. The main factor that is cohesive throughout the costume range for this production is buttons. The idea came to me as the organisers main stipulation was that the Mad Hatter hat be the same as the one used for the production last year and it is, in fact, decorated with buttons. I have designed the costumes so that they have at least part of the costume decorated with brightly coloured, mismatched buttons in both colour, size and shape. I found these in a craft shop for a pound and - though I am going to get a few more brighter ones these are more then a good start!

107 buttons for the Mad Hatters Costumes

The main part, though, is the coat - this Tanya had not been able to find, and so I immediately set about hunting for a suitable base coat. The benefit of the theme being as it is - a mix of modern and traditional Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland idea's but with the added aspect of being relatable by children now - is that the fabric of the Mad Hatters coat could have been almost anything and would still have been suitable, though I was hoping either for a non-shiny synthetic or a velvet. The Mad Hatter is the figurehead of the event, and so all the quirkiness of the other costumes can be reflected in his costume. With this in mind, I found and ordered this jacket online the day before yesterday, and it arrived this morning;

For the most part it is perfect - the shoulders fit, the sleeves are the right length, the lapels are good, the colour is bright - and heres where we come to the problem. The colour is bright, which is good. It is also PINK, where it is meant to be purple.

This is a problem - it wouldn't be if it wasn't for the fact that the waistcoat is orange and this is going to clash, and not in a good way. And so, after hunting online and through Boscombe and Lymington for a better alternative and coming up empty, the plan is now to paint the coat. Paint it with fabric paint that it - as it is synthetic fabric unfortunately the dyes that I can get ahold of will do nothing. Tomorrows hunt is for fabric paint!