Parka Post #3 - Hoods, Cuffs + Baby's First Grommet

Friends, at last I can see the light at the end of the tunnel vis-a-vis this parka project. If I had my snaps in hand, I could probably finish tomorrow. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for them to arrive in the mail, so Monday at the earliest.

But I made my first grommet and it wasn't difficult at all.

My grommet kit -- which I'd purchased to use in making swimsuits but never bothered -- includes all the necessary equipment. I don't remember what all the parts are called so I'll just show them to you. You need your own mallet to hammer the grommet closed, but I actually have a mallet in my tool box!

The doubled piece of fabric below serves as a reinforcement. First I had to punch a perfectly round hole in it using the metal punch (on the left) and a soft piece of wood included in the kit.

The grommet base sticking up is now placed through an identical hole in my lining. I pounded down the grommet top (called a "washer") with the included tool (and my mallet) and it worked perfectly.

From the back it looks like this:

And from the front, like this:

The waistline drawstring will be drawn through the hole in the lining.

I also made a hood, and that has a drawstring too, though no grommets. Each end is knotted and sealed with Fray Check.

My lining -- essentially a second coat -- is complete and ready to be attached to the outside.

I also made cuffs with velcro tabs. I should mention that the pattern instructions are excellent: they're written clearly and include detailed diagrams. I was thankful for that when I made these cuffs; they're a bit of a puzzle as they're mirror images of each other.

And that's it. Tomorrow I will attach the two-way separating zipper, the lining, and hopefully the cuffs. It's going to be a big day.

Have a great weekend, everybody!