A coat that became a winter hat and leg warmers

Transforming a Forgotten Coat into Unique Pieces

I was given this unused coat to repurpose in my sewing projects. I must confess it stayed in my wardrobe for several months because I had no idea what to do with it. The main fabric was wool, with details in an extremely heavy material and metal buttons, and the coat had lots of seams and panels. 

One day, while looking at the sleeves, I realised they would make perfect leg warmers—the cuff detail would look great as a finish over ankle boots. I tried slipping one sleeve onto my leg to check the fit and, to my surprise, it was perfect.

So I unpicked the sleeves, removed the lining since it felt a bit tight, and finished the top edge by adding a band around the knee area. For that, I used the coat’s facing, and then added one of the original buttons to the band. 

 

They turned out very comfortable and warm. I usually wear them over leggins and black ankle boots, and it looks as if I’m wearing tall boots instead. I’m sharing the video where I show how I made them—because everything is black, the details don’t show well .

 

From Coat to Hat: The Second Life of the Fabric

With the remaining fabric from the coat, someone suggested I make a hat, and I loved the idea, especially because I had been wanting to make a winter hat for a while. I looked for a winter hat pattern but couldn’t find anything I liked, so I decided to create one based on the bucket hat draft shared by Marlene Mukai. 

 

This wasn’t my first time using that draft—I had previously made a wide‑brim denim hat with it, and there’s even a blog post about it. At the time, I didn’t like the result because the top was too wide, although I later altered it and still wear it in the summer.

 

For this project, I started with the smallest size. I made a prototype just to check the fit, and it was tight around the brim area but the top had the right size. I then decided to use the large size and adjust it to my measurements. The final result was an oval‑shaped hat that fits me perfectly. 

This is the video where I show how I drafted the pattern.
 

The Finishing Touch: The Lining and the Decorative Band

For the lining, I used a shirt, and since it had some cute snap buttons, I cut off the button placket to make a decorative band for the hat. Because the placket was shorter than the hat’s circumference, I added a piece from the opposite side of the shirt. To hide the button at that join, I made a flower and attached one of the pocket buttons to secure it. 

 

 

   

The decorative band is not sewn onto the hat, so I can remove it or replace it whenever I want. 

The sewing video for the hat is still being edited—I hope to finish it next week.