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!