(Re)designing the Celtic Braid Coat

I finished joining panels of fabric and cutting out the cape yesterday, so I just had to do another draped simulation.  Then I got to messing with the buttonhole design…

Here’s what I tried first – black vest with bound buttonholes made of red-and-black leather (a red lambskin imprinted with snakeskin patterns):

And here is a closeup:

I didn’t like this.  The “snakeskin” is a little too pale and a little too orangey to match, and the pattern doesn’t relate back to the overall piece.  (A pity, because I paid way too much for that scrap of leather.)

So I went back to the Celtic braid fabric, and tried it for buttonholes:

I liked this better, but still felt unsatisfied.  Also, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do a bound buttonhole in a fabric that heavy.

But what if I made an entire strip of the Celtic braid fabric, and ran it straight down the middle, with black leather buttonholes?

Aha!  Much better.  But not much black was left, so I peeled back the edges of the cape by one stripe on either side:

I am not quite sure which I prefer, but I do know that I like both!  What remains to be seen is how to handle the buttons – which, of course, do not sit nicely and tamely in the center of the buttonhole but pull to one side.  Off-center buttons would be a disaster.  I think I will make up a sample buttonhole/button to see how it works, or else consult with Sharon.

Off to the farmer’s market!  and then to haul an astonishing amount of asbestos tile (left over from when we had the hardwood floors put in) to the hazardous waste dump.  After that, back to work on the coat!