Secret Agent Lab Coat

A wonderful activity for children is playing dress-ups. Whether it's a princess, a mermaid, a doctor, a knight....you name it, it's fun to put on an outfit and pretend.

One dress-up item I made recently was a lab coat using Oliver + S pattern, Secret Agent Trench Coat.
It was a perfect choice to use because like a real life lab coat, it can be worn over layers of clothing. Or even a jacket if perhaps, let's say, you were going to make a house call to your backyard playhouse.

The fabric is an old heavy cotton table cloth.  After many washings due to wine stains from too many dinner parties with raucous guests  stains here and there, it shrunk.  I kept it though, planning to make some dinner napkins.  In the end, it turned out to be the perfect weight for a playtime lab coat. It's not too thin and not too heavy. And since it's repurposed fabric,  it doesn't matter if it gets trashed from being worn in a sandbox or at the lunch table with lots of dripping ketchup and mustard.

I left off the belt, sleeve cuffs and shoulder flap from the pattern.  I kept it double breasted but simply made one row of bright red buttons.
There are two big patch pockets, one has a felt red cross stitched on it.
Using my embroidery machine, I stitched her name.  I could have used a red Sharpie, or hand embroidered her name for this task but the machine was handy so went with using it.

She loved the lab coat and her first patient was her brother.....

Then she became a vet and checked out Bunny.......

....and the owner was thrilled to have Bunny back and in good health. (Too bad the owner isn't wearing pants.)

No task is too small or too big for this amazing doctor!