..continued from Page 1 << Sew Coats For Alpacas by Linda Berol, Farm Manager

I decided to try to make a coat, originally just a vague idea because I wanted to help out our animal right away. I found an old raincoat in a bedroom closet. First I cut up the coat, discarding the buttons and odd pieces, keeping as much fabric as I could in large sections.

I created a pattern with an old blanket, roughly measuring the alpaca (measure around the largest part of the belly and also the length of the back from the base of the neck).

For the outside (WATERPROOF) layer, I pieced together the “old raincoat large sections” and sewed them together until the layer was shaped just like my pattern. Then I cut out a middle layer from an old warm blanket.

Next I cut out an inside layer (layer next to the alpaca) from another soft blanket. These THREE layers are easily stitched together all along the edges.

To create a binding (an important step to give the coat an edge) I cut more of the “old raincoat fabric” into strips, about 3 inches wide and 50-60 inches long. Fold this entire binding in half lengthwise and iron it so the fold is strong. Then fold in half again lengthwise to the middle fold, leaving three strong folds in this long strip.

The binding is then sewn to the entire edge of the “three layers coat”. The only thing left to do is to make straps with Velcro, one under the neck of the alpacas and one under the belly.

Next >> The First Coat I Made

This article is copyright 2011 and beyond, copyright by Linda Berol. Cannot be republished elsewhere without express written permission.