Dyeing for a new coat

I haven't dropped off the blogsphere but I have had a busy weekend!  Hope you are all OK in this windy weather which is battering the country again.

Yesterday I was rummaging in my wardrobe and looking to see which coats I could possibly part with, as I have about 8 winter coats - of all kinds - waterproofs, windproofs, smart, gardening, etc - and decided that actually I need them all at the moment!  I have two which are identical except for the colour, as one is blue and the other slate grey.  They are not waterproof but they are thick, quilted cotton coats [sounds weird but they are SO warm] and quite boxy so you can layer up under them.

For a long time, the blue one was a chicken-feeding coat latterly, but it was a smart coat when we were north of the border, because the truth is that the pair of coats are over twenty years old.  The blue one was looking quite faded and tired, so I bought some navy blue dye this morning - and this evening, I have a new coat!  One bag of dye has transformed the coat and a pair of battered jeans, and I am so pleased - now I just need some new buttons for the coat, and all will be as new!

And do you know where the coat came from? Hawkshead, back in the good old days when they sold their own brand of clothes - and I continue to lament their loss!  I sit here wearing Hawkshead cotton/denim-type trousers, and a Hawkshead fleece - I was a real fan, but the fact that I am still wearing them are testament to the amazingly good quality that they sold, and the way that they have lasted is just brilliant. Do you know the best bit? I bought most of the Hawkshead clothing that I own in the sales, too!