19 October 2016

Nautical Cascade Anorak

Tilly's nautical Cascade anorakTilly's nautical Cascade anorak



Meet my new anorak! This is the Cascade pattern by Grainline - lovely lady Jen gave it to me when I met up with her in Chicago a while back, and I finally got around to making it this September. I love it!

I made it in a soft blue cotton twill from Goldhawk Road, and lined it in a navy striped jersey (I can't remember where I got that from, sorry). It's a cropped jacket with the hemline around the high hip. I didn't quite realise this until I'd cut it out - I had it in my head that it would look like a Seasalt anorak I have, and didn't bother look at the finished measurements. Good job I didn't shorten it like I usually do on bodices, as it's already pretty short! I do really like it though, and there's another variation in the pattern to add a lower panel if you want it to be longer.

Tilly's nautical Cascade anorak

Tilly's nautical Cascade anorak

Flippin' 'eck, it took forever to make! Firstly, it took me three evenings to cut out the pieces. One to find all the bits I needed for the version I was making (there are 39 pieces in total), cut them out and catalogue them into shell / lining / interfacing piles - and then proceed to lose the pieces under the kitchen table, dishwasher... Another to cut out the main fabric and interfacing. And a third to cut the lining - I spent a while making sure the stripes would match up when the pieces are sewn together.

I know, I know - if I'd made this on the Sewing Bee, time would have been up and I wouldn't even have sewn anything together yet!

Tilly's nautical Cascade anorak
Tilly's nautical Cascade anorak
Tilly's nautical Cascade anorak

I also took my time making it, in particular to match up the stripes on the lining, and to get the seam on the two-piece sleeve to match up with the yoke seam on the bodice. There are a lot of lovely details in the pattern - such as the inner and outer flaps sandwiching an exposed zip in between, the three piece hood (nine pieces if you count the lining and facing), and of course the duffel toggles, which I hand-stitched on. Next time I'd move the toggles a teeny tiny bit further apart so they hold a bit tighter.

I also took the time to add some extra details - a little hook tab to hang the jacket up (next time I'd stitch it higher up on the facing), and an anchor iron-on patch which I got in Japan. I think I'd also add a popper to the bottom of the flaps next time to keep them closed neatly.

If you make this and get stuck with any of the instructions (I did), Jen has put together a sewalong which was really helpful - do take a look.

Tilly's nautical Cascade anorak

If you're thinking about adding a jersey lining to a jacket, what I did was trim the pieces down a little to account for the stretch, and I also had to ease the seams in some places too. The sleeves on my lining are still a bit too long - they stretch and try to poke out when I put the jacket on - so next time I'd trim them down a bit further. I also stabilised the shoulders with clear elastic to stop them stretching out with wear (you could also use ribbon, knit interfacing or stabilising tape). And I stitched the pieces together with a walking foot to help stop the jersey stretching at the seams, particularly where it joins the woven material. (If you'd like more help sewing jersey fabric, take a look at our online workshop.)

It was totally worth the time and effort though, and I'd love to make this again. Maybe as a longer soft pastel-coloured duffel coat if I can find some nice wool... mmm...

Tilly's nautical Cascade anorak


PS. This isn't where I live! We took the photos on holiday in ridiculously picturesque Mousehole in Cornwall (swoon).