The Moonrise Kingdom Jacket

Finished! The Moonrise Kingdom jacket, inspired by Suzy Bishop's coat in the Wes Anderson movie. I made this from the Watson jacket sewing pattern from Papercut Patterns (available in the UK from Sewbox), using hot pink wool and houndstooth lining from Goldhawk Road.

This isn't what you'd call a speedy sewing project, particularly as I decided to make fiddly bound buttonholes as well as fabric-covered buttons. I also patiently made a toile of the bodice so I could adjust the pattern to fit me (just the usual adjustments for my shape, nothing unexpected). I wish I'd toiled up the capelet (love that word) too, as the shape of the shoulder curve has ended up a little large on me. Oh well, eighties pop video here I come! I had to unpick a couple of times as I missed or misunderstood some of the instructions, particularly with the direction of the hem facing and how to attach the capelet (still love that word) to the shoulder seams. Take extra care with these parts and baste first if you're not sure (something which I of course didn't do!).




It turned out lovely in the end though so was worth the effort. It really is a beautifully designed pattern, and I'm already dreaming about making a little navy jacket for the Spring, perhaps without the capelet this time - as swoonsome as it is, there are only so many capelets one needs in one's life, non?

Speaking of the capelet (the more I look at the word, the weirder it looks), as you know the inspiration for my pink jacket was Moonrise Kingdom. Or was it...? The other night I turned on the telly and happened to land on an episode of Father Ted (for international readers, this is a genius sitcom about three Catholic priests and their housekeeper living on a tiny island off the coast of Ireland - much funnier than it sounds, I promise). In this particular episode, three bishops visit Craggy Island to upgrade a local holy stone to a "class 2 relic"... hilarity ensues, of course. As I was watching, I began admiring the robes worn by the priests... and they started to remind me of something... now what was it...?

Yikes! My eyes suddenly darted a few cms left of the screen to my dress form and there it was! I'd inadvertently been channeling Catholic Bishop Chic through my sewing all along. Stop laughing!

Can we just pretend we never noticed the uncanny similarity please? It's the Moonrise Kingdom jacket. The Moonrise Kingdom jacket.



[Soundtrack: 'The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra' composed by Benjamin Britten]