18 May 2016

A Capeless Watson Jacket

Watson Jacket - Papercut Patterns - made by Tilly and the ButtonsWatson Jacket - Papercut Patterns - made by Tilly and the Buttons

You know what it's like - you search in vain all Autumn and Winter long for the perfect coloured wool to make a coat that doesn't break the bank. Then, come late Spring, you find it!

I couldn't resist grabbing this mint wool when I spotted it on Goldhawk Road a few weeks ago, and promptly sewed it up into a Papercut Patterns Watson jacket before the weather gets too warm (I live in London). Longtime readers may remember I've made the pattern before, back in 2013 (inspired by Moonrise Kingdom but ending up looking like a homage to Father Ted - still love it though).

Watson Jacket - Papercut Patterns - made by Tilly and the Buttons
Watson Jacket - Papercut Patterns - made by Tilly and the Buttons

This time I removed the capelet to make it capeless. There are only so many capelets you need in your life, after all. The jacket has princess seams and a Peter Pan collar at the front, and long waist darts and a little peplum giving it a lovely shape at the back. 

The great thing about making a pattern a second time is that I'd already done the leg work of making a toile and adjusting the pattern last time - so it was relatively speedy to come together. One thing I'd do differently though. Even though I trimmed the under collar down to try to hide the seam line, this wool was pretty bulky and the seams liked to roll around and do their own thing. If I made it again, I'd trim the under collar down even more to try to keep it on the underside.

Watson Jacket - Papercut Patterns - made by Tilly and the Buttons
Watson Jacket - Papercut Patterns - made by Tilly and the Buttons

Did you see my talking buttonholes on Instagram? I do apologise. I went for bound buttonholes and hand stitching does crazy things to my mind. Worth the effort, I think - they seem to suit wool a lot more than machine stitched buttonholes.

Watson Jacket - Papercut Patterns - made by Tilly and the Buttons
Watson Jacket - Papercut Patterns - made by Tilly and the Buttons

Before I go, can we talk about my favourite feature of this jacket? Perhaps my favourite feature of anything I've made thus far? The lining fabric! Look at it! It's a super creepy disembodied hand print silky material I found in Marché Saint-Pierre on the Paris sewing blogger meet up (yes, that was a thing). I was saving it up for something special like this and am so glad I did. Now I can creep people out when I open up my jacket to try to sell them a watch...

Watson Jacket - Papercut Patterns - made by Tilly and the Buttons

*****
Fabric: Mint wool from Goldhawk Road (sorry, I can't remember the name of the shop but it's the one with the wools back left down a couple of steps)
Lining fabric: One of the shops in Marché Saint-Pierre, Paris 
Buttons: John Lewis
Photography: Fanni Williams