Back in the mists of time (okay, okay — 2023, but in my defence, the last few years have felt long), I made a Bobbi skirt out of a deadstock jacquard poly canvas. I wear this skirt so often and still love it! At the time, I wrote how I regretted not buying a larger amount to make a matching jacket set, but that I had saved some offcuts to try and tetris a jacket. Voilà, my colour-blocked (pattern-blocked?) jacket is finally here and it is glorious. I have worn this jacket so much over the last few months; I made it in May this year, and it has been a really good layering piece. Plus, I love this shade of forest green.
Small rant: I am always struggling to find green fabrics that aren’t too blue-toned, AKA basically teal or aren’t muddy khakis. I just want some rich, beautiful, true green fabrics. Is that too much to ask?! I ended up ordering a bunch of swatches of green twills from Minerva, including this Mind The MAKER Organic Cotton Twill, as I previously had success with a Mind The MAKER stretch twill when making my Fibremood Leah Boilersuit. I chose the colourway ‘Bottle Green’, which matches so well with the green shades in the jacquard canvas! This medium-weight twill has a fairly structured drape and it was very stable to cut. It was a similar weight to the jacquard canvas, so I didn’t run into any problems when sewing these two different fabrics together. I could also imagine that this particular substrate would work well for a sturdy pair of trousers or dungarees. The shank buttons are from Britex Fabrics — I don’t love them, I would prefer corozo or glass buttons, but they are plain and work well.
I used the Deer & Doe Fougère overshirt and jacket pattern (or ‘shacket’, if you are so inclined — pas moi). This silhouette is slightly oversized with a generously cut 3-piece sleeve, so that you can either layer it over thicker jumpers or wear it as a loose and breathable piece during warmer months. As well as the 3-piece sleeve, the Fougère has a collar and collar stand, cuffs and sleeve vents, and large chest patch pockets. View A has a longer length with a curved hem, whereas View B is cropped and finished with an elasticated hem. I really like how the choice of fabrication dictates whether this garment reads more ‘overshirt’ or ‘jacket’; you should use light- to mediumweight wovens, such as cotton, linen and wool, but a cotton poplin version will feel much more like a shirt, while a 9-oz cotton denim will be much more like a jacket. My cotton twill version is firmly in Camp Jacket, although I must admit, I am tempted by thoughts of a billowing, boyfriend-fit overshirt in a classic Oxford cotton shirting in the future…
I calculated roughly how much of my printed jacquard canvas I had remaining and which pattern pieces would fit, which tallied up to be the upper collar, collar stand, back yoke and cuffs, with still a large-ish chunk of the jacquard canvas remaining. In a fit of wanting to use up every last scrap of this lovely fabric, I got to hacking my pattern pieces! I slashed my jacket front pieces horizontally a few inches above the front armhole notch to create a front yoke. I then measured each upper parts of the 3-piece sleeve, so that when I created my new pattern pieces, they would all line up perfectly at a horizontal seam just above my elbow. This pattern hacking turned my 3-piece sleeve into a 6-piece sleeve, so definitely didn’t make my life easier 😅 I made sure to add seam allowance back in to all the pattern pieces I amended, and then ‘walked’ the seam lines to ensure everything was aligning nicely. I skipped the chest pockets, as I felt that would look too shirt-y, but I did want to add some roomy patch pockets for stashing away my essentials* (*phone, ID, library card, a Twix, a loyalty card to the froyo place, and sometimes my keys when I remember them…). I used the Friday Pattern Co Ilford Jacket Hand Warmer pockets, which I slightly reshaped to mirror the curve hem of my jacket. When I pinned these pockets in place, I felt like the lower half of my jacket looked a bit plain in comparison to the colourful pattern-blocked sections. After mulling this over, I decided to draft some pocket tabs in the contrast jacquard — I think this small detail really ties the jacket together in a cohesive way, it is now my favourite feature of the jacket!
Fun fact: Friday Pattern Co has all of the Ilford Jacket pockets available as a free PDF download, so if you don’t already have the pattern, you can use these different styles of patch pockets regardless!
Construction was easy-peasy; the Fougère is rated as ‘intermediate’, which is fair — there is some fiddly sewing, especially with the sleeve vents, hem facing and collar, but nothing too tricky. I would recommend this pattern for any sewists that are feeling confident with making buttonholes 😊 The instructions are clear and easy to follow. I especially like that you are instructed to make the yoke using the burrito method, as I think that gives such a neat finish. You are also instructed to make faux flat-felled seams, so be prepared for plenty of topstitching! I switched out my main fabrics and used a lighterweight pink cotton lawn for the inner collar stand and the inner yoke, as I wanted to avoid unneccessary bulk in these areas, which I would recommend doing if you are planning to make this jacket in a medium-weight fabric.
One thing to note is that there is quite a lot of ease factored into this pattern: 9½” at the bust. This is a Deer & Doe design decision, to get the oversized, relaxed look of the finished garment, but for me personally, this would feel like too much. I sized down two sizes to a size 38 and can still comfortably wear a thicker layer underneath if needed.
This pattern is a big winner for me. I am such a fan of Deer & Doe sewing patterns, as their block works well for me, and this jacket has been so useful as a layering piece when out and about in the city. This jacket has come with me on hikes, dinner dates and on a road trip down to LA! I definitely want to make this pattern again, most likely in a lighterweight fabric to make a billowy shirt version.
Deer & Doe Fougère Overshirt and Jacket
Size 34 – 60
Bust: 32″ – 58″
Waist: 23½” – 49½”
Hips: 33¾” – 60″
