Deer and Doe Nenuphar Jacket

Aww it’s the last week already of this years summer series! I’ve loved it and the weeks seem to have flown by so quickly and judging by how quickly our kits have been selling out, it seems you guys have been loving it too.

I’m so sorry if you’ve missed out on a kit, I hope it’s still given you lots of ideas, tips and inspiration! Sewing your own clothes doesn’t always have to mean sewing everything you wear so my aim was to show you different individual items that you can easily mix and match with other things you already own whether they are shop bought or handmade.

For this final week I’ve chosen another pattern that is a lovely one for mixing and matching with your existing wardrobe as well as the other pattern I’ve chosen for the series and it is the Deer and Doe Nenuphar jacket.

Here is my latest Youtube video so you can see it in action! 

Design and style variations

The nenuphar is a short kimono-style jacket with a gathered section at the lower back bodice. The sleeves are set in sleeves but have a wide, loose style. Version A is ¾ length sleeves and version B has long sleeves with a gathered lower half giving a loose flouncy feel.

I choose to make version A, which also has lovely big patch pockets with a nice cut out V detail along the top.

The gathering at the back bodice is also a lot more subtle that I had imagined from looking at the technical drawing - in a good way of course!

The sleeves are also a bit wider and looser than I had imagined but I think the proportions work really well with the style of the rest of the jacket.

Fabric choice and notions needed

The pattern recommends chambray, rayon twill, batiste, double-gauze, cotton voile, lightweight cotton sateen and for my version I used a lovely lightweight viscose linen in this gorgeous summery coral colour.

Viscose is really similar to rayon and as the fabric is 70% viscose and 30% linen, it behaves more like viscose does in terms of floating and draping, but has the texture of linen. For a style that is as relaxed and loose at the jacket, having something that is lightweight and will float around will be the best combination.

The only other notions needed for this jacket are interfacing and matching thread! We’ve put together a nice little bundle with the fabric and pattern too if you fancy making the same version as me. These are limited stock so I’m really sorry if you’re reading this in the future and they are all sold out. We do sell the pattern on its own and depending on the season, we are likely to have similar fabrics in stock too.

Sizing and construction tips

The pattern size range if from european sizes 34 to 46 on the paper pattern and 34 to 52 on the pdf pattern. To give some context this is bust size 31.5” to 45.5”. I made the size 38 which is bust 34.5” and I’m usually a UK 8/10, so of course as always, do measure yourself and pick your size based on that and don’t worry about what the size is actually labelled with!

I found the fit to be good, it fits me across the shoulders and then the style is so loose and floaty anyway, so if you are between sizes, I would have a look at the finished measurements when picking a size and go more off your bust size (or high bust size if you have a large bust and usually do a bust adjustment). This will mean it's more likely to fit across your shoulders and as you wear it open and the jacket doesn't actually do up at the front, then getting it to fit in other places isn’t really a priority.

The pattern is classed as an intermediate level but I think if you are a confident beginner and have set sleeves in before, then you could give it a go too. The construction is fairly straightforward, the biggest thing to contend with in my version was that the fabric is quite slippery due to the high viscose content. So make sure you have plenty of pins and check out my Ogden Cami video for tips on laying out the fabric and making sure it's straight before you cut out.

I also used the tip of when you come to iron on the interfacing to the collar section, use your pattern piece to make sure the fabric is still orientated in the same shape - before actually ironing the interfacing on. As the collar is curved it’s really easy for it to become misshapen right after you have cut it out.

Getting the seam allowance accurate at the v-shaping in the lapel can also be tricky so I'd recommend marking in your stitch line with a chalk marker first if you aren't confident about keeping it accurate by just using the seam guide marks on the machine. 

Style options

This is a great layering piece and I love the loose style combined with the wide leg of the Lander pants from week 3 and the patterned Ogden cami from week 1. 

Here I've paired it with the navy ogden cami from week one and my Orla Kiely shoes (from Clarkes a few years ago). 

I also really like the look of it with a pair of skinny jeans - I'm wearing my Closet case patterns Ginger jeans here. 

Or for a nice dressed up evening holiday look you could pair it with the Lander shorts. 

Thank you so much for reading, watching or following the series. It's been lots of fun and I hope it gives you lots of ideas for your own sewing projects!