The Jessie Coatigan is an unlined, loose fitting garment, perfect for the in-between seasons of spring and summer but also for layering on colder winter days because of the amount of ease that is built into the pattern which means you can wear chunkier knit layers under it with comfort. Depending on the fabric you chose to make this pattern, you can decide how much of a coat or a cardigan this garment is – using this gorgeous pumpkin check polyester / wool blend from Jenny Stitches, I’ve gone more for a coat but since making this, I’ve also made the pattern in black and red boucles.
The Jessie Coatigan has a bit of a 60s feel to it; with its swing shape and shawl collar, it’s also quite timeless. It’s incredibly easy to fit being generous with ease and having dop shoulder sleeves. For me, personally, I usually have to spend quite a while toiling the shoulders and arms of more tailored outerwear pieces, having narrow shoulders but needing bicep adjustments for fitted jackets and coats, particularly when I need them to fit over a couple of layers in the winter. It also features pockets, which is a must for me. The coatigan is unlined, but it is tidily finished with a wide facing to keep the seams hidden, making it a rather quick and straight-forward project. The coatigan does not have closures, but these could be easily added if you wanted and you can always wrap it closed with a belt, which is what I’ll be doing when I come to bringing this make back out next autumn / winter when I don’t have a rapidly growing bump to accommodate. The coatigan is nicely finished with deep cuff facings which you might want to skip if using a lighter knit fabric but look great when stitched up more as a coat.
A Note on Sizing: The Jessie Coatigan comes in 2 size blocks – sizes 6-20 (B Cup), and sizes 18-30 (D Cup). I opted to sew the D Cup block and made the size 18. Pre-pregnancy, I would have been a size 16 in SOI sizes but always had to make rather extensive full bust adjustments so I thought I would try the D cup block without adjustments (even though, technically, I should have added a couple more inches) as I had never used it before, and I knew the size was better to easily accommodate my growing bump. I’ll still be able to wear this post maternity but given the amount of ease, I will probably size back down to the 16 in the future and carry out an FBA on the pattern pieces; I’m interested to find out how the shape changes when I add a dart. This is definitely an autumn / winter staple and has made me consider oversized garments as a new possibility for my wardrobe.
I know this post is over a year old, but I thought I comment anyway to say you made me want to try this pattern. When I looked at it perviously, I thought it wasn’t for me, but when I saw your versions I fell in love. You’ve done an amazing job with all 3. Just purchased the PDF. 🙂 Will have to have it printed out though because I don’t have the patience to stick the pages together.