I love this jacket. Truly, madly, deeply. It’s the Landgate Jacket by Merchant & Mills. I made it in their recommended dry oilskin and I love it so much. I used the color cumin and it’s a really interesting color. In some lights it looks like a mustard yellow, sometimes greenish, and sometimes a bit orange.

I thought it would be a bit beyond my skill level so I first made one for Z in some duck canvas I practice the techniques. I waterproofed it afterward with Nixwax, but we haven’t really road tested it’s waterproof capability.  The pattern doesn’t come in child sizes, so I took her chest measurement, added about 10 inches of positive ease. Then I divided that would-be finished measurement for her by the finished measurements of the smallest adult size. That was about 70 percent for her size. I used a printing service to print the pattern and asked them to print the pattern at 70 percent of the original. It worked out really well! I think it worked well for this pattern because it’s a straight up and down piece with no curves or shaping.

I made a size medium, which is a 52 inch chest size. That’s about 13 inches of positive ease for me, which might seem like a lot, but it’s perfect. It allows me to put super thick sweaters under it, and it makes it easier to get on and off with a fairly stiff fabric. The dry oilskin is not fully waterproof, but is water resistant. I stood under a trickling waterfall at Tea Kettle Falls to test it out. I don’t think this would be great in a downpour, but it’s pretty great to block some wind and it has a giant collar area that’s great for stuffing a large shawl into during colder weather. The hood is also really roomy, and from some angles makes me look like I have a cone head. Matt suggested drafting a three piece hood like we both have on other raincoats, but that felt beyond my level.For this jacket, I made both types of pockets. This has internal side pockets and external pockets with a flap that can be buttoned. Many folks that have made this have added both kinds of pockets and I think the more pockets the better! The flap pockets are better for securing my phone, wallet, and keys. I had those slip out of side pockets before, so I’m glad I have a way to keep them safe with a closure. Otherwise I made no changes to the jacket. I think it’s great as is. I can also imagine making it in a really lightweight ripstop nylon that could be shoved in a bag for backpacking or camping excursions. The dry oilskin is lovely, but definitely is a bit more bulky for packing up.

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