Paynter Jacket

I’ll be honest, I hadn’t actually heard of the brand Paynter until their collaboration with Merchant and Mills, but as soon as I saw how advanced the pattern was and heard there were two limited edition woven labels included in the paper version, I wanted it! I bought a copy the day we got our first batch of stock at The Fold Line and added it to my Make Nine plans for 2025.

Paynter Jacket Co. make limited edition jackets four times a year that are made to order, so there’s no waste from over production. The Field Jacket is Paynter’s first ‘make-your-own jacket’ pattern collaboration and in their recent ‘One year of the Paynter Jacket’ blog post, Merchant and Mills point out that this project is ‘not for the impatient. It demands time, care and attention to detail.’ They are not wrong. I didn’t really track how long it took me to make the jacket, but I think it was around a month.

This included making a toile and adjusting the unisex pattern for a women’s fit. I can count on one hand the number of times I have made a toile, but for such a special project like this, it was a no-brainer – I wanted to invest my time and resources in something I would be 100% happy with. I compared the finished garment measurements to my Matchy Matchy Sewing Club Makers Overshirt and then toiled the size S for a similar fit. The pattern notes suggested removing 8cm in length from the body and 6cm from the sleeves to adapt the pattern for a woman. The body length was spot on, but I took another 2cm off the sleeves after toiling, then set about adjusting the paper pattern and cutting everything out.

Fabric choice is absolutely key to the success of this project, and I carefully selected mine on an in-person trip to Merchant and Mills way back in April. The pattern recommends light to medium weight wovens such as cotton twills, denim, wool and dry oilskin up to a maximum weight of 8oz. I went for an 8oz sanded twill, which I have used before for a pair of dungarees and it is absolutely lush to both sew and wear. Not long before I started the project I kept seeing car coats and barn jackets with corduroy collars, so I decided to order some 11 wale corduroy in brown (to match my buttons) and give my jacket a similar vibe.

On to the sewing! Yes, the pattern is certainly ‘advanced’, but with the instructions and tutorial video for the bellow pocket and hidden placket, I wasn’t left scratching my head at any point. I did, however, make a couple of stupid mistakes during the construction which were both frustrating and time-consuming to fix! I had to remake my four pocket tabs because I got the button hole placement wrong (after I had unpicked the pocket flap I had sewn the first one under, of course), and then when I was about to cross the finish line, I sewed the collar in upside-down.

One mistake that I can’t take full credit for is the elbow patch positioning. Once I had attached the patches, completely finished making both sleeves (including the hems), and then inserted one of the sleeves, a quick try-on revealed that the patch wasn’t actually on my elbow. Obviously this was due to the sleeve now being 8cm shorter, but although the pattern explains how to redistribute the button placement after shortening the bodice, there was no reminder about repositioning the elbow patches. Fortunately, I hadn’t overlocked or top-stitched the sleeve I had inserted, and once it was removed I was able to undo the under-arm seams (preserving the cuffs) to get both sleeves flat enough to move the patches before reconstructing them. As you can imagine, this involved a lot of swearing!

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am with my finished jacket! It’s definitely the most advanced garment I have made, so the feeling of accomplishment is enormous. The fit is exactly what I wanted – relaxed and roomy enough to layer a thick jumper underneath, but not so over-sized that it swamps me. The fabric combination is very me, and I love the matching buttons and contrasting brown thread that I used for my button holes. I learned a lot during the project and despite my mistakes, looking back I do actually think I enjoyed the sewing process! Will I be making another Paynter? Probably not, but never say never!