Houndstooth-Adjacent Butterick Lisette 6244

This is a project I’ve been itching to make ever since I bought the pattern (Butterick Lisette 6244)!

Mmmm… that’s one yummy pattern!

As soon as my budgeting freeze was lifted, I was on the hunt for fabric to make this blanket coat. Houndstooth was not my first idea. I was envisioning dove gray wool, but couldn’t source any locally. Actually, nearly all local and far-flung wool was a bit too pricey for me. I spent (literally) hours online sorting through options so I wouldn’t make a reckless in-store decision. I found some dove gray no-pill fleece that I thought would achieve the same effect, but I didn’t like how it looked in person. (See? This is why I still prefer to shop in-person when I can! Get off my lawn!)

I ended up at Joann’s, where I haven’t shopped for fabric in years, and stumbled on the houndstooth. It caught my eye immediately, and there was just enough left on the bolt and it was on clearance to boot. Score!

Hey there, random door in Carmel!

I’m not even sure what the fiber content is, but it’s a loose woven that’s just itching to, you know, come unwoven.

All of the reviews of this pattern are glowing, and read basically like,”It’s so easy! I mean, NO, it’s like REALLY REALLY easy!” So of course, it turned out to be challenging for me. Like, tearful, tearing-hair-out, questioning-my-will-to-live challenging.

Whatever, I did it. I made a bunch of errors, which is a minor accomplishment considering how few pattern pieces and steps there actually are, and I considered quitting sewing as a hobby entirely about halfway through. But I did it, in one hellish slog of a day.

It might have been my fabric or it might just be me, but I struggled with the shawl collar. And there was no way I was going to flat-fell that seam in this thick, fraying fabric. I just bound the neck seam with bias binding (In uber-glam beige, no less…) and moved on.

I’m not going to do my usual thing and catalog and dissect every issue and error. It’s not important. I struggled and WTF’d at every damn step, but I love the end product.

I will emphasize, to anyone else who sews this, that careful marking of the dart is crucial. I did my normal “pretty close” pin marking, and had one side that was a real bear to construct. On other side, I went back, laid the tissue back on and re-marked everything before starting, and it helped a lot.

So, my houndstooth jacket, you’re a bit of a failure in craftsmanship, but you’re a triumph of the will. You’re the thrill of victory *and* the agony of defeat. You, my friend, are the champion.