Sunday, March 18, 2012

Sewaholic Minoru

Ta da! My Minoru is finally finished, a good two months after I started making it. To be fair, I had to put it on hold while I finished up MaMotts' quilt and my Black History Month outfit, so I only just got back to working on it.

Sewaholic Minoru

This is the second jacket I have made so far and I'm just as pleased with this one as I was with my Amy Butler Runabout Jacket. I feel like the Minoru was easier to make than the Runabout, but maybe it's just that I have another year of sewing under my belt and I wasn't as nervous that I would mess something up. Actually, the Runabout was the first wearable garment that I ever made! It's funny how much can happen in a year.

I used cotton twill for the outside, quilting cotton for the lining, and a slippery lining fabric for the sleeve lining. I am so pleased with the fit. I cut out a size 6 and I didn't have to make any adjustments to the pattern except for move the elastic up about a half inch so it hit at my natural waist. Oh, and I added pockets using the tutorial on Sew Well. The pockets don't stick out like this normally, I just opened it up a bit so you could see the pretty lining!

Sewaholic Minoru

This project involved a couple of techniques that I have never done before. It is my first garment made with raglan sleeves and my first garment that needed a casing for an elastic band (I'm counting this as a different technique than the elastic waistband that I made on my first try for a Black History Month outfit).

One bonus that I noticed today is that the sleeves are long enough that they still cover my entire arm plus the bottom of my hands while driving. A lot of my jackets ride up my wrists while driving, so it was nice that the cuffs on my Minoru pretty much stayed in place.

Sewaholic Minoru

I also really like the effect of the elastic band around the waist. It really makes the jacket super flattering.

Sewaholic Minoru Sewaholic Minoru

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't line the hood because I think the lining fabric would really make it pop. I decided early on not to line the hood because I thought it would be too thick while tucked inside the collar. I'm pretty sure I am right that it would have been too thick, so that makes me feel better about it.

  Sewaholic Minoru 

I love how you can see the faintest hint of the lining near the zipper on the collar.

Sewaholic MinoruSewaholic Minoru

And of course I love the pop of color on the inside of the jacket. Plus, hidden pockets!

Sewaholic Minoru

Next up is Simplicity 2215, a Cynthia Rowley design. I'll be making view C, the skirt. So far, the muslin is going together quickly, so hopefully this will be a quick project. I need a quick one after my last few larger undertakings. I really like the dress for this pattern too, so if the skirt sews up super quickly, maybe the dress view is in order too!

22 comments:

  1. Oh this looks so so good. I'm still intimidated to make it but everyone seems to say how easy it is to sew. I just need to bite the bullet and make it.

    Grey is a great neutral color. The lining really compliments it.

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    1. Do it! It really wasn't that hard to put together as long as you go slowly and follow each step. Plus the sew along posts illustrate all of the steps nicely. You can do it!

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  2. You have done a beautiful job on your jacket, it looks very professional. You will get so much wear out of it :)

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    1. Thanks, Nat! I made it to replace my fall jacket, but I just may need to break it out for the spring!

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  3. Oh! That Cynthia Rowley is on my spring sewing list! I was thinking of making it with lobster printed fabric. But maybe it might be a bit much :)

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    1. Nice! I love the lobster fabric idea. I started the muslin of the skirt last night and it went together really quickly!

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    2. Ugh, bad news on the CR 2215 front. There is no way I can wear a skirt with pleats that hit right at the hips. I should have learned my lesson from the Sewaholic Crescent skirt! I think I might make a Pendrell this week instead.

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  4. This totally looks like something you could buy in a store! Awesome job!

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    1. Haha thanks Kym! I can see the tiny mistakes, but I'm glad they're not so obvious to others!

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  5. I love the outer color - I really wanted a grey, but couldn't find any fabric that was just right. It looks great!

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    1. Thanks, Christina! I actually found the fabric on fabric.com. It's the perfect thickness and I don't think it will show wear easily.

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  6. I really like this in the grey and bright floral lining. Your hood looks to fit well too! So many had trouble with a gigantic hood. Love your version :-)

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    1. Thanks, Mary! I hadn't realized that people were having issues with the hood. My hair can get somewhat unruly so I was happy with the space, but I agree that it's not too big.

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  7. Very nice! I'm impressed that you were able to find zippers that match perfectly!

    How does the collar lay if you have the hood tucked in, but the front isn't zipped up all the way?

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    1. Thanks! You can fold the collar over so it doesn't stand straight up. It doesn't lay completely flat, but it will stay down.

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  8. Wow, this is so cute! I really like the light gray color with the pretty lining-- great choice! This looks SO professional!

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  9. I wish I could magically shrink myself so I could start stealing your creations...

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  10. I know this is way after the fact that you made this jacket, but I was just wondering how the twill worked out? Does it wrinkle? I would love to make one with a similar fabric, but in my experience twill always looks wrinkled so I wanted to see your take on it :)

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    1. It actually worked out great, hardly any wrinkling. The twill I got from Fabric.com is organic, (https://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=7174a4cb-656f-488b-bda7-75f25ca67867), so I wonder if that has anything to do with it not creasing as much. It's soft but still has a nice weight to it for the Fall. It was very easy to work with too. Good luck!

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