My Minoru

Pattern: Sewaholic's Minoru Jacket
Fabric: waxed cotton with a cotton lining
Cost: $50


Yesterday I showed you my men's Minoru jacket. Today I'm back with my version! Look at us twinsies (he's going to hate me for this haha)!

Because I talked so much about the process of converting a women's pattern to a men's pattern in my last post, I wanted to share with you a little more today about the simple joy of this pattern made up as it should be - for a woman.


First off, despite the price, I have loved the patterns I've bought from independent designers because the garments are usually more innovative, take more care in the instructions and, as I have often found, are easier to sew. Despite what some reviewers have said, I (who rarely follow directions, but did so in this case because it's a 'muslin' for my man) followed everything and found the instructions easy enough to follow and the garment very easy to sew. The construction of everything from the sleeve to the collar kept things simple and easy to do.

I did change the length of the sleeve by eliminating the cuff. Pattern-maker Tasia has said she likes her sleeves long, and a lot of people have commented that they are VERY long, so I hemmed mine to fit just past my wrist and this is perfect for me.


As I noted in my post yesterday, despite my general pear-shapedness I am not as pear-shaped as the pattern calls for, so I took it in by a few INCHES on either side to improve the fit.

I do regret not putting in in-seam pockets, as I was definitely missing those when I was wearing it. I also learned making this up that the zipper opening for the hood is a little too narrow to accommodate the hood, so a slightly longer zipper is needed.


As for the fabric I was working with - waxed cotton canvas - it is thick, even for a coat pattern! I sewed narrower seam allowances to give myself some wearing ease, and had to make sure that it didn't get caught in the zipper. I'm glad I used a zipper with two zips in it, so I can open it up from the bottom as well as the top for more when I'm sitting down. I think this jacket will be great for the rain, but the thick fabric isn't quite comfy enough to wear out to a restaurant or a movie.

I probably would never have made this up if I weren't testing it out for him, but I think it is a great and necessary addition to my wardrobe, and I hope to get a lot of wear out of it!


You can read my review of this pattern at PatternReview.com.

6 comments:

  1. Both those jackets look so great! very professional. Looks like A LOT of work. I'm impressed you did two of them back to back! I'm tired just thinking about that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. again, both of you are adorable! and i think you'll get so much use out of this (even without pockets). i think the double open zip is a good idea, too. i don't think i've heard of anyone else using one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the comments! Dixie - the double zip was all the fabric store had, so I'm glad it worked out well. Interesting to hear that others had trouble with the wide neck, too! Never matters so much as when you're making something for someone else...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi there! So I'm a newish follower of yours and am super excited to see you've made this jacket. I've just purchased it for myself and am now reviewing the feedback on Pattern Review for some tips. A question for you:
    1) on your ladies version, did you shorten the amount of waist elastic to keep it less visible from the front? On your front view pic, I can't really see the elastic at all, and that seems much different than the pattern's front view diagram. I'd prefer a more cinched in look and am curious whether I'll need to alter the pattern.
    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Lacifer! Let's see... I tend to not follow pattern directions very well, so I'm trying to remember if I did so for the elastic or not. My feeling is that I did insert the elastic as per the instructions, but because my fabric is so darn heavy it's not as visible or cinched in from the front. I think others' versions with lighter fabric are probably more accurate. Looking at the Minoru line drawing, it seams like the elastic extends nearly all the way to the front zipper. Can't wait to see your version!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oops *seams = seems (freudian slip!)

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...