Sunday, May 27, 2018

Pink Minoru - done!

There's nothing like a little peer pressure to get me sewing efficiently. I'm off to Pattern Review weekend next week and I decided to make this jacket. It might rain...

Crazy quilting cotton pockets
I like the finished product but there are some strange things about this pattern.

Can we start with the serious problem that it had no pockets? Well, it had 2 inner patch pockets, but that simply won't do. I drafted slant pockets with a zipper closure.

I did not realize until I was making the sleeves how weird they are. The cut of the actual sleeve is gorilla length but spider width. I exaggerate. I do have short arms but I took at least 6cm of length out, between shortening the piece, whacking some off at the end during construction, and using narrower elastic at the cuff.

But the real weirdness is the cuff. I have never seen a coat with elasticated cuffs that are actually wider than the sleeve hem itself. Huh? I guess they look ok but a wider sleeve gathered into a cuff looks better to me than a wider cuff gathered into the sleeve.

Zipper shield
More minor adjustments were to line the hood and to insert a zipper shield because who wants rain coming in a straight line right down their front?

I made only one of the inner patch pockets, and sewed it slightly higher than designed (to be clear of the waist elastic).

I used a longer length of elastic at the waist to make it less tight.


The outer collar is a retro-reflective fabric. Nobody will miss me in this bright jacket, day or night!

I think it's pretty. 

15 comments:

  1. Gorgeous colour! (You'll never get lost in a crowd!)
    I had the same issues with this pattern. Tried it again, widening the sleeves and refashioning the sleeve hems completely. Still not really thrilled with the design.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really like your version of this jacket, particularly colour and front pockets. I haven't seen many jackets with fold-away hoods, my preference as I rarely wear the hood but it's nice to have if it rains unexpectedly and I'm out without my umbrella and hat. You don't say how adding the lining to the hood affected ease and fit of folding it into its pocket. Regardless, the pear draft of this pattern means it is not for me. Grading from 14 bust to 10 waist to 4 hips is too extreme. I'd like to hack a pattern to add the hidden hood though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The lined hood is a bit more bulky but easy to stow inside the collar.

      Delete
  3. Oooooh, I love this! I love, love, love that color!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are amazingly tale tes. This is a super jack et. Woaw!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful! What fabric did you use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a coated nylon of unknown specification. I got it at a Fabric Flea Market.

      Delete
  6. Great coat and beautiful construction! Thanks for pointing out the odd details about the pattern, I'll keep that in mind if I ever sew that coat!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great job, custom and so professionally sewn.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This really is an excellent pattern and you have an excellent jacket! It looks amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's perfect for a rain jacket. Good to know about the issues with the pattern. No outside pockets? Hmm.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You did a beautiful job. Smashing. The colour is beautiful. And it suits you. Where did you get the reflective fabric?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fabricland remnant, many, many years ago.

      Delete
  11. So pretty, and so visible! I like your mods. Incidentally the Minoru sleeves and cuff worked great for me. The extra length was good for biking, and the extra width in the cuff seemed to allow my hands more freedom of movement. I do have long arms though, and usually have to lengthen sleeves by 3cm or so.

    ReplyDelete