Sewaholic Minoru jacket done!

Sewaholic Minoru Jacket

You guys I finished my second jacket of the month…check me out….I am on fire!!! hahaha

This is my first attempt at the incredibly popular Minoru jacket. I say first because I made this straight out of the envelope and overall I am pretty pleased with the finished garment, but, well, if I make this again I would probably tweak it slightly and maybe make it in a more exciting fabric. Does it look a little dull to you? Navy and grey? Zzzzzz

Sewaholic Minoru jacket elephant lining

Kapow! I jazzed up the main body of the lining with a bright pink cotton lining with little grey elephants all over it.

Sewaholic Minoru jacket elephant lining

Sewaholic Minoru Jacket hood lining

Sewaholic Minoru Jacket zip and topstitching detail

Can we spend a minute talking about zips? Specifically, are the only zips worth buying YKK zips? Initially I ordered a metal toothed open ended zip from some random ebay supplier. Said zip came (superfast), but when I examined it, it just felt cheap and not very reliable. I did some more research. What I read was that YKK zips are probably the most reliable zips you can buy; they are least likely to need replacing. So I then ordered a pair of (YKK) heavy duty open ended zips from Jaycotts. I ordered a pair because I couldn’t get a matching closed ended zip so I cut the second zip down for the hood zipper. I went for grey because I thought it would break up the navy, and pick out the grey elephants. I think it gives the jacket a little more of a sporty feel.

Sewaholic Minoru Jacket

Sewaholic Minoru Jacket

Sewaholic Minoru Jacket

Sewaholic Minoru Jacket

BTW, the outer fabric is the same waterproofed poplin that I used for Vogue 8884. Here’s my review; it’s easier to just write everything in there rather than repeating myself.

Pattern Review

Pattern Description:

The Minoru Jacket is a zip-front weekend jacket with a secret hood hidden inside the wide collar! If you prefer, skip the hood and let the dramatic collar be the focus. Flattering raglan sleeves are comfortable and easy-to-sew, and the elastic waistline creates a slim, curve-hugging silhouette.

No need to choose between having a hood OR a cute collar. The hood is tucked away in the wide, roomy collar, ready for when you need it, but stays hidden when you don’t! The collar looks great done up or left open. The jacket is fully lined, with interior patch pockets to stash your cards and keys safely and out of sight.

Practical and pretty!
Pattern Sizing:

0 – 16

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?

Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Yes. There is also a great (very detailed) sewalong with some extras in it, like how to line the hood and how to machine the lining to the cuffs, rather than slipstitching.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

This really is a great pattern which sews up so well! I love the elastic in the waist which gives a more feminine silhouette. I love that it is such a practical pattern but you can customise it in so many different ways.

Things I dislike:

First off the printing on the pattern is waaaaaaaay too light. I mean, seriously, annoyingly light. Barely readable light. And there are others who have noticed the same thing. When you are paying a premium price for an independent pattern I think that’s a poor deal.

The window marked on the pattern piece is too big for the 18 inch zipper. Fortunately I read about this on another blog before I came to sewing this part (so it didn’t annoy me as such – just pointing it out) – and anyway, I had a longer length zipper which I cut to size (on account of having to order two open ended zippers to get matching ones for the jacket front and the collar/ hood opening).

There are no outer pockets on the jacket. Again, this wasn’t a big deal for me. I added in inseam pockets 1.5 inches below the waist elastic using this tutorial. But for a beginner this may be somewhat off putting.

Fabric Used:

Waterproofed poplin outer, printed cotton lining for main body of jacket, acetate (?) lining for sleeves and heavy duty open ended zips.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:

I lined the hood using the sewalong instructions.

I chose to bind the raw, unfinished edge of the hood/ collar (concealed inside the hood compartment).

I interfaced the collar (the instructions don’t tell you to do this).

I added inseam pockets 1.5 inches below the waist elastic.

I machine stitched the lining to the cuffs. This meant this jacket involved zero hand stitching – yeah! TBH I think Tasia’s instructions for this part of the sewalong are a little confusing (no offence Tasia if you read this), and I used Grainline’s tutorial on bagging a lining instead.

I omitted the internal pockets – I have no use for them.

One thing to watch out for; one of my plackets ended up being longer than the other and I had to go back and even them up (which meant unpicking some topstitching). Others on PR.com have commented on a similar experience.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

Yes, I might sew this again. It’s such a great pattern to have in the collection. Minor tweaks next time would be to possibly shorten length/ shorten sleeves and grade in at bottom of jacket. Yes, I highly recommend.

Conclusion:

Make this pattern if you want to invoke jealousy in others around you….be warned. 🙂

Sewaholic Minoru Jacket

Sewaholic Minoru Jacket