Here’s my Minoru!

It’s finally finished! And I am so pleased with the results. I have never *ever* worked on such an ambitious project, and I feel so happy I stuck with it and got it done. Thank you, Tasia, for such an awesome pattern and sewalong!

Materials: red wool crepe; lining: print quilting cotton, both from www.fabric.com I got the notions through Amazon, if you can believe it. It was great, I did not have to go anywhere!

Adjustments: The only adjustment I did on it was shorten the sleeves. Oh, and I did not add Velcro to the pockets.

Notes about the fabric: It was great to sew with these two fabrics. They are both very forgiving when it comes to using your seam-ripper. The wool does not press well, but I was okay with that. Such a lovely color! It is the perfect fall/spring weight.

Difficulties: Stitching in the ditch and the final hem were the hardest for me. They look a bit wonky, but not too bad considering… I was scared to sew in the zippers, but everything turned out great. Tasia’s instructions on the pattern are absolutely fabulous.

Techniques learned: I am not rembering the proper names for these right now, but I learned so many things! The most important lesson was to take my time preparing to sew– it is so worth it in the end! I also learned neat techniques for attaching lining, new ways of transferring pattern markings, the meaning of stitching in the ditch, a review of slipstitching, among others. It was great!

Favorite features: I love everything about this jacket but, especially, the raglan sleeves with gathers, and the cinched waist. Gorgeous! My four-year-old asked me if she could get this jacket when she grows up 😉

Thanks again, Tasia, for such a fun sewalong!

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More Minoru goodness

Here’s the latest update. We only have a few steps left!

Tasia shared an awesome technique for finishing the cuffs by sewing machine. It works! My finished cuff:

I can’t wait to wear this. It’s a gorgeous pattern. Time to start thinking about fabric for the next one 😉

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Minoru update

It’s coming along! I worked on the lining on Saturday evening and could not resist slipping it in to see what the whole thing looked like. Fabulous! I *love* this pattern; it’s full of so many feminine details and has been great fun to put together.

I am pretty in love with my fabric choices. The jacket is red wool crepe and the lining is a quilting cotton, both from fabric.com. I have never worked on such an ambitious project, but I think it’s coming along rather nicely 🙂

At this stage, the biggest lesson I have learned from the process could not be more simple: Take the time early on to prepare to sew. I did not transfer any of the pattern markings before, have not been too careful marking notches, etc. and now I really see why it’s worth taking the time to do all that. It makes the process go so much more smoothly at a time when you don’t want to stop sewing to take care of all those little details! (or when you have already put your pattern away!)

What sewing lessons have you learned the hard way?

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Minoru Sew-Along

Amidst the chaos of getting our new house organized and moving boxes unpacked, I have had the most fun sewing my Minoru Jacket along with the wonderful Tasia from Sewaholic . I love this sew-along! I feel like I am learning so very much through the whole process. Thank you, Tasia!

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