Wednesday, February 13, 2013

ReSewlutions 2013 - Minoru

Oh no guyz! Karen is starting to pull people's names out of the Resewolution Jar, and I AM NOT READY to report on my progress. I only submitted one resolution (out of my list of seven), but it's the one that I have not made any progress on - finishing my blue jeans. But let me say in my defense, the walking foot I ordered to solve all my problems ... did not solve any of my problems. Until I make some progress on these, I'm going to live in fear of my name getting drawn out of the jar and having to explain myself to Karen and everyone else who decides to visit my blog.

SO NOW I'M GONNA DISTRACT YOU WITH MY OTHER SEWING ACCOMPLISHMENTS!!! Hey everybody, look over heeeeere......


Hey! It's me in a Minoru muslin. One of my resolutions for this year was to sew a Minoru, and I'm making progress. No, this is not the fabric I will be using for the real thing. These giant, abstract, pink and blue flowers just aren't for me, but the fabric was on clearance at Joann's, and the weight was right for coat muslin. So there ya go.



I've read so many good reviews of this pattern, and it was nice to find out everybody was right. I was dragging my feet to get started on this, but once I finally got going it went together really quickly. The instructions were very clear, all the pieces matched up perfectly, and the straight size 12 was almost a perfect fit.


I've read on other blogs that some people think the collar piece is too high. I spent some time wearing this around the house, and I decided the collar height is perfect if you want extra protection from the weather, but perhaps a little high if you're not as concerned about the weather and want people to be able to see your chin. I don't know why they need to see your chin... maybe you have a very nice chin. Anyway, I decided I would lower the collar in front a little, to allow for my chin vanity, but keep the height in back because I would hate to have cold drafts entering that way. Here's what my new collar pattern piece looks like:


I'll cut out that curve I drew along the top, and hopefully I'll end up with a collar that has a gentle slope downwards toward the front. Oh, and do you see how I've been a super responsible seamstress on this one? After working on my tailored jacket and learning a little patience, I decided it was worth it to trace off all the pattern pieces onto separate paper rather than cutting into the original. With a nice pattern like this it would be a shame to destroy the original with all my alterations. It took a lot of time, for sure, but I'm glad I did it.


Some bunching in back on the photo above, but I think this will be solved by the elastic waist. Also, it's just a tiny bit tight at the hips, which doesn't surprise me given the size chart for a size 12 (my hips are 44", the size 12 hips are 43 1/2"). I guess it's a minuscule difference, but I will add a little bit extra room in the hips on the final version. Tasia designed her coat for bike riding, and I want mine to have that same mobility.


I love the hood! Astute seamstresses might have noticed that I've sewn it on wrong. Since my final version will be in a somewhat bulky wool, I decided that it's best to avoid the little zippered stash pocket on the collar. Instead, I'm going to try to make a detachable hood using a separating zipper applied to the outside of the collar. I think this means I need to change the bottom edge of the hood a little, since in Tasia's version it gets sewn on at the base of the collar and in mine it will attach about midway up the collar. I haven't figured it out yet, but I'll show you when I do!

That's it! I'm off to cut out the fashion fabric!

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