Sewaholic » Sew-Alongs

My Minoru Jacket: Pretty in Pink

Tasia — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Monday, everyone! We were lucky to have a sunny day last week, so I ran outside to take some photos of my finished Minoru Jacket. You already know all about the making of this jacket, from start to finish, so I won’t talk too much today and let the photos speak for themselves.

Speaking of Minoru Jackets, your finished jackets are fantastic! It’s wonderful to see all the creative variations on the pattern so far, and to discover new sewing blogs too!

If you’re visiting for the first time, we finished sewing this jacket together as a group, going through all of the sewing steps together and sharing all kinds of extra tips and tricks. Read more posts about the Minoru Sew-Along here!

On to the photos!

Front and back view, taken indoors on the dress form. It’s more obvious that this is a pink/peach jacket in the indoor photos. Outside, the jacket looks almost white! Whitish-pink, even.

Outside! What a gorgeous day. The mountains in the background are so beautiful! We appreciate the sunny days here, since it rains so often. (Or I do anyways, as I’m outside every day, feeling the effects of the weather on my bike!)

In the bright light, the colour looks almost white!

Showing off the inside pocket. (That’s the lens cap for the camera I’m playing with there.)

Back view. Still love the elastic at the waistline!

I’d prefer this jacket with darker skirts and pants, but I wanted to take photos right now while the weather was nice and the clothing I was wearing went reasonably well with the jacket. And as I type this, it’s pouring rain and grey outside, so I’m glad I had the chance to take outdoor shots!

What I Like:

The pattern, styling and fit
That I switched to a more interesting lining – the stripes are a nice touch!
The colour – I had my moments of doubt but it’s flattering and highly visible for cycling

What I’d Change:

Working with the stretch cotton (as opposed to a non-stretch) was fine, but it had tricky moments where the stretch would work against me, while topstitching across the fabric or when sewing the stretch to the non-stretch lining. It’s workable but I also find stretch fabric have a bit more stiffness than non-stretch fabrics, and I like a softer-feeling jacket. Something to think about for future versions!

Want to make your own Minoru Jacket? Visit the Pattern Store here!

Finished Sewing a Minoru Jacket? Let’s See It!

Tasia — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Have you finished your Minoru Jacket? Just like we did for the Lonsdale Sew-Along last summer, let’s round up all of your finished Minoru Jackets and share them with each other!

Post a link in the comments of this post so we can check out your finished project! You can link to your blog, your Flickr account, your Burdastyle project page – wherever we can see photos of your jacket project!

Here’s how to do it:

Scroll to the bottom of this post to where it says ‘Leave a Reply’
Fill in your name, email, and blog address (blog URL is optional!)
In the comment box, copy and paste a link to your blog post or photo. (It will automatically turn into a real link when the comment is published, no secret-code required!)
Just for fun, tell us a couple of things about your project: what do you like best about it? Have you worn it yet? Where did you go?

Kind of like this:

Hi! I’m Tasia, and my blog is http://sewaholic.net. Here’s a link to my finished jacket – http://sewaholic.net/introducing-the-next-pattern-the-minoru-jacket. I love the cotton lining, it was really easy to sew. I actually have not worn this jacket yet! I’ve been keeping it as a pattern sample, taking it around with me when I visit places and give presentations.

You don’t have to follow that format exactly, I thought I’d give you a suggestion if you’re wondering where to start. Though it was cute that everyone followed the same format on the Lonsdale round-up post!

Just a note: if there are lots of links in a comment, the comments go to the spam folder, so they might not show up right away! I’ll be sure to check the spam folder for comments that may have slipped in by mistake.

I’m so looking forward to seeing all of your jackets!

Minoru Sew-Along #18: Hemming, and Then We’re Done!

Tasia — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Thirty-five blog posts and several hundred comments later, we’re finishing up the Minoru Sew-Along! Today’s the last post of sewing instructions. We’ll follow with a series of posts showing off your finished jackets, and I’ll post some photos of my finished jacket too!

Today we’ll hem the jacket to finish it off. After the sewing is complete it’s a good idea to check for loose threads and trim them off, and give our garment a final press if the fabric requires. Then, hang it in your closet and wear it proudly!

Want to catch up on previous Sew-Along posts? Click the links below to read more:

Now, our jackets will naturally fold at the right spot for the hemline. We’ve sewn the placket along the bottom edge, and when we turned it, this started a fold that will also be the fold of the whole jacket hem.

Press the hem up, following the natural fold between the plackets, and checking to make sure it measures 2 5/8″ (7cm) as you press.

Press under the seam allowance on the raw edge of the hem, 5/8″ (1.5cm). My top finger is pointing to the hem fold line, my thumb is pointing to the turned-under raw edge.

Next, we’ll tuck the lining down into the hem fold.

Pin the hem in place.

Now, we’ll stitch the hem twice. I like to stitch the first row with the lining side up, so I can edgestitch close to the fold, and then stitch the second row with the jacket side up. If you’re using special topstitching thread in the top of your machine only, you’ll want to stitch from the right side of the jacket both times.

Then turn over the jacket, and stitch the second row from the right side. I’m using the edge of my presser foot as a guide, and stitching below the first row.

Stop when you reach the placket and backstitch.

We’re done! Hurrah! Oh wait, we’re not. We need to slipstitch the little opening on the inside of the placket. (True confession: I didn’t do mine yet. I was so excited to be done!)

See the little opening on the inside of the placket, about 10cm above the hem? Slipstitch that closed.

And then we’re done!

Hey, my scarf matches the jacket nicely! That worked out well. Off to take photos of the finished jacket!

This week, I’ll put up a ‘show us your Minoru!’ post and I’d love it if you would post a link to your finished jacket. Blogs, Burdastyle, Flickr, Pattern Review – wherever your jacket can be seen, let us know! On that post, not this one. It’s easier when all the comments are on the same post. This was fun, everyone!

Minoru Sew-Along #17: The Waistline

Tasia — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Today we’ll give our loose, baggy jackets a sleek, flattering silhouette! We’ll sew a casing for the elastic waistline, insert the elastic, and pull it tight until we’re happy with the fit. The jacket is nearly complete at this point, so it’s easy to fit the elastic and know how it will feel in the finished product.

This is one of the design elements that sets this jacket apart from other sporty weekend jackets – it’s fitted in the waist! I have a thing against saggy, sack-like jacket backs. If the jacket is too baggy without waist definition, then the jacket is pulled out by my widest part (the rear) and from the side, all of me looks as wide as my rear end! A wide rectangle. Not the ideal look for someone with big hips! We look smaller and curvier when we show off our waists.

When we sew in the waist elastic, you get to try on your jackets, adjust the elastic, and get the perfect fit. Start with the elastic guide measurements, as you can’t make it larger once the elastic is cut, but you can shorten it. It’s easy to cinch the elastic tighter, pin the elastic end in place, and try on the jacket again. Repeat until you’re happy with the look!

If you had trouble finding two-inch elastic, and are substituting narrower elastic, you’ll want to sew your casing smaller to fit your elastic. Same thing if you are using elastic that’s wider than 2″ – although I rarely see elastic that wide. Two-inch is usually the widest elastic available at the fabric store.

Want to catch up on previous Sew-Along posts? Click the links below to read more:

Let’s get started! Before we sew the casing, let’s make sure the layers are smooth. Lay down your jacket on the work table, and smooth down the lining. If the lining is pulled up when we sew the elastic casing, it will stay that way! We don’t want that. We want it to hang straight down from the neckline.

Bunched up – not good!

Smoothed out – much better.

To keep these layers in place while we sew the casing, let’s pin above and below the stitching lines, through all layers. This will keep everything in the right place when we take it to the machine.

Feel through both layers, to line up the sideseams, and continue pinning.

It’s easier to pin above the stitch line first, and then pin below.

Now when we stitch the casing, we’ll sew along the top and the bottom, making a long open tunnel. Again, I like to start with the top row. It gives me one more chance to smooth out the layers when I come back to sew the bottom row!

You can either sew over your thread-traced lines, or pull them out before you get to them. I remember it was a bit tricky to take out the basting stitches on previous jackets, so I’ll remove each big stitch just before I get to it. It feels like I’m ‘chasing’ the row of basting stitches with my machine!

Backstitch at both ends. Now when we go to sew the second row, if you think your first row might have deviated from the markings, why not measure and re-mark the second stitch line? It’s better to take the time now and be sure, rather than rip out your casing stitches on the right side of your jacket!

Sew the second row of stitching. Here’s what it will look like, from the inside! (I just noticed my iron in the back of this shot. No, I don’t iron on the sewing table! I’m short on space so when I’m not ironing, the board is put away and the iron sits behind the sewing machine.)

Cut a piece of elastic according to the elastic guide, and pin a big safety pin to one end. We’ll use the safety pin to help push the elastic through the tunnel. (Bonus if you have a gadget that helps with threading elastic! I’ve only used safety pins but I love those gadgets that help turn tiny loops. Whatever you use that helps you thread elastic through casings, use it now!)

Now, reach up between the layers of lining and jacket, and poke the safety-pinned end into one end of the elastic tunnel. Use the safety pin to inch the elastic through the casing, until it reaches the other side.

Secure the elastic at both ends with a pin or safety pin. A safety pin is better, if you have two available!

One point to note: if you pin the elastic end through the outside of your jacket, it’s easier to adjust as you try it on. However if your jacket fabric is coated or waterproof, or if pinning through it will damage it, then pin on the inside!

Try on the jacket, and adjust the elastic as needed. (This is where it’s easier if you’ve pinned the elastic on the outside, although either way you’ll need to reach up into the lining to pull the elastic.)

Look at the jacket from all angles – does it look good from the side, back and front? Pull it tighter for a snugger fit and try it on again.

When you’re satisfied with the waistline, sew straight across the ends of the elastic, from top stitching line to bottom stitching line, to secure the elastic.

If there is a lot of extra elastic, trim it off. (I didn’t have as much extra as it looks like in the photo below, I didn’t trim my piece to match the elastic guide before inserting it into the casing.)

And that’s it! Our elastic waistline is done. Just one more post tomorrow, on hemming, and our jackets will be complete!

Minoru Sew-Along #16: Stitching in the Ditch

Tasia — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Today we’ll do a quick sewing step: stitch in the ditch of our collar and neckline seam. I remember mentioning stitch-in-the-ditch a while back and it was a new term to many of you! Have you heard the term ‘stitch in the ditch’ before? It’s not that common in sewing patterns, which tend to favor hand-stitching instead.

If you wanted, you could hand-stitch the seam allowances together, rather than stitch in the ditch. Or, you could edgestitch along the collar seam, catching through both layers, instead of stitching in the ditch. It depends on your fabric – thread will ‘sink’ into thicker fabrics but be visible on thinner fabrics.

Want to catch up on previous Sew-Along posts? Click the links below to read more:

A good place to start is to explain why we’re doing this step. I like to know why we do certain things, it helps me to understand their importance! And it also helps me think of alternatives and different approaches to solve the problem. Often with sewing, there are multiple ways to achieve the same result! There isn’t always one single correct way.

So why do we need to stitch in the ditch?

To keep the hood out of our lining. If we leave this neck seam open, our hood can fall down in between our jacket back and lining. It’ll be harder to reach for in a rainstorm that way!

To support the collar. By stitching the collars together at the neck seam, it keeps them aligned and stops the inner collar from rolling to the inside.

To hide the insides of our jackets. If we don’t stitch this seam closed, we’ll be able to peek all the way down our jackets from the zipper opening.

To support the hanging loop. Without the ‘stitch in the ditch’ we would be hanging up the jacket by the loop, but pulling the lining out of the jacket in the process. This way, when we hang the jacket, both layers are hanging together.

Have you ever had a jacket that needs ‘rearranging’ of the inner and outer layers because they’re not sewn together well? Or that comes completely separated in the wash? This will help our jackets hold their shape.

Now that we’ve covered the why, the actual sewing is very straightforward. Line up the neckline seams of your jacket, feeling through both layers so they’re aligned.

See where the pin is? That’s the ‘ditch’ we’ll be sewing in. Pin all along the neckline seam, feeling underneath to make sure the under collar is lined up.

When we go to sew in the ditch, you’ll want to sew as close to the fold as possible, without jumping over the fold onto the collar piece. Poke the needle into the ditch before lowering the presser foot, to be sure it’s lined up correctly.

Stitch in the ditch, stopping when you reach the placket on the other side. You can see in the photo below what the ditch-stitching looks like. My thread matches well, so it’s hard to see, but you can just barely see the line of stitches in the ditch. (Note: if you’re using contrast topstitching everywhere, this is one place where you’ll want to match the thread to the fabric.)

Here’s our collar so far. It looks pretty good – and most importantly, it will sit nicely around our necks, staying in place and not falling down inside the jacket.

Just a few more steps left, and our jackets will be finished! Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Minoru Sew-Along #15: An Alternative to Slipstitching Cuffs

Tasia — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Yesterday, we sewed the lining into our jackets. Today we’ll finish it up by sewing the lining to the cuffs. The pattern instructions call for slipstitching, but we can even do that part by machine with a little trick. I’ll show you how to sew the lining into our jacket cuffs completely by machine!

If you skipped ahead and slipstitched your cuffs, you can still use this technique on other lined jackets. So there’s still something to learn potentially. Unless you’re already familiar with this method. (Sometimes I forget which methods are commonly use and which are methods I learned in school and have used ever since.)

Want to catch up on previous Sew-Along posts? Click the links below to read more:

In the sewing instructions, it asks you to slipstitch the cuffs to the lining. And we could do that, but I have another way! We can finish the cuffs by machine instead. Here’s how!

First, poke the sleeve lining into the jacket sleeve. I’ve pulled my lining out, to show you that it’s been inserted into the jacket sleeve. You’ll want to reach in and pull yours out a little too, to get ready for the next step. Make sure your lining is hanging straight, not twisted inside the jacket.

Now, we’ll find our sleeve seam, and turn under the seam allowance. Our seam allowance is 5/8″ or 1.5cm on the hem of the sleeve. No need to press, we’ll just hold it in our hands for now. We’ll be pinning it down shortly!

Now, we’ll pin that folded edge of the lining on the jacket cuff, lining up the lining seam with the cuff seam.

This pinning part is the most important step. It’s what allows us to sew the cuffs in this way! I remember in school, we’d think we could line up our sleeve and sleeve lining without the pinning part, and often end up with a long joined sleeve that was impossible to turn right-side-out. Trust me, it happens! If we’ve done the pinning right, the rest is fairly straightforward.

Reach up through the open hem of the jacket, and pull the pinned cuffs out. This is a really weird-looking photo, but it’s what yours will look like too if you try it!

Now, we’ll repin the lining to the cuff, and get ready to sew it in place. We have it pinned like this:

Remove the pin, and re-align the lining edge with the cuff seam allowance without shifting the lining from its original position. You just want to get rid of that fold, while keeping the seams aligned.

Pin all around the cuff and lining.

I’ll admit, this next part is the most difficult. Especially if your cuffs are narrow. If you can get through this last step, we’re done!

Sew the cuff lining to the cuff seam. (None of the photos I took while actually sewing turned out, or rather, you couldn’t figure out what was happening. So I settled for an after-photo!)

Here’s what it looks like, before turning…

and here it is, after turning right side out!

Repeat for the second cuff.

If this method is too hard to follow, or it’s just too tight to stitch around the cuff on your particular sewing machine, you can follow the original directions and slipstitch. I wanted to show you a new method as an alternative to slipstitching, and also introduce a cuff finishing method that might be new to you! Is it faster? Perhaps. Is it more secure and stronger? I think so.

Have you seen this machine-stitched cuff method before? Which method are you going to use on your coat?

Minoru Sew-Along #14: Putting it All Together!

Tasia — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Hello, sew-alongers! Thanks for your patience while waiting for these final sew-along posts. Hopefully many of you had a chance to catch up to this point! Today, we’ll start sewing our lining into the jackets, putting the whole thing together. There’s a lot to cover in this step, so stay with me as we go through it all. We’ll be sewing the lining into the jackets completely by machine, so it’s not particularly difficult, just time-consuming.

There’s one step – sewing the lining to the cuffs – that calls for slipstitching, but we can even do that part by machine with a little trick.

Want to catch up on previous Sew-Along posts? Click the links below to read more:

Let’s get started! First, lay your partially-constructed jacket on your sewing table, right side up. Now lay the constructed lining on top of the jacket, right side down, and start pinning!

Pin all along the top edge of the collar. I found that the easiest place to start. Then, pin down the plackets, and pin across the bottom edge of the placket.

Sew across the bottom edge of the plackets, taking a normal seam allowance (5/8″ or 1.5cm).

Now, when we get to the corner, we’ll pivot up and sew along the zipper edge. It’s easier if we switch our sewing machine to a zipper foot. You may prefer to sew the lining to the jacket in stages, rather than switch back and forth between sewing machine feet. (I switched, but it was a little bit annoying to do..)

Take one or two stitches diagonally, before turning the corner. This will make it easier to form the corner with less bulk.

Move the slider out of the way as you sew, pulling it up as you go. When you run out of room to pull it upwards, move it back down below where you’re stitching to keep it out of the way.

When we sew along the zipper edge, we’ll be taking a 1 cm seam allowance (3/8″) to keep our stitching a nice distance away from the zipper teeth. One word of caution – don’t get too close to the zipper teeth. You need a bit of space to allow for the slider to move up and down!

As we approach the top edge of the collar, we’ll pivot and sew across the top of the collar, going back to a 5/8″ (1.5cm) seam allowance. If you’re doing this in one step, like me, you may want to switch back to your regular machine foot.

And we’ll go down the other side of the zipper and across the bottom edge just like the previous side! It’s way easier to stitch across and off the edge, and start again with the zipper foot. I did the first side by pivoting, the other side by stopping and re-starting.

Trim across the corners diagonally, and trim the seam allowances.

Turn the jacket right side out. Our work-in-progress is looking more and more like a real jacket!

I put it on the dressform to show you what it’s looking like so far. You can see the outer edges are puffy and could do with a good press! I’m going to lightly press around the top edge of the collar and along the plackets, without ironing on top of the zipper teeth.

Our next step is to topstitch around the collar and along the zipper edge. Remember to use the same kind of topstitching you decided on back in this first topstitching post, for a consistent look.

One important point is to check underneath and make sure your inner placket isn’t getting caught in the topstitching. Push it to the left and out of the way.

I topstitched straight up from the hem along the zipper, pivoting at the collar to stitch across the top edge, and pivoting again to topstitch the other side of the zipper.

The last thing we’ll do to secure the lining is stitch our sleeve lining to the cuff. I’m going to put that in a separate post, because I’d like to show you an alternative way of sewing the lining to the cuff. If you are dying to skip ahead, and want to slipstitch your cuffs like the instructions direct, here is a post on slipstitching.

We’re nearly done! I’m looking forward to finishing this jacket – especially so it will stop leaving little pink threads all over the place! And also so I can start posting some of the gorgeous Minoru Jackets you’ve sewn. There are some incredibly creative adaptations of the pattern out there! I love how everyone is taking the pattern and making it their own. (Want to pick up the Minoru Pattern and make it your own, too? Visit the shop here!)

Minoru Sew-Along #13: Sewing The Lining

Tasia — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Let’s sew the lining for our jackets today! This is going to seem very familiar, as we’ll construct the lining just like we did the jacket, minus the topstitching and hood zipper. So it’s going to be pretty easy to sew it all up! After this step is done, we’ll be very close to finishing our coats. All we will need to do is join the lining to the jacket, create our elastic waistline, and sew up the hem!

Some thoughts on lining

Thread: You may want to change your thread colour to match the colour of your lining. For my jacket, the lining is white, and the main jacket is peachy pink, so that’s close enough in my books especially as I am aiming to get posts up quickly. If I were using a very different colour for my lining, I’d change the thread to match. Although, if you’re low on thread, you may want to save your main thread for the jacket, and use something different for the lining. I’m curious – how many people change their thread colour to sew their lining, every time?

Needles: You might want to change your needle for sewing the lining – especially if it’s been a while since you used a fresh needle! A dull needle can cause snags and pulls. You may have seen a vertical snag line appear across your fabric while sewing a lining seam – using a dull needle or an unsuitable needle can cause that! (My lining fabric is fairly thick compared to say, a rayon lining, so I didn’t change my needle.)

Ironing: Remember to adjust the heat setting on your iron for the lining fabric, if necessary. It’s easy to forget if you’re sewing both the main fabric and the lining and use the same temperature for everything. Careful – too hot of an iron can melt, scorch, or leave an iron-shaped imprint on your lining fabric!

Want to catch up on previous Sew-Along posts? Click the links below to read more:

Let’s start with sewing the sleeves to the back, then the fronts to the sleeves. (Forgot already what it was like doing it on the jacket fabric? Check out this post here for more details.)

After sewing these seams, if you’re concerned about your lining fraying along the seamlines, serging the edges will help prevent that. Or, stitch 1/4″ (6mm) away from the first row of stitching, and trim the seam allowances.

Next, we’ll sew the gathering stitches between the markings. (And remember, don’t pull the gathers yet! We’ll get to pull them very soon.)

Then we’ll sew the collar to the jacket lining, pulling up the gathers to fit. (I told you we would get to pull the gathering threads soon!)

If you’ve already sewn the jacket collar and were hoping for more stiffness, why not interface this collar piece? This is the collar piece that will show if you fold down the collar, but sits on the inside of the collar when it’s standing.

Topstitch the collar seam, with the seam allowances pressed upwards.

Sew the underarm seam and sideseam.

Sew the remaining two plackets to the lining front, leaving open about 4″ (10cm) from the bottom.

And topstitch this placket seam, from the very top to where you stopped stitching, 4″ from the bottom.

And that’s it for today. We have a lining!

In the next sewing step, we’ll start attaching the lining to our jackets. If you’re dying to see how it all goes together, you can slip the lining inside your jacket shell and try the whole thing on. (Not recommended if your lining is very delicate or likely to fray! In that case, it’s best to wait and not risk damaging the lining.)

If you’ve been saving all your sew-along sewing until this weekend, there’s plenty to catch up on here, so take your time and have fun with it! Happy sewing and have a good one!

Minoru Sew-Along #12: A Useful Hanging Loop

Tasia — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Today, we’ll sew a useful little hanging loop into our jacket lining. This jacket feature was suggested by Rachel of My Messings during pattern testing and I loved the idea! Especially if you’re coming in from the rain, it’s so handy to be able to hang up the wet jacket by a loop and let it dry. Or if your office or entrance doesn’t have hangers, only a coat rack, this hanging loop makes it easy! It’s the kind of design detail you don’t often see in sewing patterns, but it adds a nice touch to the finished garment.

On a different note, I loved reading the comments to yesterday’s post – Does Your Sewing Project List Spiral Out of Control? – and I might put together a recap post of some of the ways we manage our sewing projects. I liked this response from Lillie Bender – “I just don’t make a list; because as soon as I do it all becomes a “Job”, and I’ve made a conscious decision to sew only because I love it.” It’s so true! When sewing starts to feel like a chore, it takes the joy out of it for me. Many of you feel the disconnect between what you have time to sew (one garment a month perhaps) and how many projects are on your sewing wishlist (hundreds, and they just keep on coming!) We’re sewing overachievers! Kristine‘s comment put a positive spin on the ever-growing sewing list – ” I will definitely live long as I have so many dreams and goals. :) And also from positive side, I know I support many local craft shops and do not harm anybody while having myself a lot of fun!” Fascinating comments and well worth a read-through if you haven’t had a chance yet.

Back to the Minoru Sew-Along! Today we’ll make and attach the hanging loop. And yes, today you have to have the lining cut out! (I sewed and photographed the first part of this post, and only then did I finish cutting out the lining so I could finish it up.)

Want to catch up on previous Sew-Along posts? Click the links below to read more:

The loop is easy to make! In fact, you could use this loop pattern piece again to add a loop on any lined coat pattern. Simply construct the loop, like we’re about to do, and then centre it at the back of the lining.

Constructing the loop is simple. First, press under the long edges, using the notches as a guide. If you clip the notches, it’s really easy to press the loop!

I am trying to hide my chipping nail polish in these photos (when choosing between sewing or painting my nails, you can tell which one always wins) but this last one shows off the damage!

Fold the loop in half again, and press.

Edgestitch the loop along the open side.

On your loop, you can get creative and try different stitching options, if you want! Keep in mind that the more stitching you add, the stiffer your loop will become. That’s something I didn’t really consider when I added a couple of extra rows of stitching on mine!

If you like the look of mine, it was easy! I edgestitched down the open side first, then down the fold. Then I aimed a third row of stitching in the middle of the two rows. It turned out pretty cool although it is a little stiff. A softer fabric would be better and I would definitely not suggest adding extra stitching if you’re using a thick fabric like corduroy or tweed!

Now, we’ll baste the loop in place on our back lining piece. Centre the loop over the back notch, lining up the raw edges of the loop with the top edge of the lining.

Pin the loop in place, and baste across the top edge.

And the loop is done! We’ll sew the collar to the lining shortly and that will secure the lining in a strong seam.

Loop ideas:

Skip the fabric loop, and use ribbon or cording! Some ribbons won’t be as strong, so look for something durable.
Use a decorative stitch on the loop.
Embroider your name on the loop – either by machine or by hand! You might want to do the embroidery first through a single layer, and then fold up the loop piece.
Use a contrast fabric for the loop to make it easy to find! It’s a fun way to add colour to a neutral jacket. I like the idea of a bright turquoise loop inside a dark brown wool coat. Only you (and the person hanging up your jacket) know it’s there!

Minoru Sew-Along #11: Little Hidden Pockets

Tasia — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Pockets today! I love these pockets. They’re inside, safe from the rain, and with the velcro closure, nothing’s going to fall out!

Today we’ll sew on the interior patch pockets on our lining. If you’ve been running behind like me, and still haven’t cut your lining fabric yet, today’s the day! You’ll need to have your two front lining pieces cut out at the very least, so we can sew on the patch pockets.

Want to catch up on previous Sew-Along posts? Click the links below to read more:

First, we’ll start with constructing the patch pocket. Take the pocket piece, and if you haven’t yet, snip the notch on either side of the fold line. This little clip mark will make it easy to hem the top edge of the pocket.

Now press under the top edge of the pocket, using the notches as a guide. Turn the raw edge of the pocket inwards to completely meet the fold. You’ll see the difference in the photos below – the left pocket only has the hem pressed once, the right pocket has the raw edge turned in and pressed.

Next, we’ll press under the lower and left edges of one pocket. And then we’ll press under the lower and right edges of the other. We want to make pockets that are mirror images of each other, not identical to each other.

And now, a trick! This isn’t shown in the pattern instructions but I have a special way of making the top corner of your pocket look nice. Feel free to skip this step and follow the instruction sheet if you prefer, but this is a handy sewing technique to know!

Fold back the top hem along the fold line. Sew along the seamline from the fold line to the bottom fold of the hem, backstitching at both ends.

Trim the corner diagonally, trimming the inside seam allowance down to 1/4″ (6mm),

and turn the corner right side out.

It’s so nice! That’s the end of my trick. You can use this pocket-hemming technique to tidy up the corners of any square or rectangle shaped pocket. Now when we go to stitch the pocket hem, the corners are nice and square.

I stitched mine with the wrong side up, so I could keep the edgestitch along the edge. If you’re using special topstitching thread on the top, you’ll need to sew yours with the right side up.

For the velcro closure, the pattern calls for a small, 1″ piece of velcro. If you wanted to have more security on your pockets, why not make the velcro cover the entire pocket opening? In that case, measure off the top edge of the pocket, subtracting 5/8″ (1.5cm) on each side for the seam allowances. Cut a piece of velcro that length instead of the small piece and your pocket opening will be completely closed.

Or, use a snap closure! Or a button and buttonhole – make the buttonhole on the pocket piece, and sew a button to the lining side in place of the velcro. It’s totally up to you!

And if you aren’t concerned about losing the contents of your pockets, skip the fastener altogether! One of my first Minoru samples doesn’t have any closures on the pockets – although, I don’t put precious things in them because of it.

I’m following the pattern instructions for mine. Once you’ve cut the velcro, position the hook side on the pocket piece, according to the marking. The marking basically helps you centre the velcro between the seam allowances, so if you change the length of your velcro, simply re-centre the velcro based on where the original marking is.

Pinning through velcro is hard! I’d suggest taking the pins out right away when you go to sew on the velcro. They’ll be annoying, create lumps in our pocket edges and make it very likely we’ll snag our fingers on the pins. (I certainly did! It’s no fun to be slowed down in our sewing by a pricked finger.)

I stitched my velcro in the box-and-cross shape shown on the pattern piece. That’s what we called it when I worked in golf apparel – ‘box and cross.’ You’ll see it at the end of golf shirt plackets all the time, a box with an ‘X’ sewn from corner to corner.

You can follow this stitching pattern if you’d like, or simply sew a box around the edges. Or sew a box and then sew several lines through the velcro to make it extra-secure. It’s up to you!

Take the other half of the velcro (the softer loop side) and pin it to the lining at the marking. Sew it in place. You can see the box-and-cross I’m sewing in the photo below. First I sew the box, then pivot inwards to sew from corner to corner, up one short side, and down to the other corner.

Now it’s easy to position our pockets on the lining – simply line up the velcro pieces and press!

The velcro helps keep the pocket in place, but a few pins won’t hurt! I pinned around the pocket, and then edgestitched the lower and left edges. (Funny how I ended up demonstrating on the opposite side of what’s pictured in the sewing instructions! If you’re confused, I’m making the left side, but the pattern instructions are illustrated for the right side.)

I also basted along the raw edge of the pocket to keep it in place. You don’t have to, but I decided it was a good idea this time around!

And that’s it! Ah yes, don’t forget to repeat for the other side of the jacket. And cut out the rest of your lining pieces, we’ll need them for the next sewing step.

Have a great weekend everyone! If you’re catching up on the sewalong this weekend, or sewing anything at all, have fun and happy sewing!