3.19.2015

oh snap!

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Hey Guys! So... do you ever have those projects that once you finish it's like you've unclogged the pipes? All of a sudden everything starts flowing again, you just had to push through that one last barrier? And, no, I'm not talking about my digestive track (or maybe I am??) I'm talking about sewing, and sewjo (or a lack thereof) and feeling stuck, and getting going again. I think we've all been there.

Well. This jacket was that project for me.

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Meet my new, much needed, rain jacket. This project was born out of desperate desperate need. And I fought it every step of the way. It's no news that I live in Texas and that, while we do get a stretch of legitimately cold weather we like to call "winter" the majority of the months that make up a North American winter are spent in that weird, not-quite-cold-not-quite-warm, drizzly, damp, miserable, in-between state. There are days that I'm very grateful I own a winter coat and some handmade wooly goodness to keep me warm, but there are even more days when I step outside and think "what the hell am I supposed to do with this??!?" 

And, lo, it became clear that what was missing from my life was a nice, mid-weight jacket that could withstand some precipitation. Something that I could wear on my bike commute. Something I could throw on with leggings and sneakers and not look like a clown. And above all, something classic that would never go out of style so I never ever have to make one again!

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I think I've known for at least two years that I've needed such a practical garment, but I just couldn't ever quite find a pattern that had everything I wanted. They were either too anorak, or too duffle coat, or too military, or they didn't have a hood... Where was that perfect in-between pattern to match my in-between weather? 

Then, a little over a year ago my blog feed delivered up this gem from none other than Kelly from Cut Cut Sew and I became obsessed. Kelly's jacket had so many of the elements I had been looking for! And it was a Minoru!! Of course I had seen Sewaholic's Minoru Jacket pop up on blogs many many times (it is a well loved pattern) and I always thought that it was very cute, but not quite me. It wasn't until seeing Kelly's riff on the Minoru that I saw this patterns potential: it has good bones

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What I mean is, this is a pattern that lends itself to customization. You can add to it, subtract from it, but what it is at it's core, it's bones, is good stuff.

I made a lot of changes to this pattern. Many were stolen inspired by Kelly's Military Style Minoru, and some were my own.  The biggest change I made was to get rid of the gathers at the neck. I feel like this is one of the cute details that makes a Minoru a Minoru, but it also just wasn't for me. I wanted a much more streamlined look for my jacket.  As far as I can tell (at least according to my endless google searching) I think I'm the only person to make a Minoru without the neck gathers. I was really hoping someone else had done it before me so they could tell me what to do, but no joy.

I think I might do a separate tutorial on this since it might come in handy for future sewists, so I won't go into super detail here. But basically I treated the gathers like darts and rotated them into the waistline, blending into the hip, and essentially making them disappear. For the sleeves I ended up converting the gathers into a dart which ends just past my shoulder tip.

(Update: you can check out the tutorial for removing the neckline gathers here!)

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It took me two muslins to get this right. This was definitely the low point of this whole jacket making business. Guys, I'm not a pattern maker. I hate having to use the maths. I hate even more sewing things up in stupid, boring, white muslin only to have it end all balled up in the corner of my sewing room. I kid you not that I spent months trudging my way through this part of the process. And every time I went into my sewing room to work on it I felt like our friend, Paul Rudd here:

You can ask Nick, there was real, honest-to-god whining going on. It wasn't pretty, and I'm not proud, but... you know... everyone has their process (wink). But after every weekend of me procrastinating (with knitting) and whining, and deep sighing I'd inevitably start my week by going outside, taking stock of the weather, and thinking "damn I need that jacket!" So I persevered. I know. I should get a freaking medal or something...
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But let's get list-y here! All in all these were the changes/additions I made to the Minoru pattern (as I said, many of these are the same as Kelly's changes, because her version is magnificent):

  • Removed gathers from neck at front and back and converted shoulder gathers to dart
  • Graded between sizes based on my measurements - an 8 at the shoulders/bust, 6 at the waist, and 4 at the hips. This was because I'm not the 'pear shape' that Sewaholic patterns are sized for, and it also helped remove some of the flare of the overall shape.
  • Narrowed the zipper placket by 5/8" and added that onto the center front of the jacket pieces.
  • Added bands for snaps.
  • Added bellows pockets and pocket flaps. 
  • Changed the wide elastic at the waist to a draw string.
  • Shortened the sleeves and drafted my own cuffs.
  • Drafted a facing for the hood and inserted a draw string.

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I had actually been collecting all the fabrics and bits and bobs for this project since November. All the fabrics were sourced using my monthly Mood fabric allowance. The navy outer shell is a nice, heavy weight cotton twill.  The lining for the body is a very soft brushed cotton twill (in a very classic plaid) and the sleeves are lined with navy acetate. Nothing too fancy. I actually had originally intended on interlining the jacket with cotton flannel for extra warmth, but the longer I waited to make the jacket, the more the weather began to warm up, and the less need I saw for an extra layer of warmth. In the end I think this was a good decision. Any more and this would be less of a mid-weight jacket, and more of a winter-weight jacket.

(Update: I just wanted to add a quick note here - none of these fabrics are technically waterproof in any way.  However I already own a lightweight waterproof shell that I wear on extremely rainy days, which, incidentally, most often occur here during the warmer months.  This jacket is really particular to my climate and the kind of cool, damp, foggy, humid, and drizzly winters we have here. I debated waxing this jacket after I finished it, but that would change the texture and can sometimes create splotchy colors, and I was too in love with the finished product to risk doing something I might regret.  If you think you'd like to make something similar, but with more water resistant capabilities, you'd be better off using a pre-waxed canvas, or doing some research into waterproof fabrics.)

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My favorite thing about this jacket, by far, is all the details: the topstitching, snaps, grommets, cord stops, zippers... sigh. I can get pretty swoony over hardware! I decided to go with gold-tone brass for all my hardware because I think navy and bright, shiny gold is always a classic, slightly nautical look. Also, gold-tone brass is much easier to find and match than, say, antiqued brass. The snaps and grommets/eyelets are both Dritz that I picked up at the nearest JoAnn's.  The grommets were pretty easy to install. I backed the area with interfacing and a little scrap of self fabric so it was three layers thick, then cut a little hole in the fabric (be still my heart!). The grommets came with a little hammer-setting tool so all I had to do was position the grommet over the hole then pound away! I love breaking out the hammer for sewing projects.  The snaps were a bit trickier. They were the very last step.  I had to buy one of those Dritz snap-setting pliers, but when I tested it out on a single layer scrap of fabric I had a really hard time getting them in. It ended up being a two-person job with me positioning the snaps and Nick using his brute strength to pop them into place.  Thank goodness one of us has muscles!

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I'm perhaps most excited about these zippers! Finding the right length, color and type of zipper for this jacket proved to be no joke. I made two separate trips to Houston specifically for zippers, only to come back empty handed each time. Eventually I turned to the internet. I was able to find a long, open ended zipper for the front from a zipper supplier, but they didn't have the same zipper as a closed ended option, and when the long zipper came it just didn't thrill me.  It wasn't until I was shopping for some of the other doo-dads (cording and cord stoppers) that I discovered Pacific Trimming has an online store and all the RiRi zippers you could dream of!! I ended up buying two M8 RiRi zippers for this coat, cut to size, which were not cheap (for zippers) at $24 a pop, but I do not regret this purchase.  These zippers are so wonderfully hefty, and weighty, and the zipper tape is a sturdy but flexible, and soft, cotton twill instead of that weird plasticky polyester.  And the slightly fancy zipper pull doesn't hurt things either.  I wouldn't normally spring for fancy zippers, but this is a garment that I want to last and love for as long as it fits me, and splurging on a high quality zipper seemed like the right move. I might be a little delusional, but I kind of feel like the zippers make this jacket, ya know?

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The cording was another adventure.  I ended up buying some from Pacific Trimming and I thought I bought navy, however when it arrived it was a lovely shade of pale aquamarine. Lovely, but not gonna work. However I was very impressed with the quality, it didn't seem to have that stiff center that I find a lot of the cording I can find locally has. This stuff was completely pliable, washed well, and seemed soft but strong. It was just the wrong color. I decided the easiest solution was to dye it. It took two dye baths to get a perfect color match (straight 'navy' ended up too blue so I overdyed it with 'hot black' and just a dash of 'navy' to keep it in the blue realm) but in the end I'm so pleased with it! I don't think I could have gotten such a great color match from a store bought navy. 

My little gold cord stoppers are also from Pacific Trimming. I ordered a few types to see which ones I liked best and these little elongated bells were the winners.

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I drafted my own cuffs for the jacket. They're nothing fancy, but I did accidentally make them too narrow to fit around my free arm on my sewing machine.  I'm not even going to try to describe the crazy maneuvering I did to not only get these sewn in place, but then topstitched to boot! But trust me, it took all my clever sewing manhandling to finagle these things!

The bellows pockets were also a little bit questionable in terms of construction. I'd never made this type of pocket before, and the internet wasn't coughing up the most thorough of tutorials, so I went into my bellows pockets a bit blind. Overall I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, although Self-Critical-Sallie thinks they could be more precise, but she's never happy with anything I do, so we won't listen to her!

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As I mentioned, a hood was a necessity on this jacket. I get caught in the rain far too often for my liking! Equally as important was a hood that could be drawn tight about my face because I'm not sure how useful a hood that keeps getting blown off really is. And it is constantly windy here! My big goof up here was that I never included the hood on any of my muslins, so I didn't really have a clear idea of how it attached until I went to sew the whole thing on.  So when I initially placed my grommets for the draw string I just measured about 1.5" up from the seam allowance, forgetting that a good portion of the bottom of the hood sits inside the collar! This didn't end up being a huge disaster, I just installed a second set of grommets about 3 inches higher, but if you peek inside my hood you can still see the first pair of grommets. Shhh, don't tell anyone! No one knows they're there...

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I love my new jacket. It was a true pain in my arse from beginning to end, but I'm so happy to finally have it a reality - if for no other reason than now I can move on with my sewing life! And having a practical, but stylish, lighter-weight jacket like this is just going to come in so so handy. Sadly, it probably won't come in handy until next fall because, no joke, it's already too warm for jackets around here! Somehow I knew it was going to decide it was summer spring as soon as I finished my rain jacket! And, lo and behold, it did! I took these photos across the street from a playground and I was getting some serious side-eye from all the kids and parents frolicking about in their shorts and t-shirts! However I've still been dragging it out with me every day this week on the off chance it decides to sprinkle, or, you know, there's a cool breeze...

And with that, my friends, ends another year of winter sewing in the life of Sallie! From here on out it's nothing but all sundresses all the time. Just kidding. I have no idea what I'm going to sew next, but it's not going to be outerwear, that's for sure!

What are you working on? Anyone trying to sneak some cold weather sewing in before we blink and it's summer? Or does that only happen where I live?

xx

90 comments:

  1. Wow! That is a seriously impressive jacket. Well done for persevering with all the muslins and pattern alterations, they were certainly worth it. It looks so professional with all the lovely hardware and the lining and outer fabrics are beautiful together. I love ALL of it basically! You've definitely earned some sundress sewing next :)

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  2. Sallie, this is STUNNING! I really love all the details you've added to make it yours; it is so amazing and so perfectly finished - just totally inspiring!! :) I really appreciate that you detailed your style changes, because I would have done the exact same things :)


    I admit, I am sadly lacking in a hooded rain jacket too, and I live in the Pacific Northwest - we are quite literally, in a rainforest here LOL - in fact, I live in the BIRTHPLACE of the Minoru - why haven't I made this yet???? I'm an idiot - you have absolutely convinced me I need this jacket in my life - with "borrowed" style changes of course ;) :)

    It's trying really hard to be spring here, so I'm desperately trying to finish up a warm wooly winter coat before it gets too hot to even handle wool LOL.

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  3. Gorgeous! I've wanted the Minoru forever, but have yet to end up with it. I think the stars are stacked against me. Well, the stars and my budget. ;-)

    Seriously love the styling and the hardware--I tend to shy away from gold tone anything, but it really looks sharp with the navy. And you even addressed all the things that I didn't love about the original and made this a sleek, gorgeous jacket that I am seriously envious of and may blatantly copy...eventually. ;-)

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  4. This is amazing!

    I hate sewing gathers and would love to see how you took them out.

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  5. This is the perfect jacket! I love everything about it, it's so beautifully made. I bet you'll be wearing this for years to come, it's timeless. I have this project lined up in a black waxed cotton. It's been on the waiting list for a couple of years but now I've seen yours I'm just going to go for it. Really, you've done a brilliant job.

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  6. This is awesome!! Well worth all the effort I'd say. It's so classic, I'm sure it will be a staple for you for a very long time!

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  7. Brilliant job! I made a Minoru when it first came out with adjustments like this (pockets, zipper placket, etc) and wore it literally to death. You've definitely inspired me to make a fresh one for this winter!

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  8. Yes, please please do a tutorial for your gather to dart/removal method. This streamlined version seems more my style also.

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  9. Helen // Grosgrain GreenMarch 19, 2015 at 3:14 PM

    Amazing! This is the coat that I need, although as I live in Scotland, I might need something a bit more waterproof than twill. But still, the style is exactly what I am after. I would love a tutorial, on the off chance I ever get round to making something as brilliant as this.

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  10. Wow you should be proud of your Minoru! Impeccable work. Texas winter sounds like Sydney's - chilly but only really cold for about 7 days of the year.

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  11. Oh my, this is GORGEOUS! I'm green with envy over here- I used to like my anorak, but now that I've seen yours, I hate it! Seriously fantastic work! Also, I'm glad that someone else has the same process- whine, whine, procrastinate, sigh at the sewing machine, maybe throw a minor tantrum/cry for good measure... what a great way to work! :D

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  12. i can't even handle how good this coat is. between you and Kelly (whose coat i've seen in person and IT'S TRULY AMAZING), i want a whole new pattern with these changes so i can just flat out copy you. it's perfect!!

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  13. I'm so glad you trucked through this project because it's ah-mazing! You know what I'm also glad about? That you got bangs!

    With one of the coldest February's behind me, I am not sewing anything related to winter! I'm currently working on a spring dress. It's been a slow process, kind of like your jacket. I would put it away and work on lingerie, but I was a bad planner and didn't order elastic before I ran out. Ooops!

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  14. This is such a wonderful make! Very glad to see you persisted!

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  15. Oh my! This is the loveliest Minoru I ever did see. Totally worth the slog and you got a beautiful coat out of it. If you need more chilly weather to wear it in, feel free to come and visit in Boston :)

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  16. Almost lost for words! One of my favourite makes of yours. I don't blame you for whining - making something like this would kill me. But so worth it. Yes please, would love a tutorial!

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  17. Wow. I have so much to say about this post. Your hairdo is adorable. Your lipstick is fabulous. But this jacket. WOW. It's amazing. One of my favorite handmade jackets I've ever seen actually. If it didn't sound like such a nightmare I would actually copy what you did exactly! :) Before I got to the section about the drawstring dying, I was actually looking at your photos thinking "How on earth did she find a drawstring that matches so perfectly?!"

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  18. this is the most impressive thing i have seen in a long time. its beautiful and practical and so professional. well done! love everything about it.

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  19. So, so good! Congrats on your jacket - it is fabulous! And I'd love to see what you did to nix the gathers, as I have worn my first Minoru out, and may want to replace it with something a bit sleeker in the future. I'm currently being strict with myself to finish up a couple of cold weather and/or almost finished projects before moving on to summer, but I am so looking forward to it!


    Hope you have a few cold days to enjoy your new jacket!

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  20. This is a really professional looking sewing job. You should be so proud of yourself. It's beautiful. I totally know what you mean when you are dreading a project that you're in the middle of. I felt that way when I was trying to make jeans for my boyfriend. The other thing that can mess up my sewing mojo is when I buy a beautiful, expensive fabric and then get too scared to cut it up and none of my patterns seem right. I'm trying to get over that right now with McCalls 6706, a skirt I'm making in a gorgeous silk fabric I bought over six months ago in Nashville. It will just be so heartbreaking if, when I finish it, something doesn't turn out right and I've wasted that beautiful fabric.

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  21. Wow, your jacket is amazing!! Every single detail is perfect—well worth your time and effort. I think your bellows pockets turned out great. They really are tricky to sew! I made four on a coat for my daughter (with Burda directions, to boot) and there's just no getting them perfect. I really love the Minoru pattern, it's such a great base to work from!

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  22. My goodness! ! I absolutely love it! !

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  23. I am trying to sneak in some warm weather sewing before the winter hits, lol!

    I love your jacket and removing those gathers was a stroke of genius! That is the one thing I do not like about my Minoru.

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  24. Holy shit. This is BEAUTIFUL and you do deserve the goldest of gold medals. It's that uber impressive combo of practical and classic. Well worth whining through.

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  25. It's fabulous. I'm a big fan of hardware, too. I just bought cord and stoppers from pacific trimming for an army style anorak I want to make (it's in my never ending queue!). They really have everything, don't they? I love all your mods to the pattern. You really did make an awesome jacket!

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  26. What a totally fantastic jacket. Your winter sounds a lot like a Sydney winter. I'm sure you'll still get ye as rsvp of wear out of this.

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  27. This is AWESOME! A truly fantastic coat that I hope to copy this Winter! Might even check out those fancy zippers!

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  28. This is just awesome! And I really enjoyed reading about your hardware geekery. Dying cord! You are an inspiration, I wouldn't even have thought of that idea.
    Enjoy those sundresses - lots of jealousy from Northern Europe !

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  29. Fantastic. I loooove all those details!

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  30. lovely look!!! perfect for spring :)

    https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/

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  31. Wow - I am just blown away by this! Honestly, everything you make is just so fantastic, and this is no exception. Well done for sticking with it, it was completely worth it and you now have the most fabulously amazing rain jacket that will last you for a very long time. I just love the gold details, and agree with you, the zips are fantastic and do make the jacket. Wonderful. Can you make me one now?! ;)

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  32. This is perfect, in fact, this is the jacket that my wardrobe needs... Thank you so much for all of your details, and I'd love a tutorial on swapping out the Minorou neck gathers when you can face remembering them ;) Simply beautiful.

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  33. seriously gorgeous! and it's such a classic garment, you can wear it with pretty much everything (i need to take notes from you, instead of making b&w coats, that can't be worn with anything hehe)..
    i'm stuck for weeks with bomber jacket for nikola.. finally got to work a bit on it the other day, and sewn beautiful single welt pocket, only to realize that i've installed it on back of the jacket! wtf? right now i can't even think of that poor jacket anymore, let alone work on it..

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  34. This so amazing. Your changes are perfect and the execution is brilliant.

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  35. WOW! That is one awesome rain jacket Minoru! So well done, congrats! I'm pinning both yours and Kelly's versions for a future rain jacket Minoru of my own. I have one interlined, winter-ish weight purple Minoru, and I've already planned a hoodless camel wool version, and now I must have something like this. It's like the pattern that keeps on giving! :) So well done Sally, and so worth your time and efforts! And the hardware totally makes it!

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  36. Love it Sallie. The hardware is poppin!

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  37. i've said ti before, i'll undoubtedly say it again, you have the best handle on the internet, because Sallie. OH! this is gorgeous! i would almost hope for rain! that gold against the navy! that collar! that hood! i love the lines of your modification.


    we're about to get 6 inches of snow here. can i blink now?

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  38. This is MAGnifICENT! I also adored Kelly's version. It took some of the sweetness out of the Minoru for me and I absolutely adore what you've done here (I love when we are inspired and learn from each other! I am currently plotting a replica of the slim-fitting Turia dungarees from Flowers Fruits and Clouds since she already did all the hard work for me!) I lovely love love the navy and gold, and couldn't agree more about those riri zips. I bought the most divine rose gold one the last time I was in NY for my new winter pattern... they really make all the difference in the world and I don't think you're being crazy at all to invest the dough. Anyway, this feels like something you'd spend $300 on at J. Crew, and you'll wear it FOREVER!

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  39. It's a beautiful jacket, with beautiful execution. Color me impressed and inspired.

    Color me also slow-witted. I get that you're in Texas and I'm on the Pacific coast, but rain is rain - it penetrates and makes things wet, so my question: How does cotton twill work for a rain jacket?

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  40. www.tresbienensemble.comMarch 20, 2015 at 9:09 AM

    This is absolutely outstanding! I love your modifications and the hardware! The snaps and zipper really make this look exceptional!

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  41. Coolest coat I have seen in my entire life!

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  42. Ack, so wonderful! I love the navy and gold together, such a classic combination. I'm thinking a rain jacket might be my next project, so this is terribly, terribly inspiring.

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  43. I have the exact same kind of sewing mojo disapearing over a project, and good lord it stinks. I'm trying to make a suite for my husband (why in hell did I agree to that) and of course I'm starting by making a muslim, and there are 50 (I kid you not) different pieces in the pattern. That stuff has been laying around my house half cut out for weeks... while I tell myself that I'm knitting "because it's winter, and no one sews in winter, everyone knits". yeah right.
    Anyway, your jacket is amazing! I've had this pattern for ages, and the gathers are what has been preventing me from making it. So I'm totally looking forward to more info on the process!

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  44. Excellent question! It won't withstand heavy downpours and thunderstorms, that's for sure, but it will put up with the obnoxious drizzle that we're most afflicted with during the cooler, jacket appropriate, months. I debated waxing this jacket to make it more water resistant, but just couldn't bring myself to do it once it was all said and done.

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  45. You did an amazing job! Your hardware was totally worth it and makes the jacket look so unique. I love it! If you're ever hunting in Houston let me know. We can hunt together!

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  46. omg! this jacket looks fantastic on you! Thanks for the detailed writeup, too...

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  47. I. Am. Speechless.
    I thought I couldn't get more flabbergasted after you made JEANS but a RAINCOAT!!! With a bazillion cool details!!!!
    I. Am. Speechless.

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  48. Heeheehee... I'm sending you ALL the cat-heart-eye emoji's right now!!

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  49. Wow, serious achievement!! I love how you kept going in pursuit of perfection even when you could have settled for something less. It looks totally awesome and I am in complete agreement about Riri zippers. The absolute best.

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  50. I love all that you did to it, and thanks for letting me know of a pattern I hadn't been aware of, I l really like how that turned out!

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  51. pilar garcia torresMarch 20, 2015 at 3:23 PM

    What a lovely coat ! I love it.
    Greetings from Spain.

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  52. Sallie, I need you to know I bookmarked this post on my phone so I could come back and tell you HOW FREAKING FANTASTIC it is when I was at a computer. This jacket is everyt'ing I love. The military inspiration. The styling. ALL OF IT. Big Ups. Big. Ups.

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  53. Wow! This is gorgeous! The navy and gold are fantastic together. Really really well done :)

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  54. Wow, amazing work. It looks so professionnal! it's really impressive. Great job on adjusting the MInoru Jacket, it's true it's a great base for pattern improvisation! I would buy it if I didn't feel guilty for having so many other parka/rain jacket patterns already in my millions of burda magazines....

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  55. Dude. Dude. Duuuuuuuuuude. Ditto with all of the above and everything else. This is ridiculous, and I'm especially impressed with your manhandling of the cuffs.

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  56. This was really worth all the effort you put into the jacket. Great job!

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  57. You made a really beautiful jacket, and I'm just green with envy right now. You made me realise it's just the piece I was looking for all winter long (and of course never found)! If you have a change of heart you can still send it here, mid-season is just about to start!

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  58. Oh! Thank you!

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  59. Oh my! You've somehow managed a jacket that's utterly classic and just a touch tough - that perfect hardware is really doing it for me. Incredible, as usual.

    And I have to ask...what lipstick is that?! It's a great contrast to the navy and keeps the whole look spring-y. It has me inspired to combat the persistent snow.

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  60. GAH! I must have some latent crow gene in me because I'm totally crazy for your shiny brass snaps and zipper! I'm with Olivia, it's classic, but with an edge. So sorry to hear that went through the ringer with the muslin thing. BUT...it was worth it!


    A Colourful Canvas: My Birds On a Branch Minoru Jacket

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  61. Sallie, this is stunning! It looks so professional and you've made some great choices with the pockets and hardware. I so wish I'd made and now owned this jacket!!

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  62. Wow Sallie, this jacket is so perfect. I know how you feel about Muslins, I dread making them and that's why I haven't tried making pants again. Good work as always! I find so much to admire (envy) on your blog.

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  63. DUDE I have the pattern pieces and you can totally borrow them ;)

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  64. Sallie!!! It is amazing. LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Your blingy gold hardware is perfect and riri zippers are totally worth the extra cost for a jacket like this that you will wear tons. Trust me- I wear mine ALL THE TIME. Like, if someone here was describing me to someone else they would say "you know, the one that always wears that green jacket" ;) So glad you persevered and congrats on your absolutely gorgeous new coat!!

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  65. I know you are P R O U D of this jacket and you should be! Goodness it's gorgeous - well worth any whining. Congratulations!

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  66. WHOA, I can absolutely understand the anguish here... I've only made a few coats, but the finishing (and that hardware!) has to be perfect to look amazing... you've done it all! (And your brain created all that hoody zippy goodness too! AMAZING.

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  67. SALLIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!! This kicks so much ass!!! Good job, dude!! I can't wait for that tutorial. I feel like that little bit of cutesy is what's kept me from making a Minoru.

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  68. Beyond amazing!

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  69. Wow, this is really lovely and professional looking. Well done for persevering through all the pain - it was worth it to get such a lovely jacket!

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  70. Thank you Kelly! And thank you for all the inspiration! I probably would have caved and just bought a cheap jacket had I not had your post to keep going back to!

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  71. Awesome! I'll get to work on that in the next couple of weeks!

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  72. Haha! Yes! Whiners of the Sewing World Unite!


    And no hate for the anorak!! I love that jacket! Next time I come to NY we can do a jacket swap for the weekend! It'll be like Freaky Friday. Only less freaky.

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  73. Your jacket is fantastic! I love all of the thought and details you put into it. I also really like that you skipped on the shirring around the neck. I just bought fabric for this jacket at Mood last week and can't wait to start! I will be waiting with baited breath for your no gathers tutorial!

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  74. This is seriously awesome! I've also bought the Minoru with a similar goal in mind. Would absolutely love a pattern tutorial if you are up to sharing all your modifications in greater detail.

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  75. OMG DUDE! This is simply stunning! I can't get over it. The number of shitty spring coats I've bought over the years is embarrassing. This is something you will treasure for many years to come. Kudos!

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  76. English Girl at HomeMarch 23, 2015 at 4:16 PM

    This is probably my favourite coat EVER!

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  77. Well aren't you glad that's over. I am too because it means I get to see what you've been working on, and it was definitely worth the wait I didn't know I was waiting for! All those little details (like dyeing the cord the exact right colour...) are just divine. I'm about as impressed as it gets right now :)

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  78. Your coat is perfection. My winter coat is nearly identical in design, but there's no drawstring in the hood, and yes, the hood blows off all the time and it's so annoying. Every little detail of your coat is gorgeous--love the lining and the hardware. I've been looking at Riri zippers to use in my leather purses. At 3-4x the cost, I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger, but I believe top of the line hardware really elevates the overall look of a piece. Your coat is proof. So beautiful!!

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  79. This is like jacket perfection! I love the brass hardware against the navy and that lining is just the best. I am tempted to fly over and steal it. Although a jacket like that wouldn't get much use on the Gold Coast. I'm super glad you finished it just so I got to see it. Stunning!

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  80. The jacket looks really well-made and it is so flattering on you! Adore the inner plaid fabric which can be seen in the cape portion, so lovely!

    Prudence
    www.prudencepetitestyle.com

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  81. Oh. My. GOD. I love this so much I cannot stand it. This is totally fabulous and I adore it totally. TOTALLY!

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  82. I love every bit of this jacket Sally! Navy is my absolute fav and the snaps are perfect. I like it so much better without the gathers at the neck and good for you for figuring out how to remove them! It's perfect, really perfect!

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  83. Yes! What a really worthy project and gorgeous result. I look to you to help me with my Texas styling problems, ha! A piece like this is a real need of mine. I boxed all my winter coats last year but I still need some kind of outerwear layer in January. I have had the Minoru pattern for ages but 1. I wasn't digging the gathers and 2. just can't get into taking on this kind of project at the moment. I broke down and bought a sweet little tencel anorak while out in SF, but some day... some day... I'll make my own. Thanks for inspiring.

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  84. WOWZA!!!! Totally amazing vision, perfectly excecuted! I feel you on the "I'm not a pattern maker" front - bravo to you for working all of it out. This is hands down the best version I have ever seen. I am inspired to pull out my unfinished Minoru and get crackin' :)

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  85. Words aren't enough. It is so practical and more beautiful and professional than any RTW. I think you had better hold on tight to it as I'm sure there will be plenty of people out there who will try and steal it from you.

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  86. What a gorgeous jacket! Last week I gave in and bought one, so Im a bit miffed with myself for missing out on making your version of Minoru. Our climate is much like Texas here in South Australia - an ocean gulf next to desert, giving boiling hot summers and drizzly grey winters.

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  87. I'm already jealous about your weather, ours is just turning warm enough for woolen winter coats to be slightly too warm during the day... But gorgeous jacket, I love the navy and gold and you sure put out all the stops with it! :D

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  88. You are such a talented seamstress, this jacket is just so cute and exactly what I would want. I love the navy with the gold. You zipper splurge and procrastinating was so worth it!

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