I finally got a chance to work on the Minima and Kinsman kits I had received for Christmas.
I am an experienced seamstress (40 years of making clothing for myself) and have just started making outdoor gear. I got a chuckle when I read the clear and careful breakdown of how a sleeve pattern goes in (kudos to AYCE to figuring out folks might be confused - would never have occurred to me!), and another laugh when I realized that making a zipper from parts was hardly explained at all (I learned to do that recently, so no worries!))
I decided to do the Minima first, since I suspected that the armhole on the Minima was going to be plenty big and that I’d find the Kinsman’s armhole too roomy for my taste. The basic shape of the two garments is the same - just the openings are different and the armholes different sizes. I decided to leave the shape of the vest alone (I used the regular cut) and make any adjustments to the fit at the waist as I sewed the side seams.
Once I got the vest together I confirmed my thought that the armholes were plenty big for my tastes and also discovered that the vest is quite long - will keep me nice and warm - but was longer than I wanted the Kinsman to be. I also decided that the inward curve of the waist was a little too low to match my short waist. So I changed the length and the curve of the Kinsman body.
I really like the built in ease/articulation of the Kinsman underarm seam (like a baby gusset! How cute!) and was determined to keep that feature as I altered the Kinsman sleeve to fit in the Minima armhole and to make a sleeker sleeve.
I managed to drop all the zipper stops into the carpet, never to be seen again, and expediently decided that I would rather have a black zipper pull.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
So I used a zipper from my stash for the Kinsman. I did use the elastic at the cuffs, but I never ever use drawcords at the waist so I skipped that part. I didn’t do any topstitching, since the layers seemed to be staying put well enough without it.
I am very pleased with both garments, particularly the Kinsman with the changes I made. I love that Momentum fabric and I look forward to using it in more projects.
The finished weight of the Kinsman is just 10 ounces!
The attached pic is a little goofy - I never did manage to get both sleeves in the picture at the same time. But at least you can see both the collar and the hem! The striped shirt I am wearing under the Kinsman is quite long, so the Kinsman is not as short as it might seem, but it is quite a bit shorter than the original pattern.
