
What was I thinking!
I’ve really been enjoying my fleece fabric adventures this year. So I went for the full Monty. During my recent trip to Orlando, I managed a visit to the Sewing Studio Super Store in Maitland. And in the Annex, I found this black minky plush, a real bargain at $4 a yard. Irresistible.
Note on the store: high-end knit and quilting fabrics, ditto the trims and so on, and more built-to-purpose specialized sewing machines than I’ve ever encountered in a fabric store. The Bargain Annex is spotty, and I felt lucky to go home with a piece of fabric.
The store put it in a big bag, and once home, I pulled it out to an absolute flurry of fleece fluff. As a starting point, here’s a pic of my constant companion during this project:

I already had a pattern in mind, BurdaStyle 09/2016 #119 – a beautiful design, simple and elegant. I had recently worked on a muslin in sweatshirt fabric, so my confidence level was high.

It’s so nice! I know it’s hard to see the details in black, but please squint a little.


Things I love: those kimono sleeves, the oversized pockets, and the set-in collar. About the collar. No way would I use this minky for a cut-on shawl collar, one that is an extension of the front, because of the treacherous clips at the shoulder. There shouldn’t be crying in sewing…

Sewing notes:
- This is a challenging fabric because of the fluff stuff from cut edges. All my cut pieces went straight to the serger, and every single edge was serged before I even began sewing. Between my cutting area and the loft, I emptied my little vacuum twice. Even so, the fluff seemed to travel with me everywhere I went in the house! Takes patience…
- I sewed a straight size 38.
- Great fit!
- I didn’t line the pocket, but I did face the top fold to stabilize it.
- I shortened the length quite a bit. The original CB length is about 44″. I took off 5 1/2″. It just seems more balanced and interesting in the shorter length.
- Incredibly, the coat has no front or neckline facing. I added both, self fabric without interfacing.
- My sleeve and coat hems are a little less than 3/4″. I’ve found that a deep hem on fleece doesn’t always work well.
Machine settings:
- I sewed all my seams with a long stitch (3.2 on my Juki) and topstitched with a 3.4 length.
- And used a 90/14 ballpoint needle in my sewing machine. Also 90/14 universal needles in my serger.
- I also decreased my presser foot pressure, from it normal 5 setting, to 2.
I had just enough fabric to make a neck scarf. This is hanging out on my sofa, it’s so warm on my neck.

I had just come home from the grocery when I took all these pics. It felt wonderful in that cold cold store!

Will I ever sew minky again? Sure. It was very messy, but I really like this coat!!
Ciao! Coco