Erm, so I’m not planning on making this a ‘wearable muslin’ going by the mishmash of fabric I gathered together. It’s just being described as neo-punk by my husband. I think he’s too polite.
Collar - I interfaced the inside of the collar to simulate the body of the waterproof fabric I will be using and got the comment that it didn’t have to meet Antarctic conditions. 3cm off height, to be taken off top edge, leave hood attachment placement line the same. This way it will not bump my ears!
Waist elastic – 5cm higher for placement line.
Use original pattern length for body pieces but use 5cm hem allowance. Not that I’ve referred back to the pattern yet – this might be the allowance!
Sleeves need to be shortened. Turning them up 5cm without the cuffs will work fine. I am replacing the elastic with a fold and button/ buttonloop arrangement as this give better comfort for me both open and closed.
Shoulders and side seams should be cut a size up (or seam allowances sewn at 10mm rather than 15mm. Just to give a bit more ease for bike riding.
Hood – a slice off along the centre seam of about 7cm at the front edge tapering to nothing by the double notch at the back of the hood. I will also add a drawstring with some cord elastic and a couple of those things that clip onto the cord. Doohickeys, I think they are called.
Under consideration – an underlay for the zip so that it is a bit more water-resistant? This is an idea from looking at other jackets. I’m not aiming for a full bushwalking-in-torrential-rain-waterproofing, but centre front could be a potential hot spot (wet spot? ew!) for leakage when cycling into the rain. I might also pick up a 80cm long zip and try that too as the 70cm is not long enough. A separating zip with two pulls would be most excellent.
I have not yet decided on pockets and placements. I would like external pockets but not sure on whether patch or welt would be better and most useful.
Ok I’m ready to cut out my lovely fabric tomorrow night. For some reason I’ve felt quite nervous about cutting into it. I think it is because I had to order it online rather than knowing I can duck into town and pick up an extra metre if I mess something up majorly. I’ve certainly sewn with more expensive fabric recently (nice Italian men’s shirting anyone?). Also needing to get it right the first time to minimise resewing seams and affecting the waterproofness is an extra layer to the construction process. I’ll be experimenting a little and using seam sealing tape for the first time. I might practice on a drawstring bag for the gym first…