Latest Minerva Project – Sewing Faux Leather

My latest Minerva project – sewing faux leather was challenging but fun to work on. There’s a lot to keep in mind when using this fabric, so that’s some of what I want to touch on in this post. I was gifted the Minerva faux leather as a Minerva brand ambassador.

Here is the post I wrote for the Minerva website.

*This post does contain affiliate links.

The Fabric

The name of this fabric is Minerva Core Range Soft Supple Stretch Faux Leather. You can check it out here. It really is soft and supple and there is enough stretch to make your garments very comfortable.

Minerva faux leather in Cornflower blue

This is a fabric I didn’t prewash like I do for every other one. Shrinkage of faux leather shouldn’t be an issue. Machine washing in cold water, then hanging to dry should work well to care for the garment.

The Pattern

BurdaStyle magazine 03/2019 #107

Above is a picture of the pattern I used for the jacket. It’s a biker jacket from 2019. I find that BurdaStyle magazine patterns are trendy but often timeless. That’s a good thing, because it can be quite an undertaking to trace the patterns from the pattern sheets in order to sew them up! This faux leather jacket is actually the second time I’ve used this pattern. Here is the post I wrote back in 2019.

Sewing Faux Leather

For the actual construction of the garment, I used a #12 jersey needle. Although some say to use a jean needle, I felt that this would be too large a hole in the fabric. The jersey needle worked out great! Sewing this is not like going through denim. The stitch length I used most often is 3.0, then topstitching was done at 3.5-4.0 stitch length.

I used a 1/2″ seam allowance which gave me more room and was what I needed (even though I allowed for 5/8″ seam allowance in my pattern). I added a FBA (full bust adjustment) in the muslin I had made for the previous jacket. I’m glad I saved that, which made making this latest Minerva project sewing faux leather much easier.

Clips are great for holding the fabric pieces together. Not putting too many pin holes in the garment is important.

I made the lining from two remnant pieces I had on hand. Having something fun inside a coat or jacket can really brighten your day.

Overall

Sewing faux leather is easy. You just have to keep a few things in mind. The only downside is that you won’t get a nice, crisp pressed garment. But you certainly get get an awesome garment!

Silver Rib Knit For The Win!

For this particular Minerva project, I chose a gorgeous silver rib knit for the win! It is beautiful to look at, easy to sew, and can be the basis of some show stopping outfits. So, let’s get into the details.

*This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a small commission if you shop through those links and there’s no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

The Fabric

The fabric is called Lurex Rib Textured Stretch Knit. As a Minerva brand ambassador, I was gifted this fabric by them. I requested 3 meters (they are in the UK, so I order in meters, even though I think in yards). FYI: 3 meters is roughly a little more than 3.25 yards.

As you can see in the photo above, this material is like a rib knit, but with the silver threads. It does not have a high amount of stretch so it’s more of a stable knit fabric. The under side is smooth, so you don’t get the scratchiness on the wrong side.

Sewing this was easy. For the top I used a 4-thread overlock stitch. The skirt was sewn on a regular sewing machine using a stretch needle.

The Project

My first make with this was the top. As soon as I received it, I knew a cowl neck-type top would be in order. So I used my go-to pattern (TNT) and made the Ruched T. It’s an Angela Wolf pattern that has different collar and sleeve options. This is the “high” collar. Quick and easy to make on the serger it took no time at all for me to complete this project.

The only change I made to this from previous times is that I made the top 1″ shorter (it has a 1″ hem). I think this one turned out to be the perfect length!

Bonus Project

After finishing the top, I had a little more than a yard left. So I decided I wanted to make an additional garment. I chose the Kate skirt. It’s another pattern I’m familiar with and also designed by Angela Wolf.

While the pattern is designed for woven fabrics, I have used a ponte knit before for this. There is a zipper in the side seam which I kept in this one as well. I used a 5/8″ seam allowance for installing the invisible zipper. On the opposite side seam, I did increase that to 1-1/2″. That was what I needed to get a snug but comfortable fit with this particular fabric.

I lined the skirt with tricot knit that I’ve had for years.

There is no elastic inside the facing of this skirt (I did use it in my previous one).

But that’s basically it. Silver rib knit for the win, indeed!

Here’s my video on this project if you haven’t seen it yet…

Making Palazzo Pants With Butterick and Minerva

As a Minerva Maker, there are numerous fabric to choose from basically on a monthly basis. So when I saw this gorgeous fabric in a viscose challis, I knew that was the one I wanted. I also knew what I wanted to make. Making palazzo pants with Butterick and Minerva was the perfect combination. The ease of sewing and the movement of the fabric is awesome.

This is a Minerva exclusive viscose challis fabric that is soft, has flow and is oh so comfortable to wear!

Butterick 3460

I made View E for my pants. This is an easy pattern that includes pants, shorts, and skirts in two lengths. Although the pattern is for outerwear, it can be used for pj pants or shorts (I haven’t done that). The fabric selections are offer some variety, but just think flow and movement. I would not recommend a fabric that doesn’t have any type of movement to it. So , mid- to light weight fabrics are best.

My Palazzo Pants

Because the pattern has so few pieces, it’s quick to put together. This viscose challis fabric is perfect for a garment like this. I did use a lot of pins in order to keep the layers from slipping when I was getting ready to sew.

I did serge the edges of the material to keep the fraying in check. If you don’t have a serger when working with fabric like this, then you would want to look into alternate ways of finishing your seams. For example, pinking the edges would work as well as doing French seams.

B3460 back-making palazzo pants with Butterick and Minerva

The only alteration done was to shorten the front crotch seam. Honestly, I could have shortened it more. But it is an easy wear style of pant. It can be used as loungewear or worn very casually. Here is the previous pair that I made.

This pattern, if you have it, or something similar is great for beginners. The pattern is for woven fabrics. This particular fabric is an exclusive viscose challis from Minerva Fabrics that was gifted to me by Minerva.

If you would like to check out my post that I wrote on the Minerva site, click here.

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