Sunday, April 26, 2009

And so it goes

So I got my pattern together and traced it off onto muslin and cut it out.

Have I mentioned I hate to do muslins? I know that they're necessary sometimes (some sewists say all the time but if I muslined everything I'd never get any actual sewing done - just not enough time in my day). I compromise and muslin new and unusual patterns, things I've come up with myself or patterns on which I plan to cut up some of the "good stuff."

I decided to make this one worthwhile - in addition to muslining because it was a mashup of two patterns - I would also, if the muslin worked, use my last remaining piece of Liberty lawn from last year's vacation.

The Liberty is now in pieces in the workroom, because - hallelujah!! - the muslin worked. My half-assed system of measurements must either have been better than I thought, or the two patterns were more similar than they appeared, because the disparate tops and bottoms merged well. My drafted facings lay smoothly, and the whole thing appears to be spacious enough to button over the girls but without the sometimes-excessive ease of Big 4 patterns.

I didn't attach the sleeves or the collar, since I was mainly working on the fit of the body, but I already know that those sleeves fit, and the collar will work. Pretty sure of that, anyway.

What's funny about this whole project is that it didn't even come to me until I was having lunch with Kisha on Thursday. We spend lunches either talking patterns, talking sewing, critiquing the clothing of those around us - and trying to figure out what pattern to use to duplicate the things we like. Thursday's lunch was spent mostly discussing just how many cute trench jackets were passing by the restaurant window. I'm not even sure how we got onto shirt patterns, but it wandered into my head that combining these two would be a good idea. When I got back to work I emailed her pictures of both tops and asked for opinions.

I couldn't get it out of my head and Thursday night I came right home and started playing with the pattern. It's Sunday now, and I've got some basic seams done, but I have tomorrow off and I'm trying not to rush this.

Besides, it's 90 degrees outside and my back yard is calling to me.

3 comments:

Rachel said...

I used to not do muslins, and I don't if I am sewing one of the big 4. I have learned my sizing there, but if I am sewing a BWOF, I always do them.

gwensews said...

Congratulations! Isn't it fun--this designing, or redesigning?

Gretchen the Household Deity said...

That is going to turn out so cute! Worthy of Liberty.