Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Simplicity 3833 Muslin in Progress



The fabric still has a chemical smell, but I'm moving forward with my muslin. When it's complete, I'll hang the garment (tunic or dress, to be determined) out in the breeze for a day or so. If it still smells after that, I'll chalk it up as an unwearable muslin.


This is a size 10 throughout, using the shorter length of view D with all the marked petite adjustments taken.  What I am seeing is:

  • Bust darts too low. That's a new one! It's likely more a result of my using a ponte knit rather than any uncharacteristic perkiness. In a woven fabric, I bet the darts would be in about the right position vertically, but still a bit too long.
  • Darts are puckering. I'm not going to take responsibility for this. It's the unholy chemical composition of the fabric that doesn't press and holds wrinkles.
  • The neckline fits over my head without a back zipper opening, so it goes without saying that I'll be skipping the zipper. 
  • I'd like a bit more width from the waistline to the hem, so I plan to re-sew those seams with 1/2" or 3/8" seam allowances rather than 5/8".
  • The shoulder seam needs to be trimmed by 5/8" (I do intend to add long sleeves).



Since I was thinking of reshaping the neckline to make it slightly more open, and to use a binding rather than finishing the neckline with facings (as provided by the pattern), I believe I am going to re-sew the shoulder seams a bit deeper as a means of bringing the bust darts up a little. Since I haven't yet cut out the sleeves, I can adjust the sleeve cap for less height to correspond to this adjustment.


I'm not wild about the muddy, grayed-out color of this fabric (or much of anything else about it, except that it is here), but it works really nicely with a great Ellen Tracy scarf I found a couple of years ago at the thrift store. The scarf is large and beautiful, in shades of purple-y chocolate, gold, teal, cream and deep magenta. The slight plummy hue of this taupe is a good foil for the scarf, so I hope the garment will be wearable in the end.







3 comments:

  1. Thanks for your detailed comments about your muslin. I'm thinking of making this dress too, and your photos and thoughts are very helpful. I think that your muslin will be absolutely wearable!

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  2. I have this pattern & I have not tried it. Your muslin is awesome! Thanks for your post.

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  3. This is great! Lucky you that you get to skip the zipper opening. Have you done swayback adjustments before on clothes you've sewn? I'm wondering if you might need a little one. I'm seeing a little bit of extra fabric (the wrinkles) just above your bum. You should also upload it to our Flickr pool! http://www.flickr.com/groups/2389269@N24/pool/with/11751714844/#photo_11751714844

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