Here comes the not so interesting part – making up a
muslin. I am embarrassed to admit that I
make far fewer muslins than I should; but I am very thankful that most patterns do not require very many alterations to fit properly. However, when I am dealing with a limited amount of yardage that costs a fair amount of money (and that cannot be replaced), a test run is always a good
idea.
Besides, there are only four pieces to cut out, so I am
going to stop my bellyaching.
After cutting out my bodice pieces in muslin, I sewed along
the given 5/8” seam allowance on all outer edges. This way when I rip the muslin apart to cut
my fabric pieces, it should not stretch out of shape.
Because this is a strapless bodice, I decided that the only
way I was going to be able to tell if I was in the ballpark regarding fit was
to apply a zipper to the muslin.
Thankfully, I happened to have a 20” zipper on hand.
Turns out, the size 14 is more roomy than I expected from
the measurements printed on the pattern tissue.
I am not going to bother cutting and stitching the skirt
pieces. For one, muslin is never
going to drape like my fabric. And I have no wish to cut those massive pieces out more
than I have to!
The fit looks pretty great, so now I have to get up the courage to cut into my fabric.
Looks great so far!!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would like to say before you cut into your fabric is to consider the cutting layout. I used a crepe-backed satin to make this gown and followed the cutting layout exactly.Because the bodice was cut along the grain and the skirt along the crossgrain (I hope the terminology is right) the bodice reflected light differently to the skirt and it was really obvious in some of the photos. The bodice looked like it was from a different length of fabric because of the colour variation.
ReplyDeleteaisling (patternreview/stitcher's guild)
Thanks for the hint! I will be using two separate fabrics for the bodice and skirt, so thankfully, I will not have this issue.
DeleteWith skirt pieces as large as these, the straight of grain and bias parts of the piece may have differences, but sometimes the changeable look of the fabric is fantastic, so it is a hard call to make. And then cameras sometimes bring things to light that the human eye would never detect, which is always fun.