Itch to Stitch Vikos Muslin 2...

 With my last Vikos muslin, I decided that I had started with the wrong size.  So, I reprinted the pattern using the following sizes - 12 from the bust up, 14 at the waist, 18 at the hip, and 18 at armscye/sleeve.  Here is the pattern work:

I almost enough of the same fabric as the first muslin so I went for it.  I just needed a small piece for the front facing.  Here is the result:

I think the fit in the shoulders look a little bit better.  Yes, I have the shoulder pinned.  I will explain further down.  

With the shoulder pinned, the dart placement looks pretty.  There are some weird wrinkles in the front and I am hoping that is because the shoulder has been pinned up without the sleeve area being dropped the same amount.

This picture shows that the left sleeve is still a bit tight.  I guess I will double check my measurements.  Maybe I need a larger armscye/sleeve.  

The dart placement is acceptable.  This shoulder might not be pinned up as much as the other as my husband did it for me.  

So, I decided to shave off 1/2-inch at the shoulder and moved the armscye down 1/2-inch.  Even though the sleeve on the left side looks very tight, it is actually comfortable.  I wore the muslin around the house for a couple of hours doing normal activities.

I think the third "muslin" will be from wearable fabric.  As, I think it fits fairly well and  it actually get boring stitching the same thing over and over.  My plan is one top and one dress for summer.  

Just for comparison, here is a picture of Muslin 1 and Muslin 2 side by side:

Thoughts?

Once I get this fitted, I should be able to knock off a top in about one hour.  This is a really well drafted top and I really like the look of it.  Take a look at the Itch to Stitch Vikos pdf pattern.

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Happy Stitching!

Itch to Stitch Vikos Muslin....

 I indulged in this pattern a year ago.  Here are the line drawings: 

This is the Itch to Stitch Vikos Top & Dress pdf pattern.  I love the simplicity of this pattern with two lengths and three sleeve variations there is plenty of options.  I chose a size 14 with DD cup.  I made changes to the pattern following the information the Karina at Pins & Needles provides in her fitting woven tops videos.  Here are the pattern changes:

To the front bodice, I reduced the length from the neckline to the bust point by two inches, then increased by 2 5/8" to move the waist line down.

I matched the changes from the front bodice to the back bodice at the side seams and then reduced the waistline changes at center back from 2 5/8 inches to 1 3/8".  

On the sleeve, I added width at the side seams.  

Digging through the stash produced a light weight woven fabric that I loved the color but knew I would never make anything to wear from it.  Cut everything out and stitched up.  Folks, this is a very easy pattern to stitch.  Once the fitting is good, sewing this could probably be no more than 1 to 1 1/2 hours and I am slow when it comes to sewing.

Here is my first muslin version:

I see a wrinkle that I am not familar with.  The one radiating from mid-armscye to the bust.  I will see if pinning the shoulder makes and changes to that.  I am also wondering if it might be too wide from armscye to armscye above the bust.   

I can see that the dart is a little too high.  I think I need to figure out if it is a bra issue or I need new measurements.  It could be both.  The left sleeve looks like it needs more room and I think I need more belly room. 

Yes, the left arm is definitely needing move space.  Although it does not feel like it needs it with the top on.  I need to figure out the diagonals wrinkles in the mid back.  I am hoping that is not an issue with my pattern alteration.

Definitely need more belly space.  I can not tell what is causing the diagonal lines in the back.  The front is most likely the dart misplacement and maybe needing more dart space.  

Conclusion:

1.  This is a well drafted pattern.

2.  I need to print another pattern so I can give myself more space in the waist and hip.  

3.  Figure out if the dart issue is my bra.  I will be able to see that is some of other summer dresses.  Otherwise, it is an easy fix to move the dart.

I am going to be honest.  If this was a fabric that I was willing to wear, I would probably wear this top as it currently is.  Why?  Because, I can not purchase stuff that fits better.  

The next version will be a size larger in the waist & hips.  I am going to go play with pinning the shoulder at the armscye and see if some of the issue is sloper slope. 

Maybe I should get my husband to help me make a sloper slope template and this issue could be corrected before cutting out.  Just a thought.

If you have any suggestions on my fitting, feel free to leave a comment.  

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Happy Stitching!

Rhapsody Muslin...

 I am starting my spring/summer sewing with the Love Notions Rhapsody Blouse.  Here is the line drawings:

This pattern has lots of options. There are two length options and nine sleeve options.  The muslin will be the cap sleeve with the neckline ties.  The fabric that I am going to use for the muslin is this fabric that I purchased earlier in March. When that fabric was washed, it turned into a nice piece of fabric.  

Here is a little look at my modified pattern:

Lots of length changes.  I have been following Karina at Lifting Pins and Needles and following her tips on making wovens tops.  So far, it has been worth the effort.  (Yes, I noticed that a kitty had been chewing on one of the pattern pieces.)

Here is the muslin:

Well after all the work, I realized that I had selected the wrong size for the top portion of the bodice.  I will not say that the top is tight but it is definitely too narrow.  Funny thing is that with every pattern from Love Notions I have made the same mistake but went up a size because I did not believe I could wear that size.  Now, I know for sure that my initial instinct was correct.  The top is always very long and needs 2 to 3 inches removed.

With luck, I will be able to reuse this fabric for another muslin.

Happy Stitching!

Round Two...Dana Point Top Muslin 2

 After looking over the photos from the first muslin of the Dana Point Top, I decided to try another muslin.  Here are the changes that I made to the pattern:

1.  Return the 3/4-inch to area above the bust both front/back

2.  Removed the 1/4-inch that had been added at the waist front/back.

3.  This is the biggy - added 1 1/2-inches to the length in the front by slicing through the bust point. This makes the dart bigger.

4.  Added 1/2-inch to the side seam below the dart. The alternative could be reducing the size of the pleats on the front.

Next, I checked the stash for a lightweight fabric that would have enough drape and I was willing to use as a muslin.  I have lots of fabric and not all of it is located at my house but I did not find anything  that I was willing to use in such a manner.  Walmart did have a fabric that should work just fine.  

The Walmart fabric was just as icky as the first muslin but it pressed better. Here are the pictures of the second muslin:

Well, this muslin looks a little bit better but I can see that the pulling up in the front and still swinging forward a little bit.  I need more length added to the front.  

This is a really good example of the differences that bras make when taking measurements.  When I have a better fitting bra on, the darts are in the correct spot.  Just saying, wear the same bra for any fittings and wearing. 

I have officially given up on this pattern.  It was a fun experiment to step a little outside my comfort zone with a different sleeveless top pattern than my Phoebe Tank.  

Review of the pattern:

The pattern is well drafted.  The instructions are good.  Since I never made a completed top, it is hard for me to say much about the lining portion of the pattern.  I do think that the lining would not show on this pattern unless you did not follow the instructions.  

Happy Stitching!

Muslin Dana Point Top...

 I recently purchased the Itch to Stitch Dana Point Top pdf.  It was a summer special. I decided to play with fit up front before cutting any fabric.  When we purchase patterns, we usually purchase by the horizontal measurements but the vertical measurements are just as important.  So, I decided to follow along with the Lifting Pins and Needles "Let's Sew Our Best Fitting Top" series.  To follow along with the series, work from the bottom upward. 

Here is a line drawing of the Itch to Stitch Dana Point Top pdf:

I decided to print a size 12 and 16.  I used the 12 in the top portion and the 16 from the armscye to bottom.  Here are the changes that I made based on the measurements that I took:

1.  Took 1-inch out of the front armscye.

2.   Took 3/4-inch from the area just above the bust dart front and back.

3.  Add 1/4-inch at the waist front and back.

All of these changes make the assumption that I took all of my vertical measurements correctly.  I did remeasure with each change that I made as I made the changes starting from the shoulder. I did pick and incredibly terrible polyester fabric from my stash to make this muslin.  Here is the first muslin:

When I made this I purposefully put the details on the outside and hemmed the neck and armscye.  The neckline is really puffy, the dart is too long, and the whole dart seems to be too high.  Then, I decided that the top could really benefit from me turning it to the inside out so that the pleats and dart would be inside.  Unfortunately that means that all of my level markings are no longer visible.  Here is the top turned:

The top looks a little better with the pleats to the inside.  However, you can really see that the top is swinging forward and out.  No doubt in my mind that I need to add more length but it looks like a lot of length and I'm not sure I can fix it.  It feels like adding the length will mess with the pleat placement on the belly. Maybe I'm wrong was the waist line is pointed upward.  

Maybe I will look around and see if I can find a draping, lightweight fabric and do another muslin.  A drapier fabric will allow the pleats to hang better.  What are you thoughts?

Happy Stitching!

Muslin...Duet Trousers

 I decided it was time to work on pants again.  My chunkiness makes it hard to fit pants.  Here is my first muslin of the Love Notions Duet Trousers in a woven at knee length with no changes:

The front is not too bad.  Honestly if I was out shopping for pants and they fit like this in the front, I would buy them.  The rise feels a little short.  It does not feel bad it just feels like the waistband is in the wrong place.

Now I am starting to see a few issues on this left side view.  I can see that the darts are too long since they should end at the start of the curve and not the bottom of the curve.  We will investigate the wrinkles a bit more with the next picture.

Now the wrinkles are really showing up.  I am going to start with releasing the seam in the crotch area and see what it looks like.  Most likely I will add some length to the top as there is not any sitting here. The dart length definitely needs to be shortened .

The wrinkles are not as obvious in right side view.  

Here are the items that will definitely be changed in the next of the same muslin:

1.  Shorten back darts.

2.  Release the crotch points.

3.  Check fit and decide whether to add length as an insert all the way around or in the middle to nothing at the sides.  This will be done directly on the muslin.

4. Check fit again with length changes added.

I am always interested in hearing your on fitting.  Feel free to leave comments.

Happy Stitching!

Seamwork Rhett Muslin Round 3

The next round of changes to the Rhett jacket are here.  I basted all of the previous changes in so I could see what was going on.  Starting with the back:

The back looks reasonably well.  It might be a little wide on me but I am going with it.  There is 1/2-inch rounded back adjustment about 1 1/2" from the neckline.  Here's some side shots:

This side shot looks much better than the side shots without the dart.  I think the pinned in dart looks like it is a bit too long.  I think it will be backed off by 1/2-inch.  

With the exception of the "pocket hack", I think this jacket is ready.  I will be working on the pattern changes.  This is actually the hard part.  Some changes affect others so, I will need to get that worked out and hope that the changes from the muslin to the pattern translate well.  Here's links to the other posts on the Rhett jacket:

Round 1 - straight from the pattern

Round 2 - some of the changes.

Happy Stitching!

Seamwork Rhett Muslin Round 2....

 After looking closely at the pictures from Round 1, I decided to make minor changes to this round.  Here's a glimpse:

The changes to the muslin here are:

1.  added collar

2.  added sleeve hems and jacket hem

3.  Remove 1" from each shoulder seam.

I think that the shoulder seams are in a better place now.  I really should have been the tuck down a bit further but we'll save that for the next round. I'm not sure about the length shown here.  Let's see what the side view looks like:

Now from the side with my hair out of the way, you can see two things:

1. The collar is standing away from my neck which indicates that I need a rounded back adjustment.

2. The front is much shorter and appears to stand away from my body which indicates that a bust dart is required.  This will added length where is it needed.

I think I am okay with the sleeve length.  It is a little bit long but not some much that I want to do something about it.  Really, this is not a bad list of changes.  It will be important to do them in order though as the round back adjustment will make the jacket fit a little bit differently in the front.  

I am going to say that I have never shortened a shoulder seam before.  Nothing like learning something new.  I will actually be following information provided in the classroom section of Seamwork for this modification but I found similar information at Curvy Sewing Collective here.

I am a member at Seamwork.  The classroom is part of the subscription.  If you were to use one of the Seamwork links here to purchase a monthly or yearly subscription, you would get a $3 discount and I will get a small benefit.

Happy Stitching!

Seamwork Rhett Muslin Round 1...

 I started my next project for my Design My Wardrobe plan.  Here's the line drawing:

This is the Seamwork Rhett jacket.  Originally, I was going to make the view with the square pockets on the left.  Then I discovered this hack:

This hack has hidden front pockets.  This hack is found in the magazine.  So, here's round 1:

The front of the jacket isn't too bad.  You can see that the indications that a bust dart is needed.  Looks like the shoulder is too long.

Here's two views of the side.  The view with my arm down definitely shows that a dart is needed.  I am not sure what to do about the puffiness on the back near the bottom of the sleeve.  I didn't actually wear the muslin long enough to know whether or not I need to add a round back adjustment.  Let's see what the back looks like:

The back just looks too big.  Maybe that is the puffiness that I noted form the side view.  There may be a need for a round back adjustment.  I think I need to find something to get my hair off my neck so I can see what is going on.  

I'm off to make changes to this particular muslin and see how it turns out.  I will definitely reduce the length of the shoulder since that seems to be affecting so much; add the collar so I can see how the collar is actually hanging; baste in the hems.  I think that is enough for Round 2.

Just so you know.  I only make one muslin unless the size is extremely off.   A muslin that is too small just won't work.  A muslin that is too large will be easier to deal with but will require too many changes.  I am not looking for perfect because I am not sure it exists.

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Happy Stitching!

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Dorian Pant Muslin...

This is my first Seamwork pant pattern.  I'm not sure what I expected to see with the Dorian muslin but I was pleasantly surprised.  Here's the pant made up straight from the pattern without the details:

Sorry for the belly shot but I have to be able to see the pant.  The front looks pretty good.

I see a tad of wrinkling under the seat.  I know how the fix that.

Now, I am starting see a couple of issues.  I can see pulling from the back to the front.

A little more pulling.

The changes I am going to make are:

1.  a small little dart across the seat,
2.  add a little bit of width to the front of the pant.

Here's the revisions:

Front still looks fairly good.  I took the front seam from 5/8" to 1/2" giving me an additional 1/2" across the front.

That tiny little dart (1/2" total) across the seat was all I needed to get the wrinkles to disappear.  I couldn't be happier with that.

Left side, I'm still seeing a tiny bit of pulling.  I will need to decide whether or not I can live with it.

Right side, still seeing a tiny bit of pulling.  I will need to decide whether or not I can live with it.

Overall, I really couldn't be happier with these pants.  Frankly, I would have purchased them if I had found a pair of pants that fit that well.

Happy Stitching!

PS...After looking closer at the pictures, I will add a little bit more width to the front.