FO: Grassy Hollyburn

Dude I made something! lol. Like I said in my sweater planning post a week or so ago, I am participating in the Outfit Along again this year :) This year's sewing pattern is the Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic Patterns (Tasia - I miss you already!) which coincidentally has been at the top of my "to sew" pile for months now. I held off buying this pattern for years since it's such a basic silhouette and I already have a zillion patterns, but after years of bloggers singing this skirt's praises, I finally succumbed when Craftsy put their Hollyburn Skirt Kit on deep discount a few months ago (I got it with a different fabric than that link shows). While I'm still deliberating what stash fabric will go with my sparkly coral cardigan, I wanted to try out the pattern to check for fit issues and whatnot before using my kit fabric anyway - technically this would qualify as a muslin, but in all honesty I went into this project expecting a wearable item with no problems (first sign of a problem right there). Things didn't quite turn out that way, but I was able to make it wearable. First, let's look at my new skirt:

Knowing this pattern calls for drapey fabrics, I came across this thrifted grass green colored linen-look fabric in my stash and knew it was meant to be. I've waxed poetic about linen-look material before when I made my first Peggy Skirt (which was made under similar conditions with wanting a wearable muslin and grabbing some thrifted fabric). Guys, this fabric seems to have it all - nice drape, good weight for a bottom, the flowy feel and breath-ability of linen, wrinkle resistant. All great things in my book. 

So on the pattern - I think my favorite feature is the pockets - they are just a great shape and size. They're at a good angle too so they are still flattering on hippy bodies. Frankly, I think the skirt looks better across the front when my hands are in the pockets - not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, lol. 

The thing I don't really love about the front (which I suspected when the design was first released) is the center front seam. I just try to avoid them at all costs. Something about a line down your middle really messes with my head. It would be one thing if the seam would lay flat, but since the panels are cut on a bias and the fabric has so much drape there is always a congregation of fabric right there and it kind of bugs me.

See - hands in pockets flattens out that seam and makes it less obvious. I can absolutely see why this seam needs to be there, but in a perfect world I would try to get rid of it (which I think would just mean I'd be making a half or quarter circle skirt).

So what went wrong with my muslin? I got the whole thing put together and I was adding the zipper (one of the final steps) only to try it on and discover it was in no way big enough for me. Like, even the seam allowance held out all the way would hardly meet. There was nothing I could do at that point because the waistband was only so long. I made a quick decision to still use everything and make this fit - make an "exposed zipper".

By using the entire seam allowance plus the width of the zipper tape, the skirt just barely fit. And I do mean barely, lol. This is certainly not a skirt for a large meal - or any meal at all really. To make this work, I folded the zipper opening so the raw edges were just barely tucked under, then I used Wondertape to place the edges along the outermost edge of the zipper tape. I top stitched with a zipper foot as close to the edge as possible. Once it was done, I noticed I missed the zipper tape along the waistband area, so I had to go back and hand sew that on both sides to make sure. Then I went back just for security and top stitched as close as possible again. It's not incredibly attractive, but who's going to look that close at my lower back?

I got pretty creative with my iron to angle the bottom toward the center back seam, but it's not too bad. I'm calling this a "design feature", lol. I will say I'm pretty pleased with how level I got the top of the zipper tape at the waist edge - hand sewing was the only option there. Generally I don't love how I finish that area off simply because I don't know how, but this one is nice and even.

My jerry-rigging got the skirt to wearable status :) I totally adore the color of this skirt, plus it looks amazing with my multi colored Swedish Hasbeens AND my yellow ones. Plus it will go with my crazy Parrot Miss L Fires too. Score!

Realistically, this is how I will wear the skirt. The above shots took some sucking in of the tummy to look ok, lol. It looks alright with an untucked shirt, but it would be better if I could get it to drop a bit in the waist - which will occur when the waistband isn't so snug. If it drops a bit, you can see the pockets too which really are what makes this skirt interesting. As far as other details go, I did hand stitch the waistband closed (shocker for me, seriously), and I tried a machine blind hem but this fabric is so bouncy that it looked horrible. I just went with a top stitched hem and I think it looks fine especially given my creativity at the zipper.

So, even though this project didn't turn out exactly as I hoped, I still have a fun, wearable item to wear on occasion :) I love the fun color and that it's a solid because it makes this a blank canvas for fun accessories and sweaters (I'm wearing an enamel cuckoo clock necklace, lol). Plus it's nice and swishy! Here's to learning lessons to be fixed on the next version! And please think good thoughts for me deciding on a fabric for the outfit along, lol.

Summary:
Fabric: 3 yards of grass green linen-look fabric - $1.00
Pattern: Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic Patterns
Notions: 9" zipper - $0.10, thread - old stash (free)
Hours: 6
Total Cost: $1.10 - Woo hoo!

*Craftsy links are affiliate links, but I purchased this pattern with my own money and all opinions are 100% my own.

WIP Wednesday: It's All Happening!

Hello, All! It's been a pretty momentous week around these parts because ...

I finished knitting my Emelie cardigan! It's a miracle! To be real, I do still need to re-knit the bind off on the button band, but still - the main knitting is done and I'm so excited. I started this project last August (ugh!), so this has been a much anticipated sweater. This is my first fingering weight sweater, and I learned quite a bit in the process.

I included a more lightened version of the photo just so you can see what I mean. It's not awful, but the button band bind off just doesn't stretch quite enough, so I'm going to take it out and redo it. I'm not looking forward to this, lol, but after a year of work I'd rather not think I wish I had done something to fix it while I wear it. I'm hoping to buckle down and get this done this next week so I can get it finished before the one year mark (August 17th). We'll see ...

Also I completely lost steam on my project for the Ami-Along. It's really cute! I just lost all desire to crochet for some reason. He just needs to be sewn together and get ears and he's done, so this is seriously a half hour away from completion. Hopefully I feel up to it soon so he doesn't remain headless, lol.

 I also cast on a new project (I'm in a very "plan future projects" mood lately). This is the Nosegay Vest by Andi Satterlund, and I'm joining in the knit-along for this one. I loved this design when it was released, so when Andi announced the knit-along I decided it was a good opportunity to get this made up. This project will be a few firsts for me - it's my first vest and it's also my first colorwork. I've watched the Intarsia class on Craftsy, but I've still never officially used the technique, so I figured I would just go whole hog and have this be my first project. Another factor in making this vest is that I'm actually able to make it entirely out of stash yarn - yay! The color section on the rose will use Cascade 220 Superwash (in Strawberry Pink, Daffodil, and Salmon) and Lion Brand Wool-Ease (in Avocado). The body is where I ran into a smidge of a snag. I had two skeins of I Love This Wool yarn in Winter White from Hobby Lobby that I've acquired over the years - the two skeins are different dye lots, but close - the problem is that the vest requires a bit more yarn than just those two skeins. I went to Hobby Lobby to get one more skein ... only to discover that they have discontinued this yarn! They had other colors in the sale section, but none that I could use.

. 

So I returned to my stash and dug out all my skeins of white/natural colored wool to compare. The closest color I had was a skein of Patons Classic Worsted Wool in Aran, and I decided to just go with it and alternate skeins every two rows. This complicated my yarn pulling arrangement to be sure, but it's manageable as long as I stay on top of things. Now I'm just trying to decide if I like how the vest is looking. It's not just the color - the yarns are different plys, so it's coming out like a subtle stripe in the fabric. I included a blown up photo to show what I mean. I've only knitted the bottom ribbing so far, so I'm going to go a bit further into the stockinette section before I make my official Yay of Nay decision. I want to see if the stripe gives a "kettle dyed" look, or just looks silly, you know? Wish me luck!

On the sewing front, I've been very busy but with not much to show for it. I've had McCall's 6503 on my list for years - I really want to make view D in a navy blue cotton. I already have everything I need for the official dress in my stash. I made my first muslin in the size that I usually do for Simplicity patterns about a month or two ago and it was enormous (this is my first time with a McCall's pattern). I was frustrated back then, so I just kind of chucked the muslin aside and went on to the next project. I decided to try again in a smaller size this past week, so I checked the finished garment measurements before cutting and put together a smaller size. It came out too small! RRrrrrr.... I voiced my frustration on Instagram, and a few very kind sewing bloggers tried to help me out (thanks Gillian and Brooke!), sadly I was so not in the mood to work on it further at that point that I didn't delve that deep into the adjustments. I did try an experiment and used the midriff band from the previous larger size muslin on the new, smaller muslin and that actually seemed to solve the too small problem really well. Now I have my usual hollow chest adjustment to make, but on a bodice that has no darts I have no idea how to accomplish this. The other ladies told me where I could find the info I need, so I know for next time. I've just been distracted by the new and shiny things ever since, so I haven't bothered with this any further. Hopefully I get in a more "get this figured out" mood soon.

On my sewing table right now is a freshly traced Sorrel top pattern I just grabbed yesterday. I just couldn't resist the Sew Independent pattern bundle that's up for grabs right now (today is the last day if you want it). Of course the patterns I loved the most were in the highest price bracket, lol. Anyway, I really loved the Sorrel top with it's neat inset collars. I love a good t-shirt, and this one just has such neat options. I printed it out right away, put it together last night and traced off my size. I've already pulled out a dark teal interlock fabric for the body and a blue floral t-shirt for the collar - both of these were thrifted so I'm ok with using them as a wearable muslin. I've never made anything with inset pieces like this before, so I'm curious to see how I manage. Hopefully I can make this up after work tonight :)

I'm also REALLY excited that I finally have a copy of Butterick 6217. I've been trying to buy this pattern for months at the pattern sales, but it's always been completely gone or only available in the small size. My sister found this one and grabbed it for me this weekend and I was so so happy, lol. I have 2.5 yards of that same rose print swiss dot fabric just begging to be made int o this shirt. I can't wait! I also have about 3 other dresses floating around in my head that I really want to make up. If only I could just sew and not worry about working or any issues with fitting, amiright?! I would be so productive then. Anyway, I'm sure this pattern isn't far off in my future :)

Phew! That was a long one! That's what's happening over in my neck of the woods. Head over to Gracey's Goodies if you'd like to see what some other knitters have in the works as well :)

FO: Ruched-Sleeve Renfrew - Experiment 1

After my last t-shirt sewing project ended up being a dud, I decided to finally try to copy one of my favorite ready-to-wear shirts. I have a Philosophy brand top with a scoop neck and short ruched sleeves that got regular wear for almost a year (until a recent bleaching accident *sniff*). I liked the shirt so much that last April I bought it in 3 different fabric patterns. I've worn each shirt quite a bit over the past year, but they are getting a little ratty and I wanted that silhouette still in my wardrobe. This innocent desire lead to a not-so-successful experiment, but not entirely unfruitful. Spoiler - this shirt is also a fail for me, but not in the way of my last one. Anyway, I guess I should show you the shirt first, huh?

Not too awful, but certainly not the most flattering thing I've ever worn. The sleeve problems just make it look dumpy in my opinion. Anyway, back to the story and I will get to the dumpy sleeves soon, I promise.

I started out with the Renfrew pattern from Sewaholic because it's a good basic design and I've figured out the fit on it pretty well now. Then I started looking for tutorials on how to change the sleeves. Jo's Blog has a great list of resources from various sources around the internet which I highly recommend if you want to do a little t-shirt pattern modification. On the link for gathered sleeves, there is a link to this vintage tutorial which is what I used to draft my new sleeve.

I copied the sleeve to new tissue, then slashed and spread the sleeve cap to give it about 1/2" between each strip at the top of the sleeve. This will give me the puff I wanted, but I also wanted to ruche the center of the sleeve. To figure out how much ruching I wanted, I just stretched out the elastic on the inspiration t-shirt and measured, then added that distance to the center of the sleeve and used a French curve ruler to draw a new hem line. In theory this is still the correct way to accomplish what I wanted. So next I grabbed a thrifted jersey material I didn't mind losing if this didn't work and set to work. I sewed the neckline, but I wanted to add bust ruching as well - I love the Renfrew pattern, but some of the others I've made ended up with an odd-height-neckline. I'm not wanting to flash my cleavage or anything, but there is a certain point that a shirt can end that is flattering and higher than that plane just doesn't look right on me. So, instead of lowering the neckline like I had on other versions, I decided to ruche the center to echo the sleeves. To do this, I used elastic thread in the bobbin of my machine (hand wound so preserve its elasticity) and sewed a simple 2 inch line down the center front. It looked great - just a bit of ruching like I wanted - so I moved on. I sewed the whole body, then did the same elastic-thread-in-the-bobbin trick on the sleeve while it was still a flat piece, then gathered the puff sleeves and sewed them on. I hemmed the sleeves and bottom hem and only then did I try the shirt on.

One thing I forgot to pay attention to before starting this shirt is the stretch percentage of the material I was using. This jersey is much more rigid than any other I've used, meaning it just flat out doesn't stretch all that much. The shirt still fits, but it's not quite as comfy as I'd hoped. The problems began when I looked down and saw that the boob-ruching that looked so nice on my dress form was completely stretched out and just looked like a sad line of stitching on my body. The shirt needed more room for the ruching to ruche, if you get my drift. "No matter," I thought," I'll just unpick that since the sleeves was what I really wanted ruched anyway." Then I looked at the sleeves ...

My sleeves just look like a sad, wrinkled mess on my arm. Due to the lack of stretch, the sleeve is tighter than normal, causing the fabric to suction down on my arm. The elastic thread has a weaker recovery than the rigid jersey so instead of the sleeves pulling upward like they do when not worn, the sleeve just tries its best to stretch and accommodate my arm. It's not that my arms are Hulk-ing out of the shirt or anything, it's just that the tightness of the sleeve beats out the stretch the elastic can maintain, so the sleeves end up a weird length that dips down a bit in the center :(

Here's all my pretty details. I did everything by the book since I was so sure this would work out at least to something wearable. Look how nice the sleeve gathers up when it's not on my arm! On someone a size smaller than me, the sleeves would probably be really cute. Alas, it just was not meant to be this time. I also included a pic of the insides with the elastic thread. I did it this was because this is the exact construction of my ready-to-wear top, but now I'm wondering if using clear elastic wouldn't have worked better on this firm fabric? I'll have to give that a try next time around. This was a super easy technique to try though, so if you have the inclination, I definitely recommend it. Just make sure your jersey is stretchy enough :) To be truthful, I think the fabric may be a bit too juvenile for me anyway, so I'm really not heartbroken this shirt didn't work out. OH, I will say though - this was my first time using a lightning bolt stitch instead of a zigzag when sewing knits and what a revelation that was! It's lightning bolt all the way from here on out!

So there you have it - an experimental muslin that did not turn out but that will yield successful makes in the future from what I learned. That counts from something, right?! I'm excited to try my sleeve idea on a lighter fabric, maybe the boob-gathers too, we'll see. Even The Gordo doesn't look like he knows what to say about this shirt. You can't win 'em all!

Summary:

Fabric: 1 yard thrifted floral print heavy jersey - $0.25
Pattern: Renfrew by Sewaholic, Sleeves altered to be puffed and ruched
Hours: 2
Total Cost: $0.25

FO: My First Peggy Skirt

You guys ... I sewed something! It's a miracle, I know. With all my home improvements I've been working on since the new year, I've had very little time to devote to any projects other than a little bit of knitting before bedtime. This past week though, in an effort to practice some "selfish sewing" for Selfish Sewing Week, I finally spent a few nights to myself doing what I wanted to do ... which was sewing this skirt.

This is my first go at the Peggy Skirt pattern from Blue Ginger Doll. The Peggy skirt is a high waisted design that has super cute pockets, subtle front pleats, and 3 waistband options. I had loved the many iterations of this from Mary at Idle Fancy, so when I saw there was a big sale before Christmas I decided to bite the bullet and purchased the pdf pattern. I promptly put the pdf together and traced off my size, then life got crazy and it sat unused in my drawer. I have some burnt orange corduroy fabric with a matching lining that I've had in mind since December, but I wanted to do a true muslin just to sort out the fit before cutting into that. This past week, since I already had the pattern ready to go it was the obvious choice to maximize my sewing time. Also, since this is a "pattern I already have", I'm gonna throw this baby in the pot for the Stashbusting Challenge too. Why not, right?

Since this was meant as a muslin, I just made the straight waistband without the optional tabs to keep it focused on fitting. I dug through my thrifted fabric stash and found this poly "linen look" fabric in a deep navy blue. I had 2 yards of 60" wide, and since I paid maybe $1 for the whole cut I wouldn't be too upset if I hated the result. So, I cut in and set to work. According to the finished measurements, I cut out the size 18 and added about 1" to the waist and hip just to make sure.

As show above, my absolute favorite detail about this pattern is the pockets! They are so fun! They are at a nice angle so they don't really add additional bulk to the hip - in fact, I can still put things in the pocket and you can't see it from the front: magic! The only qualm I had about this pattern is that the pdf is all in black with no different types of lines or anything to show which markings go to which size. This wasn't a big deal at first since I was making the largest size, but when it came to the notches on the waistband, I was completely lost. It's just a sea of little triangles with no indication as to what size they belong to. Other than the center front, I was completely alone as to which  notch to line up with, so I just made due. This ended up not working out so great. I've message Blue Ginger Doll asking about the notches, but I haven't heard anything back yet. (Anyone out there who has the printed pattern that would be willing to share this info would immediately receive hero status with me!)

Once I had the skirt all put together except for the waistband, I put it on, zipped it up, and watched it promptly fall off of me. I really have no idea how it came out so big! I went according to the finished measurements and my waist is 1" thicker than the largest size, so adding an inch seemed the reasonable thing to do. Well, I went back to my sewing table and drew the original pattern cutting lines on in chalk, recut the sides, unpicked and resewed them, then tried it again. It stayed on that time, but I was getting some weird "wings" of fabric at my hips. I pinched out another full inch at the hip, grading up to nothing at the waist. I still have to measure to see what size I officially ended up with, but it was definitely smaller than the 18. So strange. Since the skirt was too big, the waistband was most definitely too big as well. The problem is that this waistband has no easing anywhere, so you really can't fudge the fit. I just matched the center front notches, sewed it on and hoped for the best. I ended up with a huge overlap at the back closure - so much that I was trying to enclose the bottom of the tab ... and it did not look good at all. I ended up just fudging it, so now my waistband is a bit loose at the top edge and it closes with two hooks and eyes instead of a button. Oh well, I just wear it with my shirt un-tucked as seen above.

The only unfortunate part of this loose waistband issue is that it leaves a decided line under my shirt here. Eh, I still like the skirt, so it's not that big a deal. I think I'll try to angle the top next time around though.

Here's a close up of the front and back of the skirt. The only bad part about having to take it in so much is that the edge of the pocket does tend to stick straight out when worn - it's not a big deal and I know if the pockets were moved inward slightly this wouldn't happen, so at least I know for next time. Since I was just making a muslin and I wasn't in the mood to figure out a lapped zipper like the pattern calls for, I just did a regular slotted seam insertion and it looks just fine to me.

And here are some close ups of the details. No joke, I had this zipper that matched my fabric exactly and was the exact 7" length I needed. How awesome is that?! This zipper is from the 60s or 70s and cost me a whopping 10¢ - yeah baby! I finished all my inside seams with pinking shears, and cheated with the waistband - the pattern tells you to fold it under and hand stitch it down to enclose everything ... yeah, that wasn't going to happen, lol. I just folded it under, pinned it down, and stitched in the ditch from the front. It's not perfect inside, but I don't really care since it's a wearable muslin. I LOVE the topstitching at the pockets, though next time I think I'll pull it in closer to the edge. And I used a machine blind hem which I have to say came out PERFECT on this make. Gotta love a textured fabric for making your blind hem truly disappear, amiright?

Now that it's made and I've worn it a few times, I kind of wish I'd gone the extra mile and lined this skirt. The fabric was a beast to work with - it unravelled like nobody's business and I had to use a clapper to get any of the seams to sit flat. I am surprised now though at how much this feels like linen when I wear it. It's very flowy and bouncy, so it drapes nicely and makes this skirt very flattering. Oh, and I should also mention that I chopped several inches off the hem as well - the pattern is made to be a mid-calf length, but that length really wasn't doing me any favors. I chopped it to mid-knee length instead and I love where it hits now.

In the end, I am really pleased with this skirt :) Not only do I know I'll there will be more Peggys in my future, but I now have a new appreciation for "linen look" poly fabrics. I've worn this skirt twice already and only have minor wrinkles at the waistband and that's only because it's such a high waist. Try saying that for real linen! Also, I have to say I love how it looks with my favorite Anthropologie sweater (a birthday splurge last year for their sale section) and my new Swedish Hasbeens - I know, I'm so trendy! lol Does this mean I'm officially a member of the sewing blogger club with these shoes? I bought two pair thanks to the heads up from Heather at Closet Case Files about their major sale a month ago. I'm completely hooked now!

Here's to more Peggy skirts and more cute shoes!

Summary:
Fabric: 1.75 yards deep navy "linen look" polyester from thrift store, $1.00
Notions: 7" deep navy zipper plus hooks and eyes, 25¢
Pattern: Peggy Skirt from Blue Ginger Doll pdf, $9.45
Hours: About 6, but 2 hours of that was from having to adjust the fit so much

WIP Wednesday: Progress and New Projects

Well, I've managed to keep my knitting pace steady ... until this past Monday (but I'll tell you about that in a minute). On Sunday night I made a thrilling yet terrifying progression on my Emelie cardigan - I separated at the arm holes!

Technically I have deviated from my original plan for this sweater over the past week, lol. I measured the body and it was 11" long sometimes about a week ago - this is where I was originally going to separate for the arm holes. I decided to hold it up on my body to double check and while the length was ok, it hit me that I've only made cropped cardigans and it sure would be nice to switch it up a bit, lol. So, I kept knitting until I hit the next length up - 13". The pattern then has you put the left front and back on scrap yarn (I use extra cables thanks to my amazing needle set), and just work on the right front.

That's an arm hole alright! I did manage to screw up the armhole pretty quickly and had to tink back about 6 rows (including bound off stitches - ugh). I was really excited to make this great step in the progress of this sweater, but at the same time I am terrified that the length isn't right, lol. I've never made a bottom-up cardigan before and that is definitely one of the main draw backs in my opinion - no length tweaking. Hopefully I got it right though :) I'm excited to keep going.

Monday night brought a sudden change in my routine. Colette Patterns sent out the sneak peek of their newest pattern, Dahlia, and I was immediately in love. I quickly (and responsibly) searched through My Pattern Stash just to make sure I didn't already have anything similar, then snapped that baby up. Because I signed up for the sneak peek, I got a special discount so I snagged the pdf for $8.80 - sweet! I immediately printed it out, put it together, and traced off my size(s). (I traced the 14 and 16 in two colors on the bodice because I straddle the sizes so I can try to see how it ends up). Then last night I cut out my muslin from a sexy thrifted sheet of the 1970s. Brown and orange plaid, mmm... lol.

I managed to get the darts and boob gathers sewn before I needed to go pick up something exciting from a friend :) I'm really curious how this will end up fitting straight off the bat. I've learned a new trick for my hollow chest adjustment that is about 10 times easier than what I was doing, lol, so I'm going to try that out probably. I can't wait to have more time to spend on this project. I even have

fabric in mind for my first version:

Remember my Sewing Studio Haul from this past July? I had plans for everything picture here except for the green/gray/black check fabric on the bottom left. I knew I wanted to make it a dress and use the black batiste above it for the waistband, but I hadn't picked out a pattern yet. The green check fabric was an industry remnant, so I don't know the fiber content but it drapes beautifully like a rayon. So, my plan is to make the Dahlia with the sleeved top and gored skirt out of this :) Even better - Colette Patterns made a guide to using plaids or stripes with this dress and you can download it for free, so I know this will come in handy on this fabric as well.

So, that's what I am up to this week :) I've actually been doing more (non-crafty) things as well, but I will report on them later. Tami doesn't seem to do the WIP Wednesday link ups anymore, but you may get lucky and see more links later here.

Muslin Monday - Simplicity 2444

No, this will not be a regular Monday post, lol. I just love alliteration :)

Well it seems I really have the sewing bug again. With all the cute printed cottons I've splurged on lately, I knew I needed a simple pattern that wouldn't break up the patterns to much (so I wouldn't have to match the print so much - I'm lazy, lol). Enter Simplicity 2444, the work horse of the sewing blog world. I've had this pattern for literally years and I never have put it together. I pulled it out of the stash and finally got my rear in gear. I would "allow" myself a tid bit of time each night last week to work on sewing in between other things I needed to do (like clean). I ended up prepping/tracing my pattern pieces one night, cutting out the muslin a night or two later, and finally sewing it up on Sunday before church.

Once it was put together, I was able to diagnose my issues. I'm beginning to notice I have some "usual" adjustments that I will probably have to make to every pattern forever. I had some gaping at the neck, so I did a 1.5" hollow chest adjustment - I just pinched out the excess and pinned it down, then made that my new center fold line of my pattern. I also had to go up to the next size - I was trying to compensate for the extra 4 inches of ease the big 4 pattern companies add and apparently I went down too much. I also had to lengthen the bodice by 2.25 inches - no seriously! I've never really thought of myself as long in the torso, but that was just to get it to hit my actual waist. Because I changed the angle of the center line, I wanted to adjust the darts back to where they were since they really did hit me perfectly right off the bat. Also, I had to extend the darts down to the new waistline. So, I measured the original distance of the darts from the center and shifted them accordingly. Then I lined up the original dart points with the new shifted spots on the waistline and drew a new dart. They seem pretty crazy long, but it did the job. I redrew the pattern with the new adjustments, and ended up with this:

Kind of a creepy smile, but I think it's obvious that I'm pleased, lol. This new muslin is almost perfect. I never tried to sit down with my first muslin on, and I realized that I need a tad more ease in the waist. I also had drawn the sleeves in the smaller size and I think I'll just go up to the next larger for ease of movement. I don't want to have to readjust the whole dress all the time when I raise my hands above my bust. It may look a little more wrinkly under the bust while I'm standing, but at least I know I will be able to move without worrying about it.

After all the problems I had on Butterick 5982, I am really excited to have a pattern I feel I know how to diagnose and fit correctly. Now I'm torn as to which fabric I'll use as the first full test! I am actually so excited that I may end up with 15 dresses from this pattern, lol, we shall see.

WIP Wednesday

Things are progressing (if a little slower) on my Miette Cardigan :) I've almost finished on sleeve.

To confess - the reason I haven't gotten more done this week on the sweater is ... I've been sewing! Well, more like prepping for sewing :)

I suddenly had the urge to sew up this pattern ... so I went with it :) This is the first time that I started a project completely the correct way: with a muslin (which is a mock-up of the item sewn with different fabric to check the fit before making the real thing). And my first muslin looked like this:

This is why we make muslins, lol. Yeah, that wouldn't look so good. Not only was it was too big, but it was gaping like crazy at the top too, which is why that flap is pinned down the center. I drew that blue line to show the edge of that flap - crazy! It turns out I have what is called a "hollow chest", lol. Maybe that explains why I can be a little heartless (ba-zing!). Anyway, I tried a few different "tricks" I found online to fix it, with no real luck until I watched my Fast Track Fitting class on Craftsy and saw someone else asked about the same problem. The proper fix is to make a muslin, pin out the excess, and then treat that as your new center fold line. So finally on my third muslin, I got this:

Woo hoo! Much better :) To get to this point, I took out that big wedge from the center (almost 5" at the neckline!), added 1/2" just above the sleeve hole, and lengthened the bottom by 2 5/8".  After all these changes, I had to "true" my pattern at the shoulder and neck so that it would still work ok, and then I had to add 2 darts to the upper back too because apparently I'm a hunch back, lol, and I had to lengthen the other pieces to match that 2 5/8". Also I had to go 2 pattern sizes down from what I first cut out (which was the size the pattern said my measurements would be - they added 4 inches of ease into the bodice! Crazy!)So last night I made up my final pattern and it looks like this:

Just to show you, here is my new bodice front pattern piece next to the original one from the pattern:

Isn't that crazy? I feel like a narrow-fronted giant with no waist when I look at this picture, lol, but at least I know it will fit properly so that's all that matters. After all those nights of working on this, and tracing/altering the pattern pieces at least 5 or 6 times each, my poor sewing room is in shambles. Here is my chair:

My 3 muslins are draped on the top (all with zippers and everything), and my many pattern pieces are just piled in the chair. And check out the floor:

Yeah, I look like a total slob, I know, but once one piece didn't make it in the can, I just went with it. I'll be doing a full scale tidying tonight. But after that, I am ready to cut my real fabric! I'm so excited to have this pattern fitted - it's such a basic design I know I will be able to make many iterations of it in different fabrics. I'm still a little weary of it not fitting quite right, so my first dress will be made with some thrift store mint green gingham seer-sucker that I grabbed for 75¢ for all 3 yards. It may end up a little cutesy, but I like it and also I won't be heart broken if it doesn't work out great. I'm also using a white sheet set from the clearance section at Target that I got eons ago, so all in all a really cheap make :)

I'm excited to get this baby made up! I can't wait!

That's what I'm working on this week. Head over to Tami's Amis' Blog to see what others have in the works!