Sunday, December 26, 2010

Muslin Hell

The jacket was supposed to be the easy part.

It's only meant to coordinate with the dress, not show it up. It's meant to be a simple style, a solid color.

A non-challenging project.

Hah.

Four patterns and three muslins later, I was no closer to a wearable idea of a jacket than when I was sitting surrounded by patterns and magazines and a few yards of intact muslin.

The first muslin, not pictured, was a jacket I'd made before, just in a larger size to accommodate my apparently larger person. I wasn't head over heels about the jacket before, but it was the right general style and the right length, and I figured I could play around with it.

But it didn't look right, either on me, or over the dress, so out it went.

Muslin 2 was too boxy. I looked like a cube. Hell, even Evelyn looked like a cube in it.

And so it's gone.

I had great hopes for Muslin 3. First off, it was a BWOF pattern, and they generally fit me pretty well. They also seem to think (at least sometimes) in style lines that I find attractive.

Or not. This is the bolero #101 from BWOF 1/2008. I've seen it made up, and while it didn't wow me, I thought I could work with it. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

From the back and side, it's not too bad. From the front . . . let's say it covers even less of my boobage than it does on Evelyn, and that's not a good look on anyone.

If I wanted to spill out of my dress, I'd have cut a deeper neckline.

As my trash can filled with muslin, I began to despair. Maybe I'd just go without a jacket. I could; there was no rule saying I had to have a jacket. But I wanted one. And I had 2.5 yards of that taupe fabric, so whatever cute little jacket I came up with, there'd be enough for an eventual cute little matching pencil skirt.

I just had to find a jacket pattern.

Then I got an idea. An awful idea. The Grinch got a terrible, awful idea. (Sorry, holiday hangover). But you get the idea.

Back in the spring I bought a jacket at a yard sale. It was grubby and not much to look at, but it started out life as an Ann Taylor Loft piece, and I was inrigued by the embellishment, which is nothing more than a 70s clunky necklace cut up and sewn on. Digging it out of the thrifting pile, I tried it on for the first time.

It fit. It has a nice basic shape - princess seamed front and back, with small bust darts in the front as well. The neckline is good. The sleeve fit is good (though of course they're short and I want longer sleevse). The jacket itself was longer than I wanted, but that's also easily remedied. After a few photos, I carefully ripped the jacket apart at the seams, cutting away only the seam allowances at the hem and neckline, where it was just too fussy to remove the facings.

After that, I presed the pieces and redrew the seam allowances on them, and pinned the fabric pieces on top of my jacket fabric and went at it with the rotary cutter. I'm taking this one on faith; I'll know soon whether or not I've got a jacket or another muslin on my hands.

I didn't ask the sewing gods for anything for Christmas - is it too late to ask them that this please, please not be Muslin 4?

8 comments:

Ann Made Studio said...

I hope this one is the "one" :)
It just has to be after all this work.

Merry Christmas!

TE said...

If this works, I'll buy the pattern from you! Love princess seams and simple necklines. Looks like a winner.

Unknown said...

your being too hard on yourself! I i think the short first muslin is cute. Have you seel whats in the Stores?

SEWN said...

For this occasion, it's gotta be perfect. It will be worth the muslins. I love the jacket you're copying. It looks great on your dressform. It will look even better on you! Go for it.

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

Karen ~ I'm so sorry to hear about how this journey is progressing. But know this...you WILL find the perfect jacket to add to your dress. Have faith!

Linda L said...

I love how you are sticking to this project and still persevering. I think you will find the right one soon.

Kitty Couture said...

I hope this will be the one! It does look lovely.

Elaray said...

I'm sure this will be the one. It's got nice lines and looks good with the dress.