clover muslin #3

continuing my saga with the clover, here is muslin #3. yes, i made a second muslin and no, there are no pictures because i made them in brown fabric & you couldn’t see ANYTHING except the fact that i was wearing shorts (shorts muslin ftw!).

i have stopped hyperventilating about using up my stretch fabric in a thousand muslins, as i had a fabric epiphany the other morning & realized i had an entire stack of this awful polyester that i can’t seem to get rid of for some reason. there is just the right amount of stretch, and several yards of it – which, if i remember correctly, cost me something like $5 for the whole stack at a thrift store. why i have kept it for so long, i can’t tell you, except that obviously fabric hoarding *does* have it’s benefits so anyway, i’ve got plenty of fabric to keep making muslins. yay!

to be frank, the only thing keeping me cranking these out is knowing that once i get it perfect, i can use this pattern over & over… and also as a block for other pants-fitting needs.

i don’t think i’ve quite reached the wearing point yet, but i know i’m close. what do y’all think? so far i have shorted the front crotch by 1 1/4″ (I KNOW. and it looks like i need to shorten it more!), added approx 3/8″ FBA, and lengthed the back crotch an extra 1/2″. oh, and i tapered the legs about 1/4″ down the sides. excuse the lumps at the hips – that will be smoothed out in the final pattern.

i may take the waist in a smidge more as it’s the smallest bit too loose

i still get a little excess when i stand a certain way… not sure if that’s something that can be adjusted out, or if it’s just the nature of wearing tight-fitting pants like these.

excuse the panty lines, but hey – the fit looks good back here, no? can i also add that i think it’s hilarious that i need a FBA top & bottom? hahahaha

these were originally going to be a ~wearable muslin~ but i don’t think i’m quite there yet. i do see a light at the end of the tunnel, though!

in other news, here’s a sneak peak at another project i’m working on:

ceylon in green wool. it’s been on the backburner for a week or so because i decided to hand embroider the yoke on a whim. i like the way it’s looking, though!

nashville flea market? don’t mind if i do

i caved into internal peer pressure this weekend & went to the flea market. at first i immediately regretted my decision – october is traditionally the busiest month for our local flea market, and this year was no exception. the place was PACKED – moving was very difficult & i kept running into little old ladies who thought it was perfectly acceptable to just straight stop in the middle of the moving aisle (forreal, who thinks this is ok? anyone?). i eventually figured out that people were staying out of the sun, so as long as i avoided the air-conditioned buildings, i avoided the crowds. yay

anyway, let’s talk loot.

first, some patterns! i got all 4 of these for $3:

simplicity 1799

vogue 5381. someone on ebay is asking $53 for their copy lolwut. also, i definitely have the 80s version of this pattern as well. what can i say, i’m a pattern hoarder.

advance 2540. can i say now that i’m kind of weirded out that the vintage pattern wiki has a different envelope picture for what is obviously the same pattern? uhh…

mccalls b-100. now this is a weird one. it’s a basic sloper pattern, except the pattern is printed on something sturdier than tissue (it feels like mediumweight interfacing, tbh) so you can try it on and make adjustments. after you have fitted the sloper to your liking, you can make view B or C, or use the sloper to adjust a different pattern.

i’m bummed that it’s missing the instructions, but meh.

fabrics, $4 for all. the prints are cotton, and that big dark blob is actually a deep purple speckled linen.

lingerie elastic, 10 yards for $1, or rather, 40 yards total for $4. can’t wait to make slips & undies!

serger thread, $5 for the whole set. he actually had a LOT but i limited myself to only buying groups of 3. except for that orange. i needed the orange, wouldn’t you?

non-sewing related purchases:

DIS SUIT & fur collar (the collar isn’t part of the original suit, but doesn’t it look nice! i bought it from the same vendor), and this shirt (that i can’t seen to get a good picture of), $7 for all

love my vintage suit! it is really well-made (100% wool, fully lined, bound buttonholes) and it fits me perfectly. none of my friends like it, though, trolololol

totally randumb, but i also found snes control pads for $5 apiece:

YES.

in other sewing news, i have yet to perfect my pants muslin. i traced the pattern & pulled a GIANT horizontal tuck (like, more than 1″ sup short crotch) and added a small FBA to the rear. muslin #2 still needs work; it’s barely passable, but sarai’s clovers on the coletterie are totally smooth so i will keep chugging along. meanwhile, my muslin pants are now muslin shorts and i am running out of stretch fabric, hey-o!

clover muslin – unflattering pictures, ahoy!

internet, i know we are close, but we are about to get real close with this post.

starting with my butt.

i just finished up my clover muslin, and i need help with the fitting! help! help!

there are lots of wrinkles at the crotch & sides, and the butt is straining. the waist & legs fit great, as do the hips (minus the butt area). i’m thinking i need a swayback adjustment, which is just confusing me because i’ve *never* had swayback issues with clothing – both patterns & ready to wear. huh.

here, have some more pictures.

this does not show in the pictures, but there is a small pool of excess fabric at my lower back.

what do y’all think? swayback or something else?
also, if it’s a swayback, how much am i supposed to add/remove? the diagrams on the coletterie are great, but all they say are slash and spread. need some guidance here, plz.

on a related note, the fabric for these pants is a mostly-decent stretch poplin i bought from fabric mart for something like $2/yard. it is kinda sorta see-through, which means future pants will be underlined – not a problem, since the pattern called for about 2x as much fabric than actually used wtf. also, no love for fabric mart – i had some problems with my post office, which resulted in the package being returned to sender (ok, i put the wrong zip code on the address because i am forgetful), and when i emailed fabric mart for a solution, it took them nearly a week to get back to me. in the meantime, the post office found the package, corrected the address, and had it shipped to me in less than 24 hours. i am not planning on ordering from fabric mart again.

enough about fabric mart, let’s talk about my pants!

completed: colette violet blouse

i know what you’re thinking – how the heck did i finish this blouse so freakin’ fast!? lol if by “fast” you really mean “slow.” let’s start this post with a confession: i started this blouse over a month ago, stitched up to the point of near-completion, then set it aside for other projects. for a MONTH now it’s been staring at me, one-sleeved & pathetic. i’m so glad i got this out of the way – i was beginning to think i could actually hear it whimpering!

so here is my second piece for my fall wardrobe! colette’s violet, made with a vintage cotton-rayon blend (that i picked up for a dollar! nyah nyah!). i interfaced the facings & collar with muslin, rather than fusible interfacing – i hate that stuff! hate hate hate! the inside seams are bound with self-bias tape, and i rearranged the buttons to include only 6, since that’s all i had and i reeeeally like these buttons a lot.

i only made a couple of changes to the fitting – for some reason, the darts were hanging out next to my underwire. lolwut. of course, i’d already sewn up/serged the blouse (aka my ~wearable muslin~), so i unpicked as best i could & repositioned them to reach the sky. they still aren’t *quite* in the proper place but i just can’t deal anymore today. i also took in the side seams a little – maybe another 1/2″ or so?

to be honest, i’m not thrilled with the fit of this blouse. i don’t like the loose fit, i’m more of it if-i-can-squeeze-into-this-then-it-fits kinda girl. i may end up redrafting the back piece to lay un-gathered & then pop a few vertical bust darts in the next version.

here’s my outfit – with my ginger skirt!
my expression in this picture cracks me up. “well hi there!”

remember those handmade tags i was working on? snuck one in i used speedball screen printing ink & muslin.

awesome buttons!

self-bound in bias tape

untucked. i don’t plan on wearing it this way – see how sad it makes me? so sad!

FUN FACT: this pictures were taken in the same room as yesterday’s pictures. it is amazing how different this wall color looks depending on the light! today is rainy & grey, meh.

aaand i’m outta here.

completed: tweed circle skirt

and i’m back to sewing! betcha thought i was gone for reals, huh? too bad!

who participated in the circle skirt sew-along? i had a little issue with time – aka, life got in the way – so i wasn’t able to finish in time for the first ’round of circle skirt party 2011. i was able to finish last night, though! and i’m wearing my new circle skirt today! and lucky me – i spilled coffee all over it this morning so it even smells good! /sarcasm.

this was a really easy pattern to draft & put together. i was able to smoosh mine out of one piece of fabric & eliminate any side seams (well, on the shell fabric – the lining was only 45″ wide, so there are seams in there!). although i was a tiny bit ambitious with my original length, and ended up cutting about 5″ off the finished piece. yikes! longer skirts & i just don’t mix, i’m afraid.

my shell fabric is a lovely wool tweed i bought at the flea market for $3. it actually has a herringbone pattern, which you can see on the swatch. it is lined with silky bemberg rayon – my favorite! i went with a pretty pink because, well, pink lining! the zipper is a faced slash zipper, hand-picked. i ran out of my original tweed fabric (or, rather, i had already done away with the scraps because that is how i roll), so it is faced with brown cotton… which i’m thinking was probably for the best, as the tweed is a slightly loose weave & tends to unravel. dropping in the lining was easy: i slashed a zipper opening & slipstitched it to the zipper. the top was basted to the top of the skirt shell, which is covered by the waistband. the lining is hemmed with a rolled hem and the shell has 2″ horsehair braid all around the edges – i used a little over 4 yards of braid! and i hand-stitched it all because i clearly have nothing better to do with my time.

lol ~twirl

lining!

i really love the shape the horsehair braid gives the hem. it has a very nice subtle flair. i actually have a petticoat i made using sugardale’s tutorial (which is AMAZING, by the way. this is a good ‘un, people!), but i prefer the way the skirt looks with the braid. also, i made my petticoat with horsehair crinoline, so it has great body but EW ITCHY.

so there you have it! my first circle skirt!

this post has nothing to do with anything

well well well, blogland – it’s been a while, hasn’t it? wanna see what i’ve been up to?

well, firsties… i cut my hair off. and then i dyed it black-brown (clearly, i wanted it to match my soul):

i must say, the partial lack of hair in my life has been awesome. it definitely has more bounce to it and my pincurls actually last all day now. and headbands are pretty much the cutest thing ever on this coif. yay short(er) hair!

my s10 pick-up bit the bullet – hard – and i had to scrap it (the timing belt broke & ripped through the engine, if you’re curious). but it’s ok, because i bought a new truck. meet ruby:

and she has air conditioning! my first air conditioned vehicle in over 6 years yay!

i also made a halloween costume for a friend:

you can read my pattern review here, although there’s not much to say. i used simplicity 2853, with minor modifications. no, i didn’t make the hat. i might have my moments of crazy, but they don’t involve making hats!

i also made this wreath, to put on my front door. talk about a moment of crazy.

oh, wait, i’m supposed to talk about sewing here, huh?
let’s discuss simplicity’s new pattern line. actually, the whole line is really boring & yawn-inducing, let’s talk about 1947 & 1948 instead.

rather, i just want to talk about the guy with the purple hair. what is going on here? he looks like he wants us to believe he is going to beat somebody up (i personally think he would run away crying if you challenged him to a fight.

LOL WELL OK THEN.