It looks pretty good, eh? I like those pants on the model. They aren't too low cut, and they seem to have good "bones". I had read MaryBeth's fantastic analysis of this pattern at The Sewing Divas and decided against making up the jacket or skirt. But the pants looked promising, and I was in the mood to try something new.
You all know I am a muslin hound. And not the "wearable" kind of muslin, either. I'm talking about cotton muslin (preferably unbleached) put together as a test garment with basting stitches and zippers in colors that don't occur in nature or in my wardrobe.
I made my muslin. The pants went together very easily. They have a mock-fly front. Since it's a muslin I skipped the pockets (side seam) and just sewed up the sides. I made my standard back crotch adjustment, which is to say I copied the sharp "L" curve from one of my TNT HotPatterns trousers, then I sewed up the pants. I omitted the waistband, since this is a fitting muslin.
Well...
I'm glad I made this muslin. It saved me cutting into my beautiful fabric with what would be disastrous results. These pants make Mom Jeans look like they are cutting edge. I'm not long-waisted, but these pants make me look like a fireplug, and that is without the waistband attached. I know higher waisted pants are coming back in, but if I add the waistband to them, these go almost up to my bra. I really don't want to look like John C. Reilly singing "Mr. Cellophane". The other thing that this muslin pointed out is that the darts are positioned WAY too close to the center front, adding to the overall dumpy look of the pants. I put on 4 inch heels to see if that helps. It does a little, but not enough. Thanks, I'll pass.
So, I learned a valuable lesson from this muslin. It didn't take all that much time, and it gave me an indication of how the finished garment would look. I think I'll pull out my favorite HotPatterns Razor Sharp pants and make myself a pair from that.
Happy sewing!
14 comments:
It is good you are so patient and make muslins! I tend to be less patient!
I also find that the pictures don't really represent the actual patterns very well! It is rather sad.
Dear Ann,
I have three garment construction questions for you. I am making Silhouettes Patters, Barbara'a Trench coat #1925 out of a medium wt. fabric. I want to underline it with flannel for warmth and body. The pattern calls for all over interfacing. Question #1 is: should I apply my fusible knit interfacing to the coat fabric or to the underlining? Second question: Should I make a muslin of this coat as the sizing of this pattern is not conventional or just go with measurments? Last question: Should I pad stitch the front lapels and front of this coat?
Ever so grateful for your help.
Catnipcorners
Hey CNC -
Peggy follows RTW practices, which frequently use fabric that has interfacing bonded to it while still on the bolt. I've heard pros and cons for that approach. In many cases, it will depend on the fabric used. What kind of fabric are you using for the trench? Generally, you apply interfacing to the outer shell fabric, then underline. Depending on what kind of fabric you are using for the underlining you can forego the interfacing all over the garment and just interface the parts that need stability and support.
You should not padstitch the front. Remember, padstitching is used for shaping, so you want to use it to control the curvature of the lapels and collar. When you padstitch, you need to shape the garment piece over your hand, a ham or other shaping tool (I've been known to use my knee). If you padstitch on a flat surface you're not adding the necessary shaping, just bulk.
HTH!
It's great to see how you are using the muslin to check for style in addition to fit. When I saw the title of the post, I was (half) expecting to see weird wrinkle lines at the crotch or the butt. And I had to read your Mom Jeans comment twice before I realized that it was a style problem, not a fitting one. They fit, but they are not flattering...
Thank you for sharing--it looks like that pattern is a problematic one.
Rose in SV
Of course, I just cut out a pair of jeans and poo poohed making a muslin. I should have read you first.
You won't believe this, but I just made a muslin for the jacket from this pattern this morning and was actually eyeing the trousers. Not sure what I think of the trousers now. My post today will be about the jacket. I agree with the other poster - the trousers fit your body, but they don't fit your style!
Thanks for sharing, Ann. I had tried a Vintage Vogue reissue the other day in muslin, thank God, and decided it wasn't for me. Your previous words about muslins had stuck and due to the pattern's bodice, had decided to muslin it first, it looked unworkable and I moved on. I am so glad I remembered your advice on muslins and did not waste good fabric.
Hurray for the muslin muslin !
..and thanks so much for clearing up the misconception that pad stitching can be done flat! LOL..that's one of my pet peeves...pad-stitching that doesn't build any shape..such a waste of time.
Summerset said it so well, "...the trousers fir your body, but they don't fit your style!"
Ann, I made up the pants to the pattern as well and had the same results as you: Mom pants. I cut down the waist line to a reasonable height and used my HP Cigarette pants pattern to skinny up the legs.
I do wear the jacket from this pattern but not with the matching skirt. Looking forward to seeing it on Summerset!
It looks like this pattern is problematic. Too much fussing to suit me.
At least you didn't cut the good stuff!
I make more and more muslins now than ever before. I also make less and less pants because they never fit right, no matter how many muslins I make. I've read so much about Hot Patterns, maybe I should try one of theirs. Will we get to see your Razor Sharp pants?
I have 2 skirts that I'm hoping to muslin out before cutting into the good stuff after having 2 skirts fall a bit flat. Question - what do you do with knit garments? Obviously a traditional muslin won't work, so any tips on how to tackle that? Thanks!
I have the same question about doing amuslin for knit garments (tops).I usually do a muslin for most things I sew. Thanks!!
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