Sunday, March 11, 2012

Musings on muslins

Does anyone else ever feel disappointed that you spend so much time on a muslin, only to throw it away or stuff it in a drawer?  I've always felt guilty about this, so lately I've been making my muslins in a wearable fabric, usually something I didn't pay a lot for (like from a thrift store), on the off chance that it fits and is flattering and cute.

I ended up making two muslins for my Christian Dior dress.  For the first one, I used a Simplicity pattern with raglan sleeves and a pleated skirt.  I LOVED how the skirt turned out, but the bodice was somehow frumpy and bulky but too tight at the same time.

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So, I kept the cute skirt, ditched the frumpy top, and made an entirely new sundress!  It only took an hour to do this bodice, which is from a New Look mix & match pattern.  I did the hem and zipper while chillin' at a friend's house.  Sewing and socializing at the same time!  Sure, I didn't exactly broaden my sewing horizons with this project, but I sure do love a sundress, and I just took 25 summer dresses to a consignment store.  Everything that is ill-fitting, unflattering, or unexciting is GONE. I hope now that I've pared it down, I will be able to better "see" what I really have, and fill in the gaps with things I'll sew myself.

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I used it as an opportunity to practice my lapped zipper application, too.  Getting better! I've been machine stiching the side you can't see, and hand sewing the side you can.

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The next muslin for my Christian Dior dress was to try out a new top. I've made this Simplicity pattern before, but the scoop neckline and longer short sleeves were just not right. So, I changed the neckline to a boatneck and made the sleeves shorter. Now, the neckline ended up being too high, but I got that figured out while making the real deal. The top was cute though, and I love this thrifted chambray (which I had about 10 yards of), so I threw a quick gathered skirt on it. I hemmed it super short to avoid looking like a sister-wife.

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So now I have two new summer dresses that barely took any more effort to complete, and there's no feeling like I "wasted" hours.

3 comments:

  1. Well done. Both dresses are very cute. I always make muslins in nice fabric as I have a massive stash. I have quite a pile of frocks and things accumulating now. Consignment in a shop sounds like a great idea, what kind of shop is that?

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  2. Amy, both of these dresses are just beautiful! I really like the shape and style on you, so very flattering. I understand to about the muslin thing. I have started doing what you are doing, making something up in cheap fabric. I went to Joann fabric store last week and they wanted 7 dollars per yard for muslin, NO thank you! You can still buy real fabric cheaper. Your lap zipper looks real professional! Great job!

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  3. These are both so so cute! Really love them. And well done for 'recycling' your muslins...that's a great idea!

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