I've been doing a lot of sewing in the past couple of months but it's mostly been making muslins to try out new patterns. Everything seems to be a good start and maybe not quite done. I'll show you.
While at the Puyallup Sewing Expo last month we stopped by a booth with several Japanese cottons. We all bought one or two pieces. I wish I remembered the name of the company and the gal who was the owner because she was so nice to us. She was wearing a tunic made from one of the cottons that I fell in love with. I bought the cotton and she graciously offered to let me copy the pattern. It is a Japanese pattern, I have no idea where you would get it.
I ran over to another booth, bought a roll of pattern paper and my pals helped me find a secluded table to lay it out and trace it. That might be a first!
Here you see my muslin with some fabric I had on hand. The front is a Japanese cotton. I had 1 yard of this (intended to make Diane Ericson's Faultline Vest....I never did but still intend to make it!) The back is a stretch woven that I appliqued a few of the front fabric motifs onto.
One of the things I like about this, which you can't really see in this fabric, is that the back wraps around to the front at the hems. When I make it in the Japanese cotton I got you'll see what I mean.
This doesn't look great on the dress form but I think it's more flattering on. And, it makes up in about 2 hours.
I like this pattern and with our weather changing to warmer summers I think I'll be wearing it a lot.
Here's another pattern I got in Puyallup. This one is The Sewing Workshop's Fillmore Duster. They were so kind to let us try on their samples. Such a gracious thing to do. I made my muslin from scraps. It went together easily and was fun to make. When I make it again I'll either change the collar or make sure it's made with a stiffer fabric. The collar just sort of lays there with this lightweight knit. Could-Woulda-Shoulda interfaced it!
I think I'm going to silk screen a little black onto the light grey stripe and carry it up to the left top a bit. Seems like too much blank space.
Onward into spring and more lightweight sewing projects!
