Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Muslins & Mixed Nuts



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!