Pullover blouse with a twist; muslins

 Summer sewing camp news!

On the weekend we finally installed my body double on its stand. It almost did not fit, but we got it on, and even though I am not sure how precise the shape is any more, it will offer a convenient way to check general fitting.

I finished the blouse on Monday. (Butterick 4986) This was a completely amortized project - no cost now! Fabric remnant in stash, pattern in stash, and purple thread in stash. Used two different tones, but I am not bothered!

This fabric turned out not to be rayon but a synthetic (burn test). That is fine - I probably would not purchase it for this blouse, but the colours are pretty, and I am not so much of a fabric snob that I will eschew it just because it is synthetic! It was already in my stash, after all!

To tame this fabric I clipped it to the cutting board, and cut all pieces out in a single layer. (Actually, I had no choice there, really, because of the way the remnant remained!) I used a walking foot to sew, and really had no difficulties. 

as altered

The pattern is just a bit tight across the back, but I had cut the pattern, and the way it is designed, it is not easy to adjust the fit. 

I tried something new to control any gaping in the front; I applied a straight-of-grain cut to the bias edge; this made the edge a bit thicker, but seems to have done the trick.

I also did a tidier collar than called for in the pattern. Thanks to PatternReview members who reviewed it for pointing out that you don't have to religiously follow the pattern instructions! 

as instructed

You can compare the tidy way with my original make - where I did follow the simple, but untidy collar construction.

I am also including a close-up photo of the twist. It is a fun design feature, and kind of complex!

On Tuesday I cut out fabric for muslins of two projects: a fitted shirt, and Vogue 1865 asymetrical jacket. The shirt will ultimately be made up in the Liberty fabric, and the jacket in the blue and white houndstooth linen that I bought from someone in the Fall.

Sewed up the shirt muslin yesterday - need to tweak it: it is a bit loose, and the sleeve does not fit into the armhole nicely. I am sewing up the jacket muslin today. It is hard to know just how fitted it needs to be... given that it is a jacket.

Photos of the shirt and the jacket muslins follow. Sorry, I can't always get them side by side, so it will take some scrolling down.

The jacket looks fairly loose at the armholes, so far. Again, not sure how much is deliberate wearing ease, and how much is that I should size down... Will need to sew in a sleeve and see.