Fitted shirt, muslin number 2, Marta skirt (repeat!)

Some successes and ... snags, this week.

I DID manage to finish wearable muslin number two of the fitted shirt; a mash-up between McCalls 6124 and McCalls 6116. Let's just say that I like the fit of 6116, but I preferred the more classic neckline and collar on 6124. 

I liked my construction of wearable muslin number 1 (more on that here), but some of the fit was not right, namely the bust apex on the princess seam. I also found the sleeve a bit baggy around the bicep. 

I found a couple of tutorials on how to lower the bust apex on a princess seam (easy, really!), and also how to do a small bicep adjustment. The fitting muslin looked great for the bust line, but I took too much out of the bicep, and decided that if I wanted to move in this shirt I should just keep the original.

I wanted to find some cotton gingham to do this second wearable muslin, but they only had a poly/cotton blend, and that was even more than I wanted to pay for a practice run (wearable or not! ) So I wandered around the store and found this cotton viscose blend for a BARGAIN price. Not a pattern I would have chosen, normally, but I like it. And I am thrilled with the fit.

I did mess up the hem line (that's what you get for going freehand!), and I think the centre front seam of one side is not quite straight, (so the placket pulls to the side at the bottom) but I don't want to mess with the pattern... So I will put up with that!

I am happy with the French seams on the inside!

For the viscose 'butcher linen' that I dyed charcoal grey I decided to do another Marta skirt. I cut it out, and had just enough. When I last made Marta I lengthened it by about 4 inches. I did this by slashing and spreading the pattern pieces. I did NOT fill in the space with paper, so each pattern piece is now in two pieces. This made me lazy when cutting out the silk for the underlining. Actually, there were two issues here.

should look like this

1. The two-part pattern pieces were going to be a pain to work with on the slippery fabric.
2. While Marta is very well drafted, it is not obvious which side seams you sew together. (This is hard to explain, but when I sewed Marta dress for Montreal daughter, I put a right-side piece on the left side, for example, sewing opposite seams together. SO I wanted to keep the pattern pieces on the fabric as long as possible, because I can line up the pieces, according to the pattern itself. This probably makes no sense, but that is as clear as I can be!)_... What all this means, though, is that I did not want to remove the pattern pieces from the fabric. So I slapped the pattern pieces, with the fabric, on the slippery shifty silk, added an extra seam allowanc (1cm on this pattern), and cut. 

   

   this side pulls too far

WELL, for starters,  I should have added more than the 1cm seam allowance, and I should have been more diligent. 

Today I sewed the panels with the pockets (side front) and then went to flatline the underlining. What that means is that the underlining comes around the raw edge of the seams (because you cut it wider), and encloses the raw edge, so that it looks neater on the insde. Of course, my underlining wasn't wide enough to allow the pieces to lie flat. The photos show the good side, and the 'other' side!

So I am going to have to slash the underlining and add an inset. Probably to all eight panels. 

And I wanted to finish that skirt this weekend. 

Friday night I did my serger basics course. Learned mainly how to thread it, so that I will be less intimidated to unthread it for different applications! We also did various practice seams. But of course I had to buy some fabric (See photo) to make another pair of Angelia cargo shorts. This is a cotton/linen blend canvas. After washing it felt SOOO soft! I am looking forward to making these. I will do a better job on the fly, this time, though. (In fact I need to purcase a zip, as well as buttons for the Marta.)

Speaking of buttons, I have been trying to use buttons from this set, that I purchased in  Germany at a flea market (so more than 15 years ago); it was so cute, but not the most versatile of colours! I have used them on my Kalle dress shirt, my Kalle wearable muslin (tunic), the fitted shirt wearable muslins number one and two, and on the Gosling men's shirt. And there are still many left. I wonder which ones I will use on the Liberty shirt (which is a blue/white paisley print!).

Back to work, if on my own terms, this week! So summer sewing camp for one starts to slow down!