Muslin musings

On a scale of one to ten (one being the best and ten the being worst),  seam ripping to correct a wonky stitch or to correct the fitting of a work-in-progress gets an off-the-scale one million rating, as per annoying things that can happen while I’m sewing. I literally gnash my teeth in agony as I unravel stitch by stitch.

Ah! my heart melted with immeasurable joy *insert delicious drips of sarcasm* the day I had to detach an invisible zip, when the zipper slider came off completely TWO minutes after I had attached said zip.

So, in instances when I have to draft a pattern from scratch and I am not entirely sure what the finished work will look like, and I have only a limited amount of the desired fabric or if I am using expensive fabric, I prefer to err on the side of caution by first sewing a muslin (calico test garment) which is also called a toile, to sort of “test drive” the pattern.

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Above is the muslin and below is the final reproduction in the fashion fabric.  Please excuse the creases, I wasn’t quite done with fittings.

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Vroom Vroom!

I created the design on the bodice by laying the fabric flat on my sewing table and pinning the folds in place.

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Sleeveless with a raglan cut

Sleeveless with a raglan cut

Muslins could be used as a metaphor for life. There are people who chose to live as a good example to others and they become role models. Other people become inspired by them, and try to do as they do, in their desire to replicate the role model’s success :-).

Anyway, the fabric I used is a lovely shade of green with both mustard yellow and green bobbly highlights.  I am not sure what the exact components are,  probably a mix of cotton and something synthetic I guess. The shop keeper told me the fabric was named “raindrops” and while persuading me to buy in his usual boisterous manner, he said reassuringly

“ees a sample bale,  you wee not find it any other shop, in fact I imported the very last batch in the factory”

Fabric sellers always say something along those lines,  I promise you he’d have parroted the same words if I’d picked a 10 thread-count plain white fabric!

As for me, I’ve mastered the art of  ‘expressionless-smiling’ with the accompanying slowly widened eyes and perfectly rounded curve of my lips when I say “oooooh” delightedly, near-clapping, like I actually believe his exclusivity rhymes. I am my mother’s daughter after all…

'Raindrops'

‘Raindrops’

Shell and lining fabrics

Shell and lining fabrics

The dress is fully lined with a lightweight polyester fabric and the bodice is connected to the skirt with a 1.5 inch waist band. I also converted the waist darts on the bodice to gathers so that they wouldn’t interfere with the folds.

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It looks super classy when paired with pointy heels, and I should know, I blessed the happy union last Wednesday and graced myself with bobbly green before leaving for work. *royal wave*

Sign

 

 

~About me~

 

29 comments

  1. Just stumbled on ur blog.. Its captivating,am glued 100%..
    i have a question
    On the bodice where did u transfer the shoulder and waist dart to ?

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    Reply

    1. Hi Nifemi,

      Thank you so much for visiting. 😊

      On the front bodice, the shoulder bust dart was transferred to the armscye and the waist dart was evenly eased into gathers.

      On the back bodice the short shoulder dart was transferred to the armhole.

      Have a happy weekend.

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  2. Just came across your blog through instagram. Always happy when I find people who I share things in common with. Just been on your blog for 5 minutes and I am already hooked.

    And Yes, it’s frustrating to loose stitches in order to correct a mistake, especially when sewing with soft fabrics.

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    Reply

    1. Hi Olamide,

      Thank you so much for visiting, I am always happy when I find other sewing enthusiasts too. 🙂

      Ah, unraveling stitches can be so annoying, but we do learn from our mistakes.

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    1. Thank you for visiting Ene 😀

      Ah! The fabric is really nice, it has a waffled texture. Both green and mustard yellow coloured yarns were woven and “bobbled” at intervals.

      I guess it’s a mix of cotton and something synthetic, perhaps polyester.

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  9. What a pretty dress! I never muslin my projects. I just get so excited I want to jump right in. I’ve been working with affordable/gifted fabrics so there won’t be too many tears if I ruin them lol.

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    1. Thank you dear!

      Lol, I also get giddy with excitement and curiosity for what the finished work will look like and I want to jump right in. But with expensive fabrics, ah! I try to curb my enthusiasm and make a muslin first.

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