So, in the past few days I have cut out the following projects:
The muslin for Vogue 8280. Now, admittedly I normally don't use muslins. I am incredibly lucky in that most patterns fit me with minimal alterations (if I would just remember to do flat measurements and cut the right size). I read on PR about people doing FBAs and sway back adjustments, and forward shoulder adjustments, and lowering bust points, and slash and pivot and I just shudder with fear. I could never figure all that out!!! I am incredibly fortunate that that my proportions, even when heavier, tend to fall within a single size. Which is not to say I don't make the occasional misstep...I make plenty of wadders!
But, back to Vogue 8280. After reading all the reviews on PR, I couldn't get a good handle on whether the pattern ran large, small, true to size, just that it could be a real booger. So, I decided since it was a straight skirt, and that needed to FIT, I would do a muslin. Fortunately, Yo Momma cleaned out her closets and bequeathed to me an entire trashbag full of old sheets that I can chop up and use for muslins.
I have a second muslin cut out (from I believe my old sheets from grade school!) is for a dress for my niece. I let her pick out fabric for a dress that she could wear to our wedding in February. She picked Butterick 4385, after a prolonged battle that involved me taking away the Vogue catalog, as well as McCalls because that Hillary Duff stuff is SKANKY.
She is a bit larger in the hips than the largest size on the pattern, so I put a little extra room in the side seams. I may also need to add more of a curve to the princess seams at the bust, because she is starting to get her boobies, oy vey. She picked out some cute fabrics, though. Pink and blue, and age appropriate. The pink and blue brocade is for the jacket and the band around the top of the dress, the blue is for the lining of the jacket, and the main part of the dress is a satin with a relatively low sheen.
I also got the fabric cut out for Vogue 8409. This is a pattern that is for both a knit and a woven, so I did flat pattern measurements before hacking into the fabric. No muslin, it's a simple dress, I can alter on the fly if I have to.
I am using a gray doubleknit from Fashion Fabrics Club, it was super-cheap, so I'm not too worried if I mess it up.
I also cut out a version of the Hot Patterns Wong-Sing-Jones Kimono Wrap Dress. I am making a version for a friend, but before I cut into her fabric, I want to learn how to put it together. That way if I mess it up, I mess up my own fabric.
For my "muslin", I am using a light grey knit for the main part of the dress and the trim will be in a black and grey print picked up from Fabric.com. For her version, the main part of the dress will be red, with the trim in heather grey.
And last but not least, I cut out McCall's 5468. I did make some changes to the pattern, though. I preferred the sleeve from View B, but the scoop neck from View D. But, if you look, the sleeve is set in very differently in B and D. So, if I wanted the scoop neck, I had to draft that onto the front pattern piece for View B. I also got rid of the ties, because that looked just a little too twee for me. Since I wouldn't have the tie to cinch the waist, I did flat pattern measurements and decided to cut a size 14.
After slicing and dicing the pattern, who knows if it will actually work out, so I decided that the fabric that I would cut it from would be my least favorite of my new acquisitions. If it works out, I'll cut another from fabric that I like better.
I also have Jeremy's coat to work on, but that involves about 400 hours of hand stitching to get the padstitching completed. I only work on that one a little at a time, because I don't want to get fatigued and screw it up, since it's about $150.00 of materials.
I still have some to cut out, but my back is screaming from cutting on the dining room table, so it's off to the sewing room for a while!
