From muslin to pattern

I realised I’ve never shown the pattern I started with. It’s a pattern from Burda magazine, January 2006. Doesn’t look like the jacket I wanted, do you think? But it had lines that could be altered. That is what I saw when I started using this.

A few questions were asked on the process. I do no longer have a dressform made to my measurements. I made one in a workshop a few years back, using brown paper packaging tape, but the body length wasn’t good. Either I didn’t stand tall when made, or it lost  a bit in drying. After a few frustrating results I stopped using it and recently threw it away. One day I want to make the dummy like Bunny has done.

I don’t have a sloper for myself. And never heard of the possibility of someone else making them professionally for you. I see that it could be useful. As would be a more professional pattern drafting class (which someone asked in an email), but there’s not enough time to do everything I want.

Pixie asked me to show how I use the muslin to make the pattern. I’ll share the main things I did in this post. I’m not using the muslin itself as a pattern, as is done in for example “The couture dress” class, but making a paper pattern, with seam allowances as I now know that the fit is quite accurate. Some details may be adapted in the fashion fabric, though not a lot to be expected.

First I marked all seams that had changed. Also noted that I wanted the lapel collar half a centimeter wider in the end.

 

On the back these were the seams that had changed.

The sleeve was altered in the muslin process and needed no further alteration. But I checked all the same:

 

On the front the part to be added to the side panes was marked, the bust point widened

 

The back was cut open and pinned flat. I made notches on the fabric and cut them apart to transfer these pieces to paper.

All pieces were transferred with the changes to make new pattern pieces. All seams checked for length on both sides of the seam.

After and during transferring them to paper I added seam allowances with a new ruler: the SA ruler 3/8 inch (= 1 centimeter) wide. Absolutely a pleasure to work with. I’ll do a separate post on it. I’ve received this from Claire for reviewing, and I’m 100% positive I’ll use them a lot!

I’m almost ready to cut into the fashion fabric, there are a few things I’m considering (using silk organza underlining?), which interfacing to use etc. before I’ll do that.  Will happen sometime this week.