I saw this brand new Cynthia Rowley pattern at the Simplicity booth and at the Simplicity runway show at the American Sewing Expo last month and bought it there. I want to add the cowl collar of view A to View C for the real thing, but for now, the muslin of view C is enough. (that cowl collar is a totally separate piece that lays on top of the dress like a scarf, by the way, very clever)
I don't usually make muslins, but seeing as I'm going to use some good double knit from the Common Thread in Austin, TX, I don't want to mess this up.
The muslin fabric is a lime green 'clearance' fabric I bought online, thinking it was a great deal for double knit, without knowing that it actually has all these horizontal lines on it instead of being an even color. It would have cost too much to mail it back and it's been fermenting in stash.
I first cut out a 14 grading to 16 at the hip but determined after the first try on that a straight 14 would be fine, woo!
It had an anticipated swayback issue:
which I fixed with a tuck which I sewed in. When I cut the real thing, I will add a CB seam and do the tuck in the tissue paper.
Instead of making the neckline as the pattern suggests, I finished it as follows (I need to find out what this finish is really called): Sew CB seam of binding. Pin binding to neckline. Sew in a 3/8 seam. Flip binding to inside of garment. From outside of garment, using a ruler, pin the binding down so that it's right on the edge of SAs . From the outside, sew the binding down evenly from neckline seam. Done! Looks great! doesn't flip over or anything like that. The binding is unfinished on the inside, but it doesn't bother me. Also that makes the overall binding lower than what the pattern calls for, which I think is good.
So at this point I wanted to see what the sleeve of view C looked like; so it's one-sleeved. Do you like peek-a-boo elbow or does it look like a mistake??? I'm thinking when I make the real thing, my coworkers might think I seriously messed this one up. Note that you have to figure out where your elbow ends and adjust the pattern accordingly otherwise the slit will not be at the right spot. I had to adjust upward on the pattern by 1.5 inches.
Another sewing coworker identified it as an "articulated sleeve" like Becky did in episode 7 of Project Runway.
I finished the muslin off and I will wear it as a nightgown..without the belt of course!
Show me your elbows!
When my arms are down, it looks like this:
The real version will be a turquoise blue. I might start it today, yea!
Be well and healthy-healthy-healthy!
