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Entry tags:
Sew-Along; Bodice; cut pattern and muslin
I know some of my fellow 'Silver-Cresters' (what do you think, better than Dublin Sew-Along Meet-up Group'?) are very eager to get started, and I am supposed to be all mentor-like, so I spent a little time today on the bodice muslin.
1. Measurements:
I hear tales that taking a pattern size based on your 'high bust' measurement, and then adjusting if needed with Small/Large Bust Adjustments to fit your bust, will result in a better fit around the shoulders. I'll be giving this a try. So, I took my high bust (round the back, under the arms, and across the very top of your breasts, against the chest plate), and natural waist measurements. This placed me as a size 12 and size 16 respectively.
2. Altering the paper pattern:
I followed Gertie's post on transitioning between sizes. A rough guideline goes like this:
- Cut out pattern pieces C (back bodice) and B (front bodice, sweetheart neckline) [A for other neckline], roughly, around all the pattern size lines.
- The idea is to start at the underarm at your chosen bust size, and graduate from there (with a ruler) to your chosen waist size.
- On the front bodice there is a bust dart. Before you draw your new side-seam close up the dart (it won't sit flat once you do, but that's okay). Draw the line over the closed dart, and go over the dart/folded paper with the pointy tracing wheel. Open out the dart and continue the side-seam along the perforation/indentation marks, so that it sticks out in a kind of triangular fashion.
(Interestingly my dart barely moved, it only really changes after the dart.)
- Waist darts aren't changed (yet), use the size dart that matches your waist size.
Front bodice pattern piece with side-seam adjustment
- On the back bodice it's easier as there's no dart, just draw your line straight. Also, make sure you graduate on the 'pointed' end that will be where you attach the wrap-ties to.
Back bodice pattern piece with side-seam adjustment
That is all for now. After I make up the muslin I'll know if there are other changes I need, including; if I need to shorten the length of the bodice, or if I need to change the bust size.
3. Marking the muslin:
I mostly followed Gertie's post, but here are a couple notes.
- Fold your muslin in half lengthwise so that the selvages are together. Muslin is a woven fabric. As a result of the weaving process two ends will be finished, meaning they won't fray. They are called self-edges, or selvages. On the muslin they look thicker than the rest of the fabric, almost as if it has been doubled over.
- What will become the very centre of our front bodice has a line, with two bent (at 90-degrees) ends finishing in arrows. This symbol denotes that the indicated line must line-up with a fold of the fabric. So go ahead, line it up with the fold in our muslin.
Front bodice pattern piece pinned to muslin, on top of tracing paper
- What will become the back of our bodice does not lay on a fold. It will become two separate pieces. There is a large line, with arrows at either end. This is the grain-line indicator and denotes that this line must lay parallel to the selvage. Line it up.
Back bodice pattern piece pinned to muslin
- Pin the pattern to the fabric. With your pins gently insert sideways, trying not to lift, or otherwise move the pattern and fabric. It is best to start with the line that needs to be on the fold (or parallel to the selvage), and work outwards, smoothing the fabric and pattern as you go.
- Once secure take your dress-makers carbon/tracing paper, and lay it under the pinned pattern-and-fabric, coloured side up. Smooth everything out. Now, using the tracing wheel, follow the size lines of the pattern (might be different on top from bottom). Apply a fair force and go over the lines a few times. Gently check that you can see the transferred marks on the reverse. [Ours is yellow, not the best against white, but still usable.]
Hard to make out, but there is a yellow line on the fabric here
Gertie wraps the tracing paper around the muslin. I instead traced the marks onto both sides in two stages. The outlines only need to be on one side. The only marks that need to copied to both sides are the darts, the notches, and the circles. [Note: I have a feeling these are supposed to move as you make adjustments, but I just took the two size 16 circles, and extrapolated a position for my notch against my new side-seam.] To do things my way, remove the pins from the pattern, gently placing them back in the muslin, but this time outside the edges of the pattern piece. Once done, remove the pattern, and flip the muslin over, so that the side with the tracing marks is facing upwards.
With the tracing paper still underneath, go over the dart, notch, and circle marks on your muslin. [You may find it easier to do these small marks with an empty ballpoint-pen, a knitting needle, or a tracing stylus.]
I realise it's hard to make out, but you can see the circles and notch in the bottom, towards the left
When done, remove the tracing paper completely. With the two sides of the muslin still pinned together cut out your pieces (along the dotted lines). When you come to the notches, I was taught to invert the triangle so that it sticks out, but Gertie does it the other way, clipping into the fabric. If you do it Gerties way just make treble sure you don't cut out more than the seam-allowance (5/8").
- Admire your handiwork.
Front-bodice piece
Back-bodice pieces
Next I have to stitch along the seam-allowances, then try it on and begin adjusting the fit. Sadly we'll probably have to do a couple of these to get the best fit, but console yourself with the knowledge that it's good practice.
1. Measurements:
I hear tales that taking a pattern size based on your 'high bust' measurement, and then adjusting if needed with Small/Large Bust Adjustments to fit your bust, will result in a better fit around the shoulders. I'll be giving this a try. So, I took my high bust (round the back, under the arms, and across the very top of your breasts, against the chest plate), and natural waist measurements. This placed me as a size 12 and size 16 respectively.
2. Altering the paper pattern:
I followed Gertie's post on transitioning between sizes. A rough guideline goes like this:
- Cut out pattern pieces C (back bodice) and B (front bodice, sweetheart neckline) [A for other neckline], roughly, around all the pattern size lines.
- The idea is to start at the underarm at your chosen bust size, and graduate from there (with a ruler) to your chosen waist size.
- On the front bodice there is a bust dart. Before you draw your new side-seam close up the dart (it won't sit flat once you do, but that's okay). Draw the line over the closed dart, and go over the dart/folded paper with the pointy tracing wheel. Open out the dart and continue the side-seam along the perforation/indentation marks, so that it sticks out in a kind of triangular fashion.
(Interestingly my dart barely moved, it only really changes after the dart.)
- Waist darts aren't changed (yet), use the size dart that matches your waist size.
Front bodice pattern piece with side-seam adjustment
- On the back bodice it's easier as there's no dart, just draw your line straight. Also, make sure you graduate on the 'pointed' end that will be where you attach the wrap-ties to.
Back bodice pattern piece with side-seam adjustment
That is all for now. After I make up the muslin I'll know if there are other changes I need, including; if I need to shorten the length of the bodice, or if I need to change the bust size.
3. Marking the muslin:
I mostly followed Gertie's post, but here are a couple notes.
- Fold your muslin in half lengthwise so that the selvages are together. Muslin is a woven fabric. As a result of the weaving process two ends will be finished, meaning they won't fray. They are called self-edges, or selvages. On the muslin they look thicker than the rest of the fabric, almost as if it has been doubled over.
- What will become the very centre of our front bodice has a line, with two bent (at 90-degrees) ends finishing in arrows. This symbol denotes that the indicated line must line-up with a fold of the fabric. So go ahead, line it up with the fold in our muslin.
Front bodice pattern piece pinned to muslin, on top of tracing paper
- What will become the back of our bodice does not lay on a fold. It will become two separate pieces. There is a large line, with arrows at either end. This is the grain-line indicator and denotes that this line must lay parallel to the selvage. Line it up.
Back bodice pattern piece pinned to muslin
- Pin the pattern to the fabric. With your pins gently insert sideways, trying not to lift, or otherwise move the pattern and fabric. It is best to start with the line that needs to be on the fold (or parallel to the selvage), and work outwards, smoothing the fabric and pattern as you go.
- Once secure take your dress-makers carbon/tracing paper, and lay it under the pinned pattern-and-fabric, coloured side up. Smooth everything out. Now, using the tracing wheel, follow the size lines of the pattern (might be different on top from bottom). Apply a fair force and go over the lines a few times. Gently check that you can see the transferred marks on the reverse. [Ours is yellow, not the best against white, but still usable.]
Hard to make out, but there is a yellow line on the fabric here
Gertie wraps the tracing paper around the muslin. I instead traced the marks onto both sides in two stages. The outlines only need to be on one side. The only marks that need to copied to both sides are the darts, the notches, and the circles. [Note: I have a feeling these are supposed to move as you make adjustments, but I just took the two size 16 circles, and extrapolated a position for my notch against my new side-seam.] To do things my way, remove the pins from the pattern, gently placing them back in the muslin, but this time outside the edges of the pattern piece. Once done, remove the pattern, and flip the muslin over, so that the side with the tracing marks is facing upwards.
With the tracing paper still underneath, go over the dart, notch, and circle marks on your muslin. [You may find it easier to do these small marks with an empty ballpoint-pen, a knitting needle, or a tracing stylus.]
I realise it's hard to make out, but you can see the circles and notch in the bottom, towards the left
When done, remove the tracing paper completely. With the two sides of the muslin still pinned together cut out your pieces (along the dotted lines). When you come to the notches, I was taught to invert the triangle so that it sticks out, but Gertie does it the other way, clipping into the fabric. If you do it Gerties way just make treble sure you don't cut out more than the seam-allowance (5/8").
- Admire your handiwork.
Front-bodice piece
Back-bodice pieces
Next I have to stitch along the seam-allowances, then try it on and begin adjusting the fit. Sadly we'll probably have to do a couple of these to get the best fit, but console yourself with the knowledge that it's good practice.