After I tried Lynda Maynard’s suggestion, only to be rewarded with a still-wrinkly back AND the reappearance of all the problems I had already worked hard to correct*, I decided I needed to move on to another project for a while. Yes, I know I said I was not going to do anything else until I successfully made Craftsy’s fitting class dress, but I really needed a break. Sewing is a hobby for me, and hobbies are supposed to be fun! Instead of being fun, sewing was just becoming a grueling task that made me angry.
For my cooling-down project, I choose McCall’s 6331.
McCall’s 6331
It has several options- over the shoulder straps, halter straps, as well as a romper option (with a back zipper instead of a side zipper, which seems like it would make going to the bathroom hard, but whatever). I’m not really built for halter straps, so am going with the shoulder straps option (View B). This dress looks good for warm weather, and will let me avoid having to deal with fitting my arms and upper back, meaning I might actually be able to make something wearable. It has different cup size options, which is a plus.
I started off making a bodice muslin in a size 14, cup size C. Despite the fact that the muslin still had folds and drag lines in all the usual places (diagonal line from bust to waist, lots of horizontal folds on back), it was clearly too big. But, it did expose a problem that I thought had been due to mistakes I made in altering previous muslins; the back waistline clearly dipped down in back. I made a second muslin in a size 12; the fit was closer, which was good; this is supposed to have a close-fitting bodice. With my size selected, I was able to start making alterations.
Unaltered back. See how the center waist dips down?
I’ll get to the front alterations in my next post, but first I’m going to discuss the back. Making it in the proper size made the fit closer, but also made the fit problems more apparent, especially the dipping in the center waist. In fitting, drag lines are supposed to point to the problem area; this is especially true here. As I already said, I was surprised to learn that this problem was a result of misalignment between my body and the pattern, and not a drafting mistake that was my own fault.
To correct this, I took off the zipper and made a 1 1/2″ triangular horizontal wedge to remove length from the center back, but keep the length of the side seams the same.
Using triangular wedges to removing length from center back, but keep side seam length the same.
Comparing the two sides, I was happier with the left side. I marked and measured the changes on the muslin, then transferred them to the pattern. I also added length to the darts to keep the overall length the same.
Making these alterations presented me with a new dilemma; how to adjust the balance lines and where to put the new zipper, since these things shifted during alterations? I marked two options on the pattern; one wider than the other.
I tried the narrower center back option first, but ended up going with the wider center back option, since that one had fewer back wrinkles. Is it perfect? No. But, this is progress. At least there isn’t a huge lump of fabric on my back like other muslins have! I’ve decided that for this project, I will be happy with “good enough,” instead of “perfect.” Only making muslins is getting boring!
*I think Lynda Maynard’s suggestion is probably correct, but I’ve been getting some great responses from the readers as well. I’m going to start from scratch one size up when I feel ready to deal with the aggravation again.
I really needed a concrete plan to get rid of the wrinkles on my back, so I posted a question on Craftsy’s Sew the Perfect Fit question forum, along with a picture of my back from muslin 3 on my last post. So, now I have a plan. Here is the question and the reply:
Side posted on Apr 12, 2013: Hi Lynda, Do you think these wrinkles on my back are caused by excess length, insufficient width or both? The bodice feels comfortable on my body, and seems to be hitting at my waist.
Lynda Maynard responded: Hi Side, The upper balance is arcing up as it nears center back, which indicates that there may be slight roundness in the upper back. The bodice appears to be too tight. I would recommend releasing the side seams so the back will “hang” properly. Then, place extra fabric strips in the side openings and redraw the seamlines. You will also need to redraw the waistline seam. Lynda
Of course I’m still working on muslins! You didn’t think I was ready to make an actual garment, did you? Oh well, it will all be worth it when I have a sloper to help me see what changes I need to make to other patterns. Warm weather is just about here in Texas, and I would like to have some nice-fitting dresses and skirts to wear, not things that are embarrassing.
I broke down and ordered two new physical sewing books- Vogue Sewing: Revised and Updated and Clotilde’s Sew Smart. I have high hopes for Sew Smart. But, now I’ll have to get rid of two other books to avoid clutter. I wish more books were available as ebooks…
My muslins are coming along! Here is my second muslin, which incorporates the changes I made to the first muslin- a full bust adjustment and taking out a wedge from the back:
Craftsy Muslin 2
You can see that there are still a lot of issues here- the drawn-on balance lines are supposed to be hanging straight. There is bagginess above my bust, a strong fold or wrinkle heading from my bust to my back, wrinkles on my back, and the balance line under my bust heads down at the sides. On the plus side, it seems to be hitting at the waist.
I fiddled with this endlessly. To do this, I undid one side seam and both front darts on that side, and played around with getting a good fit while the bodice was on my body. I tried to lower the front side dart and move the vertical side dart out a bit, so that the darts point to the fullest part of the bust.
I made another major change in order to try to get a slimmer fit below my bust and get rid of some back wrinkles- instead of simply pinching out the excess evenly, I tried wrapping the sides according to this method. I think armhole balance is the source of some of my back fitting problems. I focused on getting the balance lines that weren’t altered by the different darts straight and keeping the very front waist at the waist. This method really shows the difference in length between the front and the back (the waist is marked by the lowest blue line; the very large seam allowance exaggerates the difference:
This method enlarged the armscye quite a bit- (maybe too much? I’ll deal with it later), so the distance between my armpit is reduced quite a bit- about 2 inches. I drew in a new waistline and side seam. I also ended up taking a vertical wedge out of the back to reduce the width a bit.
I traced the changes from the muslin using my wax tracing paper from Richard the Thread. This stuff is so much better than the terrible wax-free tracing paper they sell in stores. It’s large enough to actually work with, and doesn’t leave a oh-so-annoying colored chalk stain on your fabric.
Here’s the third muslin. It isn’t perfect, but it is more form-fitting on front torso below the bust. The strong diagonal wrinkle or fold heading from my underbust to my side is mostly gone, and the bust horizontal balance line is essentially level.
It might be a little overfitted- I think this is causing the wrinkles on the lower bodice. I plan on letting out the front vertical darts a bit to correct this. But, I could be wrong.
I have to admit, I was a little surprised by the placement of the front vertical darts- I wanted them to be further apart, but instead they start closer to my center, and curve out as they head up. I can’t tell if they look like a nice style detail, or just make my torso look wider. I’ll try to fix them on my next muslin. I changed the side seams quite a bit, so I need to check if they are going straight up and down- right now, they seem to be good…but maybe they are creeping forward a bit?
I have several goals for my next muslin:
1) Now I can see that the shoulder seams are too far back. I’m going to move them forward so that they are nicely centered.
2) I think the shoulder straps need to be a bit narrower.
3) The front neckline has some ripples that I need to get rid of.
4) I need to see about getting rid of the wrinkles on the front of the bodice. Letting out the front vertical darts a bit might take care of this. Or, the wrinkles could just be caused by being worn on the body. At this point, I can’t tell.
5) Move the front vertical darts outward, and make sure they are actually vertical
6) Possibly move the front horizontal darts down a bit. I hate to mess with them because I’ve already spent so much time on them…but, I think they might be a bit high on me?
7) Take care of the bagginess above my bust. I’m not sure if I need to adjust the shoulder slope and length to do this, or need to actually pin out a wedge of fabric in this area Or, I could be misinterpreting the problem entirely. What do you guys think?:
8) Get rid of more back wrinkles! I think this might be a length issue (still!), but pinning out a horizontal wedge seems to raise the waist too much. I know the waist is dipping down by the zipper- that is my fault for drawing it on incorrectly. Do I just need to shorten the back some more? Or, it there a better solution?
The bodice seems to feel nice on my body, so I don’t think I need more width. BUT, I could be wrong- maybe these are horizontal strain lines from not enough width? What do you guys think? I don’t want to look like a stuffed sausage!
Vogue 8766 line drawing-I’m making version D, with sleeves from F
I am taking Craftsy’s fitting class! This class uses Vogue 8766 as a fitting shell. The pattern isn’t one I would normally choose for myself- I think I look better in V-necks because they help balance out my figure, which is top-heavy. But, I can see why the teacher, Lynda Maynard, chose it- the pattern is nice and simple, without a lot of details to get in the way of fitting. There are some options for fuller skirts, but I will be making the straight skirt option, probably with 3/4 sleeves.
The class emphasizes tracing or copying the pattern instead of cutting into the pattern itself. This is a good habit that I need to start. It also emphasizes the importance of having vertical and horizontal balance lines on your project. This helps you to figure out where the project is hanging correctly and where it is not. The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting emphasizes this as well. Using extra-large seam allowances is important, so you have room to make changes on your muslin.
I recently asked for help fitting my last project (which I have now abandoned for good) on the blog and on Pattern Review, and got some great responses! For one, I need to go up a size. Yes, this is painful to admit- but size is just a number, and overly tight clothes never look good. Size 14, here I come. I have been lying to myself- and for what reason? Because society wants women to weaken themselves through starvation? Ugh. Why buy into that? It is a bit annoying technically, because the difference in my upper and lower halves means I have to grade from a 14 up top to about a 10 at my hips, but I guess I’ll figure it out eventually.
The first adjustment I made was to add a shoulder pad on my right shoulder only. Longtime readers know that I messed up my shoulder by sleeping on my side too much, so now my right shoulder is lower than my left. Let this be a lesson to you! Sleep on your back. I have of course been ignoring this and hoping it would go away- but, sewing is about being honest with what you have to do to look your best. To look my best, I need to admit my problem, and fix it with a shoulder pad on one side only. (Please note that for the muslin, the shoulder pad is not sewn in, just placed on my shoulder).
Going up a size does make a difference- the armholes are less tight, and there isn’t a huge amount of strain across my bust.
The first thing to do is assess the shoulder seems- they shouldn’t show up at shoulder level from either the front or the back- if they show, they need to be moved either forward or backward. I think mine are OK. There’s still some unevenness in the shoulder height, but the shoulder pad helps.
You can see from the horizontal line under my bust that the bodice is riding up a bit. The waist is a little high, especially in front. This also shows up from the side on the line above my bust. There is bagginess on my torso under my bust, a diagonal drag line from my bust to my waist. There is too much fabric on my back, perhaps caused by excess length.
The first change I made was a full bust adjustment, cutting horizontally into the fabric above my bust, and angling the cut down at the sides. This allows the fabric to relax and spread apart. I adjusted the lowered part of the bodice, letting it settle where it seemed to fit, and pinned in a piece of fabric to secure this more flattering fit. This brings the waist, especially the front waist, lower down. I added a little more length later, but didn’t get a picture.
I am not a fitting model, so one change isn’t going to do it for me. Once I did the full bust adjustment, I worked on the baggy back. I think my problem here is that my back is shorter than the fitting models, so I pulled the fabric down and pinned out a horizontal wedge across my lower mid back. This really helped! My goal was to reduce the amount of horizontal fabric, without really changing where the back waist was hitting.
Once I was happier with the back, I needed to address the bagginess at my sides. To to this, I simply pinched the sides in a bit and pinned. This was effective in adding shape and definition. I may deepen the darts more in the next muslin if I need more shape.
After this, I realized the bodice is sitting a bit high on my shoulders. To reduce length here, I pinched the shoulder seams up and pinned out the excess. One shoulder is pinned on the outside, one is pinned on the right side.
The muslin is much better now! The waist is closer to where it should be, the back is smoother and has less excess fabric, and the lower section is less baggy. There are still some issues that I need to resolve in the second muslin: it is a bit loose on my upper bust, there is a diagonal drag line under my bust (that is much more horizontal than before, which I guess is good?), and some wrinkles on my back. I need to assess if the shoulder seems need to be wider so that the outside shoulder seem hits where my arm hinges onto my side. My breasts appear to be a different heights here- this is caused by the asymmetrical pinning in of fabric for the bust adjustment, and should resolve itself naturally when I make the second muslin.
Now comes the hard part- transferring my changes to the pattern. The Craftsy class is excellent at showing you how to do this. I am not overly impressed with the class in terms of it showing you what the problem areas are and how to fix them. I guess this is inevitable thought, because there are endless figure variations, so logistcally speaking, one class simply won’t be able to deal with all of them. You’ll still need a book or a teacher to point out what your particular problems are and what adjustments you make to correct them.
There must be an easier way to sew sleevesYou know the horrible tedious torture that is trying to ease in a sleeve to the armscye or armhole? That special kind of burden that makes you consider only making sleeveless clothes? I just read on Green Apples that the process of pinning, basting,and then ruining the sleeve because you messed up and it didn’t fit right in the armscye is not really necessary. Some pattern adjustment can eliminate the ordeal. The method used to eliminate the ease is in the blog post. Also, I found another helpful sleeve ease tutorial on Elegant Musings.
The reason why sleeve cap ease is built into sewing patterns was originally outlined on Fashion Incubator.
I would love to use this method to stop having to ease in sleeves!!!
There’s a reason I haven’t been making many posts recently: All I ever do is make muslins that don’t fit quite right. I don’t even cut into real fabric anymore! This has been a little discouraging (I want to be able to make beautiful clothes, RIGHT NOW!), but realistically I have made good progress in learning how to change patterns to fit my body. And, I’m sick of making nothing but wadders.
I do have a couple of fitting books, but neither of them seem to address the particular problems I have, or if they do, they don’t address them in quite the right way for my body. Of course, my own inexperience is largely to blame. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I don’t have a fitting partner to help me.
Lately I have been making endless muslins of Vogue 8765. I was making endless muslins of Butterick 5638, but needed a change. Vogue 8765 is a simple dress with kimono sleeves (the sleeves are drafted in with the bodice, not attached later). Yay not having to mess with set-in sleeves! The dress is so simple looking, but I still haven’t gotten it right.
The first thing I did was optimistically make an unaltered muslin in a size 12, B-cup bodice. Maybe the dress would fit me just fine! Maybe I would immediately be able to go to making a beautiful dress in a fashion fabric! Sadly, no. The usual problems presented themselves- way, way too much fabric on the back, forming a huge bubble mid-back, and diagonal drag lines from my bust to my hips. I didn’t take a picture, because ugh.
My first impulse was to shorten the waist by folding down the fabric from above the waist down to meet the waist. I didn’t want to make a new muslin at this point because of laziness, so I removed the zipper and altered the muslin itself as a trial. This made the muslin look sloppy, but was an OK way to try to get a good fit.
I still had excess fabric at the back, so I followed the directions in one of my fitting books and undid the side seams and removed 1/2 inch from the width of the back piece at the sides. Ugh, this did not work for me at all. The dress was way too tight above the waist, squeezing me like a sausage (attractive!), whole still leaving me with the problem of excess fabric on the mid and upper back.
At this point I became desperate and willing to take risks. None of the fitting books seemed to have suggestions that addressed this problem adequately, so I had to try to figure out a solution on my own. Keeping in mind my goal of having the fabric lie smoothly on my back, I grabbed my pins and headed towards a mirror. Manipulating the fabric by grabbing it and trying to figure out where exactly the excess lay, I ended up with huge amounts of fabric in my hands at the sides of my neck. I pinned these in place and went to see how to manipulate the dress when I wasn’t wearing it.
Yay, I don’t have a fabric hunchback!
In order to incorporate the fabric removal into the muslin, I pinned the fabric down, making faux darts running diagonally from the side of my neck to my armpits. These darts are huge- 3 inches at the side of the neck- but improve the fit of the dress amazingly. They taper to nothing by the time they get to the armpits. This is weird, because I perceive this are of my body to be the relatively large, out-of-proportion part. Huh. By removing this fabric, a lot of the back problems were removed, and the bodice itself sat higher and more securely on my shoulders, eliminating a lot of the gaping at the top of the bodice.
The back is much smoother now! Not perfect, but is an improvement!
Finally, a change that made an actual improvement to the muslin! To incorporate the change into the pattern, I noted where the changes were on the fabric, then transferred them to the paper pattern. Rather than cutting into the pattern and removing excess that way, I was able to simply fold the pattern flat. If the changes wouldn’t lie flat, I would have
Incorporating fabric removal into the pattern- fold flat and pin.
had to make more permanent changes to the pattern itself, but luckily this wasn’t necessary. I was also happy to see that the actual shoulder seams were not affected, so I wouldn’t have to make any corresponding seam length adjustments to the front of the bodice- all the fabric removal is in the neck portion.
Oh bust apexes, that’s not where you go.
Now that I had something to be happy about, I was willing to admit something to myself- the bust apexes were not at all in the right place. No, no, no. They were much to high. I jammed one of my shoulders lower than it should be by sleeping on my side, but that can be fixed with a shoulder pad. The bust apexes…not so much. I realized that I shortened the waist much too much (2 1/2″!). Also, the dress was too tight across the bust. Being squashed into your clothes is not attractive! I made another muslin using the faux slash-and-remove pattern alteration method on the back described above before admitting this to myself.
Get out your marking tools and move the waist to where it should be!
To figure out where the waist should really be, I put on my latest muslin and tied a ribbon around my natural waist. I marked my natural waist with a sharpie, and was surprised at the difference. I am still figuring out how my body differs from the standardized bodies used to make sewing patterns. I thought I was really short-waisted, so I moved the waist up 2 1/2″- but it turns out I should have only moved it 3/4″. what a difference! I made another muslin with this waist change, and was very happy with the results- the dress was much more comfortable, and I didn’t have sausage waist, since the bodice was now also wider!
My longer-waisted muslin still was a bit tight at the bust, so I took a chance and tried a c-cup for my next muslin, making the necessary changes to the waist and neck. Success! The bust apexes were still a tiny bit too high, but acceptably good compared to earlier versions. The problems with excessive back wrinkles remained, but at least I didn’t have a fabric hunchback.
Before shoulder/back darts
I still haven’t made the dress in the
Horizonal darts or wedged below the shoulders- a good change
fashion fabric I plan to make it
in- a nice lightweight linen with black threads running one way and hot pink threads running the other way (it looks better than it sounds. Hilariously, I planned to make this dress for last spring and summer- my sewing skills have not progressed as quickly as I thought they would). I am still not happy with the back, but I think I know what I need to do- remove more fabric horizontally from high up on the back, without affecting the fit in the front. I made another muslin where I pinned in fabric to try this out, and was reasonably happy with the results. The darts or wedges are horizontal- I tried deepening the original diagonal faux slashes, but was not happy with the resut- so somehow taking length out this way seems to be the answer. You can see that in the lower picture, the back is much smoother. For me, this is acceptably smooth, because it is so, so much better than any other back I have made so far. Yes, there are strong diagonal wrinkles running from my armpits to my neck- but maybe that is because of the kimono sleeves? Is that reasonable, or am I wrong? Can these wrinkles be removed?
So, the next change I need to make is figuring out how to transfer the horizontal wedges to the pattern so I can put them on my next muslin. I think this might involve actually cutting into the pattern paper, which makes me apprehensive. I need to make a tracing of the pattern that I can work with without being afraid of ruining it. I am also going to make the skirt a bit straighter, instead of slightly A-line.
What do you guys think? How can I fix the wrinkles on the back? Am I going about this in the wrong way, ignoring a better solution? Is having armpit-to shoulder wrinkles on a kimono sleeve normal, or can they be fixed?
With the new baby, I haven’t had time to sew a single stitch. So, now is the perfect time to take my sewing machine in for a tune up! After all, its been over a year since I got it, and the stitch length has somehow become entirely unpredictable.
While researching the cost of getting a sewing machine tune up, I came across an article on Prudent Baby about how to keep the inside of your sewing machine cleaner. It turns out that my method of changing the thread on my sewing machine (the “grab and pull” or “tug of war” method) is wrong. You should gently guide the thread out through the opening near the needle. This will minimize thread shedding and thus keep the guts of your machine cleaner. Who knew?
Short shorts are all the rage here in Texas. Anyone over 28 is scandalized by the tiny things girls wear now. We know we sound like a bunch of 80-year-olds, but these things are seriously short.
I had a couple of pairs of worn-out jeans, so I figured I could make them into a couple pairs of comfortable, casual shorts, instead of wearing them around my apartment and feeling embarrassed when I go walk the dog or take out the garbage. I have used jeans to line bags instead of canvas, but wanted to go the shorts route this time, since I needed more things to wear in warm weather.
I decided that slightly above mid-thigh would be an acceptable length for me. Short enough to not look matronly, but not scandalously short. This length is also short enough to encourage me to make sure I exercise, so yay healthiness!
Lay out the shorts so they mimic how they actually fit on your body.
To get this length, I put on the jeans, stood in front of a full-length mirror. Making sure to allow for a fold-up hem, I marked where I felt I should cut.
Once decided on my length, I laid the jeans out on my cutting mat and got out my rotary cutter. I made sure to lay them out flat, doing my best to make sure the crotch and inner thigh seam lay flat and to the front, so that the front waistband mimicked how it actually sits on my body.
I didn’t cut straight across, instead I cut at an angle, making the seam of inside thigh about an inch shorter than the outside thigh. To make sure I was cutting at the right area at the right angle, I put a measuring tape in line with the front waistband and ran it straight down the seam I was cutting.
Run the measuring tale straight down the seam from the front waistband.
To me, it seems like cutting at an angle his helps my legs look longer, and helps to disguise my chicken legs by making my thigh look smaller. I tried them on to make sure I was happy with the length before doing anything else.
When I knew I was happy with the length, I used my overlock foot to stitch the edges so they wouldn’t unravel.
I wanted the shorts to look nice and neat, so I made a hem by folding up the edges by one inch, ironing, then folding the edge inside the fold and ironing again. Now that I have worn then, I realize ironing was more or less a waste of time unless I am willing to sew a real hem.
Since I made two pairs of shorts, I immediately got an excuse to harp on one of my favorite annoyances- artificial fabric. One pair of cut-offs is 100% cotton, while the other is 80% cotton and 20% polyester. Ug, there is such a difference between the two! The 100% cotton shorts will hold the fold and get a crease with ironing, but the ones with polyester will not. So annoying, especially because manufactures are adding more polyester to jeans lately. Do they live in the Arctic? Do they not know what wearing polyester in the summer feels like, and how it makes you smell? Ug. So annoying.
Anyway, my cut-off shorts were a success! Instead of gross, holey jeans, I have casual shorts that aren’t a complete embarrassment.
Well now that I am 40 weeks pregnant I am FINALLY getting around to sewing the Megan Neilsen Ruched Maternity T-Shirt pattern! After all, the pattern package says it is great for post maternity too, so why not? For this maternity top I used the leftover turquoise cotton jersey fabric from one of my Vogue 8390 wrap shirts.
This maternity top sewing pattern is simple, with only three pattern pieces and four total pieces of fabric to sew together. Megan Nielsen sewing patterns are printed on nice thick paper, so no messing around with annoyingly fragile tissue paper. My swollen and clumsy hands can’t handle tissue paper right now, so this is great. I used a walking foot and a stretch stitch.
Simply put, this pattern was great! I would recommend it even for beginners. Of course its a maternity t-shirt pattern, so you will want a fabric with stretch (like jersey). If you are okay sewing with jersey, then I think you should try out this pattern!
Megan Nielsen Maternity Shirt
There is one change I would make to this sewing pattern. I wish there were some notches or markings on the arm holesfor the sleeves. Even though you are supposed to ease in the sleeves, there is no guidance on the pattern for doing so. Now I admit I have hardly ever sewn sleeves, so maybe this is just the norm and I am in the wrong. Still, if I had my way the armscye and sleeve would match up more easily. I got around this by ironing the sleeve in half (before sewing them to the shirt) so I would have a nice crisp line to match up to the shoulder seam to pin in place. I then stretched out each half of the armscye to the point where it matched the sleeve edge and started pinning like crazy so I could sew it in place.
This shirt was pretty fast and easy to sew. And it nailed one crucial point, being long enough to cover the bottom of a belly bump. I don’t know why some of my professionally made store bought materntiy shirts are so short that they expose my stomach. Listen up designers, maternity shirts need to be wider AND longer unless you are trying to bring back belly shirts. Since I am happy with it, I am (maybe) going to make another version. I would love to have a longer, tunic length maternity shirt! The rouching will make it more flattering for the awkward postpartum period I think. Plus since this pattern was expensive at $18 PLUS shipping from freaking AUSTRALIA, I want to feel like I got my money’s worth. Still, I would definitely buy this pattern again
I found a few verisons online that I loved. Girls in the Garden made a cute missioni-esque shirt. Maybe I will get the courage to try a print someday! Cotton and Curls sewed a lovely floral print shirt. And Mad Mimsewed a cute turquoise print version.
My Problem: Wavy Seams on Knits/Jersey Fabric
Sleeves are wavy because I stretched out the fabric as I was sewing.
I don’t know why, but the hems on my sleeves and the bottom of the shirt are wavy. Obviously, I want the hems to lie flat so the shirt looks less homemade. I used a stretch stitch and walking foot. I am not sure what causes the puckering on the hems. I did iron the neckline flat before sewing, but not the arms or waist hems. I THINK that I stretched out the fabric as it was being sewn, which was a mistake? So next time I will try a different approach, perhaps:
Be sure NOT to stretch out fabric as it is being fed through the machine? I need to make sure I am not stretching knit fabric, according to the great guide on how to sew knit fabrics on Prudent Baby
I’m sorry about the lack of posts recently- I’ve been making muslins for Butterick 5638- I am determined to learn how to fit patterns to my body, so I can make clothes that fit great. It’s been quite a struggle, but I am making real progress! I’ll post about this separately.
McCall’s M6044 Men’s shirt
Ever since I started sewing, my partner has been asking (nagging) me to make him a shirt. I decided to make it over the summer while he was gone (yes, I am behind on my posts) I was pretty daunted, but making a men’s shirt wasn’t so bad! He likes cowboy style shirts (style E on M6044), but I was realistic and knew I could not make that shirt yet. I went with style A, which is a simple short-sleeved button down with a pocket.
Success! Sorry it’s a little fuzzy- this was absolutely the only picture he would pose for.
For the fabric, I chose a dark blue and white plaid in a cotton seersucker weave. Partner keeps on saying he thinks the weave is weird, but I say too bad! Seersucker is supposed to be great in hot weather. I’m sorry he doesn’t like it more, but still think choosing a fabric that makes you more comfortable is worth it.
I made several alterations to the pattern- instead of using plain seams, I used French seams wherever they were straight enough for me to manage it- I think this was a great decision, since the seams are stronger and the shirt looks better and closer to store-bought. I think flat-felled seams might have worked too, but was not in the mood to try a technique I had never done before.
I also added an additional pocket, since I know he likes to have one on each side.
I’ll admit, even with the pliers, putting the snaps on was tough- for starters, the first time I did them, I put them on the wrong side, forgetting that they would not be coming up through a layer of fabric like buttons do. And, the snaps were just difficult to put on. Despite my best efforts to make sure all parts were flush with the pliers before using them, sometimes snaps were misaligned, so that the attachment prongs were sticking out at odd angles. I had to use an awl to pry misaligned snaps off and try again with a new snap. I do think that it gets easier the more you practice, but I am going to plan on having extra snaps from now on.
All in all, a success! I’m going to try sewing a cowboy shirt this winter. Glamour Glory also loved M6044.
