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Posted on: 3/16/15 9:35 PM ET
I'm watching Susan Khalje's Couture Dress class and was fascinated with what she said about making a muslin.

It's to be marked, altered and then will be the actual pattern (I think I heard that right).

It made me realize that I'm always trying to make a wearable muslin I guess so I can have my cake and eat it too. I think it's been too much of a compromise. I'm not making the changes I really need to make (otherwise I'd slash and spread that puppy).

I think my next fabric purchase is going to be real muslin. Not cheap fabric that I hope may make another crappy outfit for me to wear.
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Posted on: 3/16/15 9:51 PM ET
This is a great plan. Once you do the muslin work, transfer the changes back to paper. Then make a wearable muslin out of inexpensive fabric (or just make another muslin muslin) just to make sure you have it right. You may have to make more adjustments on the muslin which hopefully would be little tweaks. Transfer to paper.
Finally if no more changes are needed, use your fashion fabric.
  
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Posted on: 3/16/15 10:36 PM ET
In reply to marymary86
Hey MaryMary86,

Have you heard of sure fit designs. Glenda who is the author takes you through creating muslins that actually fit. Its awesome. I can then take those muslins and line it up to the waistline on the pattern and start with basic adjustments. Also on youtube, if you look at Peggy sagers videos she has great advise to alter the length, the circumference (width) and then adjust the darts (depth).
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Posted on: 3/16/15 10:46 PM ET
In reply to marymary86
I totally utterly completely REALLY disagree with even the notion of a "wearable muslin"!

IF you are thinking "maybe I can wear this", then you are NOT working the muslin as you need to and should be.

FORGET about ever wearing a muslin! Use fabric with the required hand/finish/weave/drape...but in the UGLIEST print you can find, if you can't get away from the "wearable muslin" thought.

A muslin needs to be marked and ripped and stitched and re-marked and re-stitched and ripped again and pinned and patched and pieced. Then do another one. And another, if needed. Too tight? Just tear a strip of muslin and tape/pin/stitch it into where you need it. You know you have a great first muslin when it akes you want to sing 'A Coat Of Many Colors'.

If you're thinking of wearing it in the back of your mind, you won't strip and piece and patch it. And that is often exactly what you should be doing to get a fabulously fitting muslin.

And then, when this total dog's breakfast fits properly, THEN make a good muslin for pattern pieces and go on with the good fabric.

The concept of a "wearable muslin" encapsulates exactly what you said; "compromise". Which usually ends in no great joy.

I am SO HAPPY to hear you have given up on this waste-of-time concept!
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I heart Woo (HimmyCat). Until we meet again, my beautiful little boy. I love you.
  
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Posted on: 3/16/15 11:04 PM ET
In reply to marymary86
LOL. So true. That is, unless you wear a lot of unbleached cotton with marks all over it, haha
  
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Posted on: 3/16/15 11:32 PM ET
I agree that the concept of sewing one wearable muslin is not for complex and/or fitted garments. But they absolutely have their place.
First, it is really hard to check drape and volume and flow with muslin, so for certain complex and/or fitted garments, wearable muslin-ing is essential in my opinion.
Second, for certain other garments, they can be really handy. For example, I have standard adjustments that I make in big 4 and a separate set that I use for Burda. For a big 4 or Burda pullover blouse that primarily needs to fit in the shoulders and bust, I can be pretty confident it's going to fit with my standard adjustments. And when sewing up Lekala or Bootstrap customized patterns from measurements that have worked well in the past, I can be pretty confident the garment will fit. But in both cases, before cutting into my precious fabric, I'll do a wearable muslin just in case. Most times I end up with something very wearable, once in a while I end up having to make more changes.
I do what feels right at the time and it usually works for me.
  
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Re: The idea of a wearable muslin isnt working for me (posted on 3/17/15 1:03 AM ET)
I just ordered about 10 yards of cheap but wide muslin for just this purpose!
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Re: The idea of a wearable muslin isnt working for me (posted on 3/17/15 1:20 AM ET)
For basic fit for wovens, you can make lots of muslins from saving your old sheets, or buy them inexpensively at thrift stores. I use sheets and also have some thicker muslin fabric that works well for shorts/pants. After the alterations I transfer them to paper, then toss the muslin after the garment is made. Just make sure you hang on to the actual garment if you think you want to make it again, in case your weight shifts or changes. Or you can save the muslin if you have the space.

For knits it gets trickier for me, because there are so many knits out there with different stretches. If it's a knit I really like, I sometimes buy extra. I try it on at every step, and alter as I go. If it gets too messed up, I have the extra to fix it. If it turns out right, then I have enough to do something else with it. A lot of times I don't do muslins at all because I compare and alter my pattern with RTW that fits or other patterns that fit. It just depends on how different the pattern is from what I have done in the past. We all have our methods, don't we?
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Re: The idea of a wearable muslin isnt working for me (posted on 3/17/15 9:28 AM ET)
I rarely muslin but since I saw Peggy Sagers' video I would much rather do it the way you're saying; use the muslin as the pattern.

She took tucks and darts and what not and sewed them...and then used the altered pants pieces as a pattern. This made SO much more sense to me than trying to "transfer the adjustments to the tissue".

I still avoid making a muslin whenever possible though! :)
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Posted on: 3/17/15 11:48 AM ET
In reply to KSmithSews
MrsC, does this mean you have to unpick the darts, waistband, etc. So you can lay the muslin pieces over your fabric to cut it? I so dislike using that seam ripper!
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Sewing keeps me from falling apart at the seams!
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