Coat Muslin #2

I have been plugging away at my coat muslin.  This is muslin #2:

Much better fit across the back! 

Now lets try out the collar:

Not loving it

The collar was a bit too big.  It was coming close to the sleeve seams!  

Want to see my goof?  Of course you do.  It's good laugh at ourselves...

Doh!

Yup!  I sewed the under collar onto the wrong side of the fabric so the seam allowances are on the outside!  Oops!  Note to self: Don't do that on the real version!

So I redrew 2 versions of the collar.  One was a smaller curved version and the other was a squared off collar like I found on this J. Crew coat (swoon) which is VERY similar to my Simplicity 2057! 

from J.Crew

This is what the 2 collars looked like on me.  On your left is the round one and on your right is the squared version.  Yes I did another goof and cut out the squared collar on the wrong side of the fabric...but it's for educational purposes only, so it's perfectly fine!

I marked the seam lines in chalk so I could see the finished size and shape of the collar.  I've decided on the curved collar.  This coat is pretty structured and has lots of straight seam lines and I think the rounded collar will soften up the overall look.  I then redrew the under collar 3/8" narrower than the upper collar along the outside edges tapering down to 1/4" narrower along the front curve tapering down to nothing about 1.5" from the neckline seam.  

I preshrunk my fabric using Pam at Off The Cuff ~Sewing Style's tutorial.  I followed her advice and got 2 bath towels wet with hot water, and threw them and my fabric into the dryer.  I set the dryer on High Heat and put it on for 40 minutes.  I then pulled out my fabric (I was worried it would be wet, but wasn't) and laid it out flat to cool off.

So...am I ready to cut out my pattern FOR REAL???

Thank you for your kind comments and words of encouragement.  Already this has been difficult for me.  I mean, a second muslin??  That's uncharted territory for me.  The few times I have made one at all, it has been, I admit, somewhat half-assed.  But I have been strong...and have been forcing myself to do it right! (even if it's really really hard!)

Coat Muslin: first photos

Prepare yourselves for some hideous fabric.  I'll keep this brief not only to spare your retinas, but because the print makes it difficult to see wrinkles.

With only the bodice assembled, it's pretty clear that there is too much fabric in the back.  The shoulder seam is lifting up on the back and that pattern piece should be angled down a little.    The front looks good.  

I adjusted the shoulder seam and it's now laying flat.  With the sleeve attached, we can see that the horizontal balance line (HBL) is not parallel to the floor but it is swinging forward.  Also, there is a pouf of extra fabric at the side back behind the sleeve. 

I took out some fabric at the bodice side back and reattached the sleeve.  There is still wrinkling, and still too much fabric there.  I'm going to rework the back and back of the sleeve again.  I'll take some width out of the center back as well as the side back.

Next up...muslin version 2.  I was debating making the 2nd muslin out of something wearable, but then remembered my goal: not to take shortcuts with this coat.  So I will make version 2.0 out of the same home dec hideousness that I have remaining.  

Project for the Fall: A Coat!

I'm making a coat!  It has been in the back of my mind for a long time and I have decided that now is the time.  More importantly, I'm not taking shortcuts with this.  I am going to make a proper muslin, use sew-in hair canvas, do hand tailoring techniques, add a back stay (using Sewaholic's tutorials), and maybe even bound buttonholes.

I have chosen Simplicity 2057, a Project Runway Coat.

The purple one but without the tabs at the waistline

My plan is to make the short version with the rounded collar like the one above.  However I will omit the pocket welts and back yoke and make the collar out of the same fabric rather than a contrasting one.  

Here is the fabric, it is a wool/poly blend from Fabric.com:

From Fabric.com

I have started my muslin using the most awful and slightly smelly home dec fabric I had laying around.  I'm glad I can finally use it and then get rid of it.

I have been using Gertie's Lady Gray Sew-Along tutorials and The Great Coat Sew-Along to do this right.  So far I have managed to do a FBA on a shoulder princess seam--it did work!! (yay).   I cut a 16 and did a 1" FBA.  After cutting out my pieces I stitched along all of the seam lines with a bright color, which I initially raised my eyebrows at, but now I am totally cool with it and see the wisdom in it.  Then I assembled the bodice using a light color thread and my longest stitch.   

Notes on my first steps of my first pass:

• The FBA was a good choice and the bust fits well.  
• The back is way too big and is sticking out, so I will take in those seams.  
• For some reason, the front waistband is too short, so I will measure the front bodice and then cut new waistband pieces to fit.   (EDIT: Duh...doing a FBA makes the front wider...need to make waistband wider too...facepalm)
• I need to narrow the shoulders about 1/2" which really shouldn't surprise me.  I think I will need to extend the shoulders a little bit in order to fit shoulder pads.
• Once I tweak the back I may raise up the waistband since my waist is pretty high.  (Note to self: lengthen the jacket to compensate)

Today I won't even bore you with my muslin photos, but trust me, the fabric is ugly!!

So that's the plan for now.  In the words of Carolyn..."more later".  :)