By now many of you have either finished or are moving along nicely with your Hazel muslin. The Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing is one of my favourite sewing references and they have this to say about muslins, or test garments, a they call them:
"Several considerations may suggest the advisability of making a test garment. Perhaps the fabric is expensive or unusual...it may require special treatment during sewing....still another difficulty may be the design - a large scale or border print or an intricate plaid. Sometimes the pattern is the problem. It may be a more intricate style you are accustomed to or a silhouette you have never worn. A test garment lets you practice a new....techniques in advance....and [check] the accuracy of any pattern alterations you have made."
As with any muslin, facings and closures can be eliminated, as it is the fit we are after at this stage and not the finishing.
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| Hip pivot adjustment from The Colette Sewing Handbook |
With the lovely bodice detailing of Hazel, a pivot adjustment can also be used in the bodice pieces to ensure the ideal fit. If the bodice pieces fit well in the bust but are too tight or loose in the waist, you would simply cut into your side bodice pieces and either pivot out or in the desired amount, as it is shown in the diagram below:
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| Waist pivot adjustment from The Sew Colette Handbook |
All in all, pivot adjustments are some of the simplest to make and yield immediate results. Have confidence in your abilities, review your Fit Facts, and make a garment that flatters you!
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6 comments:
I have that Reader's Digest book and is it a great reference! My copy is one from the 70s that my mom used when she made a lot of clothes for me and brother when we were little. She gave it to me a few years ago when I started sewing a lot.
I have that Readers Digest book too! :)
I need to get this book! Fantastic reference, Sarah. Thank you for sharing :)
@Stacy - Mine if from the 70's too!
@MissCrayola - Great minds think alike!
@Rochelle - I highly recommend it!
I have a question about what adjustment to do for the waist of Hazel. I am cutting a size 8 as the bust and hip measurements are spot on but the waist measurement I need to be 34". I was going to just do a pivot on the sides of the side bodices the difference needed but since the bodice has multiple pieces should I distribute the difference to all seams to keep the proportions true to the original design? I also was thinking of cutting from a size 8 to a size 14 at the waist, drawing it in with a french curve but something about that looked weird. i know i should just get sewing and see which works, but if you have any advice before I dig in I would appreciate it!
Hi again! I figured it out - with the two pieces in the back part of the bodice its technically a princess seam so the width on the back I am going to spread the difference across the side and the seam between the two back pieces, and on the front bodice just on the sides to not distort the v in the front. yay! I am behind on sewing up Hazel but will be finishing muslin tomorrow! YAY!
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