My spidey senses are tingling

I sense a crime... against aesthetic sensibilities everywhere... LOOK OUT!

 Here comes the Spiderman.

Ooh, and he's looking around the corner at you. BOO!

Relax. It's only a muslin. But to my total amusement, this muslin (Grainline Moss Skirt, in case the hideous fabric had blinded you from that detail) fits perfectly. Like, could not be better. Like, is so comfy and just the right height at the back and the exact fit at low waist (or lack thereof) and hips, like ... like ... unprecedented perfect fit.

Crap.

Does that mean I should find some crapulous occasion to wear it? Look, Spidey is peeking out of my crotch. Hellooo!

Do you have fun with icky fabrics that have happened into your posession, when making muslins? It certainly takes some of the drudgery out of the task.

- Jane x

PS real version in plain dark denim (phew) almost finished.

the muslin that made me go "yeah, nah"

I may finally have to face the awful truth that I am not an illustration of a groovy young thing in the sixties. Boo-hoo.

yeah! hey that's me in the centre with the red hanky isn't it?

nah. I don't hate it but wouldn't buy it, you know?

Let's ignore the one sleeve thing and the safety pin 'buttons' and the random fabric belt for now and look at the shape.

The fit was not bad; I loosened a little into the seam allowances around the hips but that's all.

I was slightly concerned about the shapeless bag potential of this pattern on me and I think, suspicions confirmed. Not dreadful, however not flattering enough to bother with making 'for real'.

And didn't they like their 'short' sleeves long in the sixties? Modesty or fashion I wonder?

There are better dresses out there for my shape. Like something with an actual waist. Lesson learnt!

Yay for doing muslins then, however dull it might be. I think this means I have to muslin up another pattern. Oh well, silver lining: it's a great way to use up odd coloured threads left on bobbins.

- Jane x

Operation Scarecrow

My dear friend Han who very much encouraged me to start a blog loves a bit of stitching herself. But she's had three adorable kidlets in four-and-a-half years, and helps run a business. So she's had less time than she'd like in which to get crafty.
Han asked if I'd help her with a big project. Not too complex but dauntingly large-scale: making a new cover for her market umbrella. "You can blog about it!" she said, and besides, I had encouraged her to tackle the task in the first place.

Han has dubbed the project 'Operation Scarecrow'

As an extra incentive, I can also have cuddles with this little **girl!!**:

'Do you have permission from my Mama to put my completely edible face on your blog?'
'Why yes I do Miss Winter.'   'Oh, okay then. Continue.'

Probably about a year ago we pulled the old umbrella cover apart, examined the construction and Han traced the parts onto 7.5 metres of calico, which looks like this:

yikes

Then it was carefully folded away next to the roll of pricey outdoor fabric that we were both a bit scared to slice into. We let the project marinate. (I love that term! Thanks whoever invented that!) It seemed to really help with this, because look what we sewed up today.

the muslin FITS!

And then, the pricey outdoor fabric was sliced.

yes you can, yes you can!

Phew. That's enough for one day. All tuckered out.

Clem calls her 'Baby Sun', which was some mix-up with her name Winter, but I think it suits her beautifully

Operation Scarecrow continues next Wednesday. We're planning flat-felled seams sewed with some sturdy thick Gutermann polyester thread. Breaking a big task like this into bite-size chunks seems to be working well.
Have you ever tackled an umbrella re-cover, or similar project? I'd love to hear any tips or wise words.
- Jane x

The Musloni - Negroni progress

I was becoming panicky since Peter has been setting a cracking pace with the Negroni sew-along. However, between Friday night and Sunday night I managed to trace off, cut out and assemble enough of my muslin to give a pretty good idea of fit.

admire ye all the fabric from old disintegrating Ikea quilt cover

Andy's measurements were in between sizes M and L and the advice is to go for the larger. However, it looks like he could easily fit a straight size M, except perhaps in the neck. I'll have to look very carefully at the pattern to see how I might adapt an L collar/neckline to an M everything else. I will shorten the sleeves, for sure.

Some more pics:

I'm... a... dingle dangle scarecrow

general consensus is that the yoke is too wide

fair bit of bagginess all over... the shirt I mean, honey

the very soft old fabric does not approximate the drape of Liberty lawn!

Peter has been super-helpful with hints and suggestions for fit and technique, via the Flickr Group. His photos and instructions on the blog are excellent. I was keen to get his comments on my muslin early in the piece, before he becomes tired of giving free advice to the hundred-odd sew-along-ers!

My plan now is to do a second muslin, well, test garment really, since I hope it will be wearable. I bought some reasonably-priced Japanese cotton lawn. It's really quite nice if I can forget it's a Liberty rip-off from Spotlight. (I think I'm a fabric snob.) I intend to make it up in full detail. After that I should be truly ready for the real-deal Liberty.

- Jane x