March is My Muslin Month

Thank you all for the wonderful ideas and encouragement on my craft overload situation. While I ponder the pros and cons of selling, donating, and storing stuff, I'm back in sewing mode. I’ve decided that instead of launching into another flurry of production, I will slow down for a month and do some prep work for more complicated projects. Specifically, fitting pants. (For those of you in the UK, that would be trousers!) I really lucked out with my taupe seamed pants from V2691 , which required only minor adjustments which I was able to accomplish easily because of the extra seams. I don’t expect things to go that smoothly with other patterns, because I’m not an exact size, and my bulges are not in the same places as the pattern models’.

So, it’s a month of muslins for me. I should be able to get three or four patterns fitted, and I will be good and sick of the whole process by the end of it.

There are four styles for which I’d like to nail down a pattern and get it fitted so I can go back to it repeatedly. My first challenge will be choosing among the many options.

Simple, flat-front, wide-leg pant:It's a bit hard to see on these wardrobe patterns, but the pants are fitted at waist and draping with a slight flare from the hips to the floor. This is my usual pant style.

Narrow-leg pattern that can be used for capri or cigarette pant: The shape looks the same in 1959 and 2011! Not as flattering on me, but the narrow leg looks better under tunics and oversized tops than a wide leg.

Funky, non-traditional jeans:

Skinny leg, baggy, flared, bootcut, mom jeans, low waist, hi-rise, stonewashed, faded, dark rinse, colored. So many choices out there! I just want a comfy denim pant that isn’t too tight but looks nice. A couple of fun details and topstitching are good, but I’m not getting into rivets or back pockets.

Try out the high-waist style
I love the look, but will it work on me? I have the sense that the front would have to be boned to keep my so-called waist from flopping over and squashing the fabric into a puddle in my lap. Good reason to do a muslin first.

I'm off to Pattern Review now, to see what other users had to say about some of the patterns.

What's on your list for March?

Katrina