Author Archives: mrsmole

Slow Going

Posted on March 15, 2023 by mrsmole

Not all projects go smoothly and sometimes there is a real “bump in the road”. Working on Nancy’s jacket should have been an easy project, right? The muslin and early try-on went well but then the party came to a … Continue reading →

Posted in non-challenges | Tagged Basque cheesecake, straight of grain stretch | 9 Comments

Making Progress

Posted on February 24, 2023 by mrsmole

Here we have the basted version of Nancy’s jacket on the mannequin. How about the jacket on a real body? The shoulders need some tweaking and thicker shoulder pads and the hem has pins all around to mark the … Continue reading →

Posted in non-challenges | Tagged bodice opened up, Chanel jacket sleeves, Nancy's jacket try-on, pinned hem marked, snowy day | 2 Comments

Jacket Taking Shape for Nancy

Posted on February 1, 2023 by mrsmole

Nancy has returned to town to try on her latest jacket Butterick 6421. After all the alterations from the last time you can see there are still a few tweaks to do to make it fit better. The front view … Continue reading →

Posted in non-challenges | Tagged adding gingham wedges, attaching lining by hand to wool, Butterick 6421, cutting out wool fabric with muslin template, new curve on sleeves | 13 Comments

Ready for Class

Posted on January 9, 2023 by mrsmole

After many weeks of making multiple alterations to the paper pattern and so many traced copies of every version of the pieces and tweaking the muslins, the result is …I have a class-ready sloper/toile with added seam allowances. Here is … Continue reading →

Posted in non-challenges | Tagged 3 piece sleeves, final muslin with extended seam allowances, new Janome 14000 | 11 Comments

Drag Lines

Posted on January 3, 2023 by mrsmole

People ask me how to pick a pattern that will not need a lot of tweaking, since most patterns are made for a “B” cup…if that is not you, then you will have to make adjustments. All along I have … Continue reading →

Posted in non-challenges | Tagged adding to seam lines, how to avoid patterns with drag lines, Vogue 8804 | 11 Comments

More Tweaking

Posted on December 28, 2022 by mrsmole

Moving along in this challenge, I still am not happy with the way the front horizontal lines arch upwards. The red lines are parallel with the floor so adding about one inch would make them level….but do I dare slash … Continue reading →

Posted in non-challenges | Tagged drag lines pointing to bust, Fashion Incubator, Kathleen Fasanella, slashing to add length to the front | 7 Comments

First Muslin

Posted on December 21, 2022 by mrsmole

Time to bite the bullet after so much messing and tweaking the paper pattern. The front view looks OK/sad without shoulder pads. The front princess seams are almost right over my bust points…hooray! Here is the right sloped shoulder side. … Continue reading →

Posted in non-challenges | 8 Comments

Let’s Slash!

Posted on December 15, 2022 by mrsmole

You have seen me do this 100 times on clients’ clothes…time to do the same on my own. Instead of letting the center back seam curve, I need a neck dart to keep the center back seam on grain. Adding … Continue reading →

Posted in non-challenges | Tagged adding to upper back, ASG donations, sway back adjustment | 4 Comments

Trying Paper Pattern

Posted on December 8, 2022 by mrsmole

Ready to, as the experts say, “Tissue Fit”? With the two fronts pin basted we can see some problems already but things change when the pattern is cut and basted in muslin fabric. The back has the same issues as … Continue reading →

Posted in non-challenges | Tagged finding a missing pattern piece, sway back tuck, tissue fitting, upper back slash | 6 Comments

Template + Jacket

Posted on November 29, 2022 by mrsmole

Time to start using my template to compare a jacket pattern for myself. This jacket has front princess seams and a center back seam. With the template under the new pattern back, we can see that the upper curve is … Continue reading →

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