Yesterday I sewed Muslin #3 of the shirt I'm making for the Men's Shirt Sew-Along. This has turned into somewhat of a Frankenstein project, as many alterations as I've made to the original pattern (and as many crazy floral fabrics I've cobbed together). But I am happy to report that after a bit more tweaking on the third muslin, I'm finally ready to cut out the actual shirt!
It was hard to get a photo of myself wearing Muslin #3. Norm was gone to a rally at the state capitol, so I was on my own. The self-photos didn't work out, so instead I'll show you my first ever full bust adjustment (FBA). <--That link, by the way, rocks as far as FBA tutorials go.
I was happy I had the cardboard dressmaker's mat I'd thrifted last summer. There's probably an official name for the thing, but I don't know it. Anyway, it was great because I could pin right down into it, and the grid lines helped in lining things up.
I wasn't sure how much to adjust the shirt front in the bust. I guessed somewhere between a C and D and went with 5/8 inch. I think the recommended adjustments may have applied to a standard women's pattern to start with, which is sized for a B cup. I dunno. Brain hurts. Long story short, it worked fine.
In summary, these are the changes I have made to the original pattern:
- Added 3 inches to length of front and back.
- Added 2 inches to sleeve length. - Decreased sleeve width by 5/8 inch from shoulder to wrist. - Redrew point of collar.
- Decreased back yoke width by 3/4 inch. - Decreased collar length by 3/4 inch.
- Removed gathering in shirt back below yoke
- Sway back adjustment. - Decreased width of shirt back and re-cut rear armhole. - Altered side seams of shirt back, removing 5/8 on each side from under arm, tapering out to hip, and adding curves at waist/hip. - FBA/darts added to shirt front. - Lowered front neckline 3/8 inch. - Removed gathering of lower sleeve and added pleats.
- Raised side slits by 1-1/4 inches.
Many of the alterations were by trial and error, but I did find some helpful general tips in two books I'd picked up at a thrift store last summer: The Busy Woman's Fitting Book and The Bishop Method of Clothing Construction.
And with that, I'm off to cut out the real shirt. Fingers crossed!
P.S. - I cannot wait to get back to making quilts!
My favorite muslin fabric shirt combination is #2, the one with the daisy bodice and yellow floral sleeves. I wondered why you'd made so many alterations till I scolled back to see you were using a vintage men's shirt pattern! What a challenge! I'm looking forward to seeing your results. :D
Oh my goodness, woman, that thing would have been tossed out long ago by me! You have the patience of a saint!
ReplyDeleteDitto what Sue said:) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI have the utmost confidence in you...and after all your adjustments and trials, you'll have worked out all the bugs and I bet it will look great.
ReplyDeleteYou're committed to this shirt! I would have given up the first time something didn't go exactly as planned.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck with the real deal. Im sure all your hard work will be worth it. I cant wait to see it done because I love the fabric you chose!
My favorite muslin fabric shirt combination is #2, the one with the daisy bodice and yellow floral sleeves. I wondered why you'd made so many alterations till I scolled back to see you were using a vintage men's shirt pattern! What a challenge! I'm looking forward to seeing your results. :D
ReplyDeleteYou are going to be so proud of this shirt once you get it finished! And you'll probably be able to create a pattern from scratch after this!!
ReplyDeleteI so admire your persistence! Once you get this shirt fitted though, you can make as many as you want with abandon, KNOWING that they'll fit. Awesome!
ReplyDelete