muslin and interfacing maunderings

This started as a comments response to my post A muslin story, but then it just got long enough for its own post, so here it is.  Thank you to Robin and Sue and Elizabeth for their thoughts!

I cut the pattern, Burda 3-2009-112 in a 46, the largest size in the pattern, partly because it is the size my measurements indicated and partly because my tracing paper is too thick to see the lighter-weight tracing lines of the smaller sizes very well!  But I think that truly I’m a Burda 44, at the largest, having made a skirt not too long ago from Burda in the 44 which fit well enough with some wiggle room at the waist line.  For my next Burda project, I’ll get lighter-weight tracing paper!  I was really surprised that this is so roomy in the bust in particular — I am a DD so hardly any pattern that is at all fitted is a good fit without a full-bust adjustment. (I’m a 46 based on my high-bust measurement, BTW, not my full bust measurement.)

I got most of my pattern pieces laid out last night — my fabric is narrower than what Burda recommends, but JUST long enough to eke it all out.  Also, I figured out what pieces need interfacing and wrote up a little to-do-list to make sure I get everything cut out that needs cutting out; this part is the dullest for me, I think.

I am going to leave my coat unlined, per the pattern, and I haven’t figured out how to finish the seams.  I have a serger but it needs to go to the spa to get fixed up.  I think I just did a zigzag stitch on the skirt that I made with the same fabric a few years ago, and that has held up.  This coat will not get laundered, it’ll always get dry-cleaned and/or steamed and brushed.  I don’t want to spend the time to add seam-binding, and as this is not heavyweight wool I also worry that seam-binding would show through as lumps on the outside.

I also need to trace out and cut out the pattern pieces for the pockets.  I’m going to wait on tracing out and cutting out the belt pieces, since I don’t have the hardware for it yet.  Also, if I hate the coat, I don’t want to spend the extra time and material on a belt for it; sewing a belt isn’t  hard enough to want to try it out for practice, and I don’t want to buy any new equipment if I don’t have to.  I will do the pockets in any event, I think, because I am trying to learn pockets.

I have an interfacing question — for the collar pieces, I have silk organza, which I think will work nicely and which I’ve worked with before, for waistband interfacing.  But I don’t have a large enough piece of organza for the large facing piece that goes down the inside front of the coat and turns over for the bottom of the collar.  I do have a lightweight woven interfacing that feels like rayon that I think I’d like to use, but I’d love some informed feedback if you have it to offer, so here goes:

This interfacing is intended to be ironed on, but then in washing or steaming the very lightweight amount of glue comes off or something, and so ultimately it is not fused to the fabric.  I’m guessing this means it’s normally intended for lighter-weight fabrics that shift a lot, which is not what I’m working with — my wool is a medium-weight fabric and very easy to work with, it’s not shifty at all.

Also, in storing this rayon interfacing, it’s gotten pretty wrinkled.

So, first question — should I put aside this interfacing and go with something else that’s not a fusible? (the wool fabric is a crepe, I think, with a slightly nubby texture, and as a result I don’t want to use a fusible interfacing).  I have some other interfacings in house that I could use instead; I am such an interfacing n00b that I don’t have any real sense of what’s best.

Second question — if I do decide to use this interfacing, what should I do to try to de-wrinkle it, keeping in mind that I can’t iron it because of the glue on one side?  Right now I’ve got it draped over a bookcase in the hopes that the wrinkles will fall out a bit.

Third question — is the wrinkling a bad sign that this is not a good interfacing for this project?  Wool crepe is not excessively wrinkly, but wouldn’t one of the main points of interfacing be to keep the fabric from getting wrinkly/mashed down?

Okay! Thanks for thoughts and advice!

A muslin story

Elizabeth, your finished coat looks great!  It’s an inspiration. As soon as I get off the computer with this very belated update, I’m going to go tackle my fashion fabric.

I have three muslin photos to share and a question to ask.

I’ve got a medium-weight sweater on under my muslin in this picture.

I’m sewing the same coat that Elizabeth did — Burda 3-2009-112.  My perception of the muslin is that I’m happy with the way the arms fit at the shoulders, and the way it fits in the back.  In the front, it seems really large with a lot of overlap at front center — but I’ve never made a coat before, and I’m inclined to go ahead and just put this together and sew it up!

Elizabeth and others, looking at my muslin, what do you think?  It just seems baggy to me in the front, which surprised me because I’m so busty that normally my problem is that things are too small across the front.  The roominess in this seems wrong somehow.  Do you think it’ll be okay, though?

I am taking your interfacing thoughts to heart, Elizabeth; in fact, I recently spent about an hour and a half at Ragtime Fabrics in Harrisonburg, Virginia, selecting about eight different interfacings to experiment with over the next several projects.  I usually use silk organza interfacing, which works well; if I have enough on hand I’ll use that at the sleeves.

Originally I wasn’t planning to do the pockets as they appear in the pattern, but seeing Elizabeth’s finished coat I’ve had a change of heart, and now I plan to sew those pockets, I think they look cooler than they did in the Burda photo.

I’m doing mine in a wool crepe (I think — it was a remnant that I bought several years ago).  I have a skirt I made in the same fabric that I’ve really enjoyed wearing and that was easy to sew up, so I’m confident the fabric is going to work well enough for these purposes.  It’ll be a lightweight, springy coat, which at the rate I’m going will be just right for timing!

The trench in all its glory…

Or, how I got my trench on.    Be forewarned that this will be a picture heavy post. 

Friday night I did the last bits of hand sewing, attaching the buttons, “fixing” the overly long lining problem, etc.  On Saturday, before the snow came down in NYC metro area, I wore it out with Jack in the ‘hood.  When I stopped by my sister’s apartment, my brother-in-law was floored that I had made the coat myself.  I’m gonna take that as a compliment. 

Here’s my PatternReview review with a few additional comments:

Pattern Description: 3-2009-112 — From Burda: Material is the special feature!  The metallic fibres sparkle on the casually crinkled lightweight poplin and its dark bottle-green colour matches nearly everything.  This coat is uncomplicated to sew: it’s not lined and also does without the traditional sleeve tabs.

Pattern Sizing: 38-46, I made the size 40 because I wear suits all the time for my job and wanted the extra ease for bulky clothes.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes and no.  I used a different fabric and it had a crisper hand and stiffer drape than the fabric used on the model in the magazine, but the silhouette was the same.

Were the instructions easy to follow? The instructions were typical Burda, a little inscrutable, but if you have sewn a coat before, they should make some sense. 

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I originally liked the pattern for the raglan sleeves, thinking they would be easier for me as a beginner, but with the top stitching that one does on a trench coat for style reasons, it ended up being a little more difficult.  The key point to ensure you follow in the Burda instructions is to stitch the shoulder seams’ top sleeve seams as continuous seams.  If you don’t, your top stitching won’t match from front to back.  Also, don’t forget to clip into your curved seams, otherwise you run the risk of very puckered seams.  Ask me how I know.

I loved the simplicity of the pattern.  It’s a classic trench look without all the “bling” like tabs, gun flaps, or epaulettes.  I wasn’t looking for an overly intense experience for this project.

Fabric Used:  Navy cotton with peach skin finish on one side for the outer shell.  Silk charmeuse for the lining.  Notions cannibalized from my Burberry trench coat (RIP 11/30/09): buttons and belt buckle.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Because I’m a glutton for punishment, I added a lining.  The pattern is for an unlined coat, but I didn’t want to add french seams and I wanted a finished look on the inside.  It was relatively simple to add the lining, I just used the front and back  and sleeve patterns minus the space for the facings.  I stitched the lining together and attached it to the facings after I almost completely constructed the coat and attached the collar. 

I only used interfacing in the belt.  Burda suggests interfacing the collars and facings as well as the vent.  My collar is a little floppy even with the stiffer cotton fabric that I used, so I definitely recommend interfacing the collar. 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I most likely will not sew this again as I don’t need another trench coat, but it was a great introduction to coat making.  I definitely recommend this coat to anyone needing a classic yet simple trench coat.

Conclusion:   This was a huge learning curve for me.  I am a beginner sewist and have not attempted anything so complex before.  There were a lot of firsts for me in this project: buttons, button holes, notched collars, eyelets for the belt, slip stitching, adding a lining, adding patch pockets, and top stitching.  I’m sure I am forgetting something here, but that’s already quite a list. 

One more thought in parting:  This is meant to be a more casual, unlined coat, and a “quick” project because of those characteristics.  However, due to the simplicity of the pattern, this coat feels a bit unstructured even with adding a lining.  Possibly this is due in part to the lack of my interfacing, but I really feel the lack of structure in the collar and shoulders.  It’s difficult to put into words, but it feels not as substantial as I think a coat should feel.  But that may be because I am expecting more from it than I should.  If I want more substance from a trench coat, then I suppose I should put the time and effort into making a more traditional one with all the bells and whistles. 

And now for more pictures. 

side view

back view

flashing the lining

close up

notched collar

Did you see the Burberry buttons???  What about the belt buckle and Prym Vario eyelets?

To make the Burberry buttons more secure, I added small buttons on the interior side of the coat.

interior buttons for stability

As mentioned in my previous post, the lining suddenly grew about an inch and a half the other night.  Tacking it up didn’t help; it still drooped below the hem in some spots.  I did a temporary fix of making the lining hem a little higher on one side, but at my next lesson I will try to resolve the problem a bit more elegantly and more permanently.  See below…

temporary fix of the lining hem

Here’s what remains of my Burberry trench, just the outer shell which is stained beyond recovery, devoid of all it’s notions, and the lining which I will salvage for a future unknown project.

the sad remains of my Burberry trench

salvaged Burberry lining

I am looking forward to wearing my trench to work tomorrow, assuming it’s warm enough of course.  I am also looking forward to working on something other than a trench coat. 

Best wishes to all participating in the Trench Sew Along who are still on their trench journey.  I can’t wait to see your versions.

Almost there, but need some advice…

(Warning: No trench pictures in this post) 

Ugh.  I thought I was going to wear my trench today.  I had just the finishing stuff left to do… You know, buttons, belt buckle, hand sewing, etc.  But everything takes so long.  You think it’s going to be quick and then it’s painfully slow-going.  I’m not complaining, although it may sound like it.  Really I’m not.  I just can’t wait to wear this coat. 

As mentioned earlier in the sew along, I intended to cannibalize my existing Burberry trench coat which I detested for numerous reasons.   I can’t tell you how satisfying it was to take it apart and be able to use the things I love about the coat: the leather buckle, the cool Burberry buttons.  I am also going to salvage the Burberry lining (which isn’t slippery at all and totally useless as a lining) and use it for something else.  I don’t know what but something.  Maybe I could make a scarf for my trench?  I wonder if I have enough fabric left from my trench to use on one side.  Hmmm… 

Prym Vario-Snap Kit (image from Atlanta Thread)

I have to tell you how much I love my new Prym Vario-Snap Kit.  I put the eyelets on my belt and love them.  I want to put eyelets on everything now.  What a cool thing this is.  LOVE IT!  It’s so easy to use.  I just want to point out one thing for anyone who has not used one of these things before that’s not explained on the very spare and terse instruction sheet.  Once you’ve pierced the fabric, place the eyelet so that it protrudes through the hole in the fabric so that when you use the “pliers” to press the eyelet into place, the metal “bites” all the fabric all the way around.  If you don’t, you run the risk of not all the fabric catching and the eyelet attached only half way.  Ask me how I know this.  *nodding sagely* 

There is one itty bitty problem with the trench however.  THE LINING SUDDENLY GREW OVERNIGHT AND HANGS BELOW THE HEM NOW.  Thea and I checked and double checked the length of the hem.  I think we even triple checked.  How could it suddenly grow an inch and  half?????  Please let me know how I can remedy this situation.  PLEASE!!! 

I would really like to use my trench coat tomorrow.  I will attempt to avert the lining disaster and finish the last bits of hand sewing and attach the buttons tonight.  Wish me luck and send me lining suggestions please.

Finally, My Trench!

I wish these pictures were taken with my good camera but I had to settle for my “work camera” that I keep in my desk drawer. Maybe I will take more pictures another day.

But without further ado…

(back – coat is on crooked, apparently, or I’m standing funny! The belt loop is really in line with the D-ring above it, I promise.)

Photos At Last!

I just finished the coat a few hours ago. I ended up hemming the coat twice (first time was a mess, then I decided to steam press the edge to reduce the bulk and help ease the curved hem and it worked). Then I hemmed the lining/attached it to the coat hem not once, not twice, but four times before I had it right. I’ll spare you the details but it was a mess. I had to consult my sewing books several times but I am happy with the finished result.

Then it was on to buttons, which I had no trouble locating at Martins House of Cloth in Bedford, NH. They have literally 1000s of buttons to choose from. I went from thinking I would not find any 1″ buttons in gray/blue to agonizing over 5 different colors/styles that would work with the coat.

I made one crucial mistake – sewed the lining in before attaching buttons. I’ve never done anything lined with buttons before, and I didn’t realize that the buttons would end up attaching to the coat front on a side opposite where the lining was (double breasted means wider button placement). This meant that you can see the button stitching on the lining. I think it looks awful but no one will know it’s there except for me, I suppose.

So, without any further ado, The Mod Spy Girl Coat (that’s what the vintage pattern sellers call it), Simplicity 7905 from 1968:

Tie interfacing sewn to ease line – instant ease!

New Techniques and some Sewing Tips

Hello again,
I have to say I missed you girls (and sewing in general). Not only did I not have time to sew, I barely had time to read the sewing blogs. I haven’t been on a sewing related website since September. I forgot how much you can learn from the Internet.

I did a lot of research on tailoring techniques because I really wanted my coat to look as close to perfect as possible. I was especially worried about the sleeves. I have set in sleeves many times, but I would say that I have never successfully set in both where there was no puckering or gathering along the ease line. One of the things I liked about the photo on the pattern envelope for my coat was the smooth lines along the shoulder seam. I wanted shoulders like that. So, I did some research on sleeve heads and started thinking about trying to put one in. But, before I did that, I tried one other technique for easing in a sleeve. I found this interesting method, and I figured it was worth trying on my muslin.

Basically, you use a strip of necktie interfacing, and sew it along the ease stitching line (from notch to notch) of the sleeve. You do not sew any ease stitches. Stretch the interfacing as you sew, and it will ease the sleeve for you. The interfacing also adds structure to the seam. Inserting the sleeve this was way the easiest ever. Usually I have to mess around with tons of pins and keep adjusting the gathers to fit, then I have to hand baste, then fix it where it gets all wonky, hand baste some more, then machine sew it in, pick out stitches were part of the bodice got caught up in the stitching, resew, etc. Even after all of that the finished product is not perfectly smooth.

I tried the interfacing method on my muslin and it went in pretty well -still some gather, but not that bad. However, it went MUCH better on my wool fabric. I made a few adjsutments to the technique – Rusty Bobbin recommends 12″ x 2″ of interfacing. I used more like 16″x1.25″. It seemed that the 12″ was not long enough to make it from notch to notch.

My sleeves are perfect. I thought maybe this was a result of the heavy wool and that the technique might not work on a lighter fabric, so I tried it again in my extremely thin flannel backed satin lining fabric…and it worked great there too! Even better, the interfacing along the seam line of the shoulder seams acts similar to a shoulder pad, so the shoulder seams in my coat have a little more structure and do not droop.

Another technique that I have finally mastered is ‘bagging a lining’. I tried it twice before and had some success and some failure. I never really understood any of the written instructions on how to do it. This time I just thought about it real hard and then had a lightbulb moment. I pinned the lining to the outside of the coat, matched it up along the shoulder seams at the facings, and sewed. I could not believe how easy it was and how professional it looked.

I still have to hem my lining and stitch it in and find some buttons (I am having a terrible time find ten 1″ buttons in a gray or gray blue color). I might have to switch to black or another neutral color, and I am too impatient to order online.

I am going to take photos of the inside of my coat before I sew up the lining hem to show my sleeve techniques. Hopefully everything will be done by this evening.

At last…

No, I am not finished with my trench yet.  But at last here’s my long-awaited, twice-announced update.  I have been laid up with a nasty stomach virus this week, so you will have to forgive the lateness of this post. 

I believe the last time I wrote, I had just finished the pockets.  Since then, I have eked out some more progress but am probably only two-thirds finished.  I am only working on this project in my lessons as each step of the way is a new technique for me and I would rather do each thing under the tutelage of someone who is more experience than I am. 

So, on with it…  I have since sewed up the side seams, the back seam, inserted the raglan sleeves and top stitched them.  I have sewn the belt and added the belt carriers, added the front facings, sewn and attached the cuffs, and sewn and attached the collar.  I have also sewn the lining together, but have not yet attached it.  Sounds like a lot doesn’t it?  Well there’s still so much to do.  I have yet to attach the buckle to the belt, or even buy the eyelets for the belt.  I have to attach the lining, sew the vent up and top stitch.  Speaking of top stitching, I need to top stitch the collar now too.  Then there are the buttons and button holes, oh my!  So, there’s a lot to do. 

Remember how I spent a long while choosing a pattern, insisting on raglan sleeves because I had heard they were easier to insert?  Well, they are easier if you don’t have to top stitch them afterwards.  I had to put those puppies on twice in order to get the order of construction right and get all the seams pressed the right way so the top stitching would match from front to back.  It took me a while and a lot of seam ripping, but I got there and it looks great now.  Also, it doesn’t hurt to clip curved seams too.  I forgot to do that and it really started puckering quite a bit and I thought a disaster was going to happen.  So folks, let this be a lesson to you, please clip your curved seams!

Enough of me talking, let the pictures do the talking now…

raglan sleeve exterior

raglan sleeve interior

sleeve cuff

trench collar unpressed

trench lining

 

My next lesson with Thea is on Monday.  Can’t wait to get back in the game.  Until then, I might practice a buttonhole or seven.

Happy trenching!

Hemming the Trench

I finished my trench last Saturday in class (sorry, no pictures yet as I turned it in and won’t get it back til next class) and followed a unique (to me) method of hemming the trench that my teacher showed me. I thought I would try to recall the steps to document it. I think the only real unique thing is incorporating muslin to sort of “pad” or reinforce the hem, but I’ll share it anyway. There are a few things I’m fuzzy on that maybe you other more experienced people can fill in for me.

1. Serge hem edge to finish

2. Pin up hem so coat is desired length

3. Lightly press hem – trim to approximately 2”

4. This part I’m confused about – it has something to do with undoing the topstitching at the bottom 3” or so of each side of the facing/front of the coat, then opening it up and folding it back and sewing across the bottom with the machine. It’s almost like doing this part of the hem on the machine. Maybe someone can clarify this step.

5. Cut a piece of muslin on the bias. It should be as long as the width of the hem and about 3” tall (?)

6. Catch stitch the muslin to the bottom of the hem

7. Fold the hem up and catch stitch the muslin to the top of the hem

8. After trimming the lining (about 2”?) then fold the lining under 5/8” and fell stitch it to the coat (the needle should horizontally “tunnel” under the wool or fashion fabric, and then take a tiny “bite” at the edge of the folded under lining.) I also used this technique to hem the lining to the fashion fabric on the sleeves.

9. After sewing the lining, use a small “x stitch” (literally making an x) to close up the folded, unfinished vertical few inches of the facing and sew the corresponding few inches of lining in that section as invisibly as you can (I used fell stitch.)

One thing I really learned from this project was hand stitching! I had avoided it like the plague before this project, but now I actually like it. I learned slip stitch (to sew the belt edges together), catch stitch (used on the hems), fell stitch (used to sew the lining to the fashion fabric inside the hems) and x stitch (used to close up the facing – not sure if that’s a technical stitch name or not but that’s how my teacher referred to it.

When I get my coat back I’ll show all the details!

Back from a sewing hiatus…

Hey there,
I have not forgotten about the great Trench sew along. Nope, life has this way of stealing all of one’s free time, and I hadn’t an opportunity to touch my muslin since starting it in early September. I wasn’t doing much sewing at all because grad school got busy (I finally started data collection for me research study – right in the middle of clinical exams, which I have a knack for failing, but I’ll save that for my personal blog).

Anyway, I didn’t do any personal sewing for two months. I worked on some yoga pants for a friend’s yoga studio (we’re trying to design our own line…I’m basically the pattern maker/sewer…and I am not exactly accomplished in this area, so it’s taking a while to get a good finished product). Then I offered to make a Halloween costume for another friend’s 18month old daughter, so that took up some more time. Then I had to finish my own Halloween costume, which involved a fair amount of alterations and sewing to get it right.

Finally, I had some free time this week to sew. I picked up my muslin and decided that I made some huge errors in altering the pattern pieces to make them shorter. I had inadvertently straightened out the lines that make the coat flare from the waist. This explained why the muslin fit like a giant rectangle. After hours of fussing with it on Saturday, trying to make it work, I called in the help of my fiance to assist. Math is not my strength and I am not a visual person. I knew what I needed to do do shorten it, but I didn’t know how. Andy looked at the pattern pieces, did some folding and pinning, and we finally solved the problem (sort of). I then retraced all of the bodice pieces and painstakingly shortened each one by cutting it at 8 different spots and overlapping the pieces to carefully remove length while preserving the flared lines. Saturday night I finally was able to cut the good fabric. I was beginning to think this project was never going to really get started.

Sunday I didn’t do any sewing, but I did finally decide on interfacing. I wanted fusible horsehair, but I couldn’t find any so I got some Pellon Tailoring heavyweight fusible, and carefully fused it on with a dry iron and no press cloth. Despite breaking the fusible interfacing rules, it worked great. I haven’t had much luck with fusing interfacing to jacket fronts and collars, but this time there were no bubbles or wrinkles.

Mondays I have off from school, although lately I have been there anyway. I decided to take the day and get started sewing. I sat down with the interfacing, cut that out, fused it on, and proceeded with the sewing. This began at 12:30pm. I took one break from 5-7 for a bike ride and dinner, then went back to work. At 10pm I had the entire bodice, collar, and facings put together. Now it needs sleeves and some more topstitching and a lining. I am not looking forward to attaching the lining or hemming…I have successfully attached a lining once, but I think it was sheer beginner’s luck. Everything I have ever hemmed (besides pants) looks awful.

Any suggestions on a professional looking hem are greatly appreciated. I’ve not yet mastered a blind hem but I am willing to try for this one.

Pics to follow…I promise!