Jalie 2682 - shirt muslin 2 review

Jalie's Stylish V-Neck Top Pattern
http://www.jalie.com/v-neck-top.html






















The Original Muslin
- cut size V (37" bust and 31" waist) to W at hips (41" hips)
- lengthen the upper bodice by 1" for long torso
- 5/8" sway back adjustment (add back seam)

I pretty much put this together as directed.

This first muslin was extremely droopy at the neckline. I know other people have fixed this problem by adjusting the back neckline, but I was determined to fix the main problem ... a "concave" chest on the muslin model, me. I don't have a picture of the first muslin.

Additionally, it was too big. I had "loosely" measured as I remember my last Jalie being too tight for my measurements. However, loose is too loose. So in addition to the chest problems, I also needed to drop a size.



Here is a picture of Muslin 2, Jalie 2682.



















The neckline was tightened up enough for certain fabrics, but I could still pull another 1/2" dart out of the neckline. I cut this one in a size U for bust and waist and tapered to a V for the hips.

It now fits fairly well, but in order to approach the final shirt, I need to do final adjustments. Like rotating out an armhole dart. I can see its need in the side view.









































I think the upper back looks good, the lower back ... I've already taken out 5/8" in sway back adjustments ... do I need anymore?

Maybe I should wait until the third version is complete with a hem. A hem might pull out the remaining wrinkles.



As to the neckline, adjustments went as follows.












First mark where your excess is located. Mine is always in the upper chest, the pattern is simply too long for my upper chest. I decided to dart it out to the armhole.














Cut down the middle of your dart and overlap the pieces, folding out the excess length.














Now to redraw the center fold line (since it has been completely thrown off by the dart) and shift the needed adjustments to the opposite side.

In the picture above, the original pattern piece is on the bottom, and you can clearly see how the center fold-line is thrown off if you compare the bottom original to the second top piece.

I basically measured how much I'd have to pull in the outerseam line by measuring from the new fold line to the true fold line. At the tip of the dart, this ended up being about 3/8" if I remember correctly. I then rotated each piece (upper bodice and lower bodice) to the new measurement and redrew.


If fits and seems to work ... now to put a third together for everyday wear.

I like how quickly these go together, how simple the neckline is without being boring, and I can imagine this being used in many different looks.

It works with thin fabrics since the front bodice is doubled. No see through. You could also double the upper back or the entire shirt if you need more coverage.

This is a great basic.

Vogue 8546 - Dress Pattern

Simple princess seamed knit dress with keyhole bodice.

The keyhole is not at all deep, and perfectly wearable to a variety of functions.






















I made the dress pattern with sleeves for a work appropriate outfit ... for those throw and go days.







































A Vogue wardrobe pattern, this had a mix of pieces that appealed to me. But now that I've made up the dress, I am less impressed.


The shaping of the princess seams is really throwing me. The inward turn to the centerpoint seems ... odd. And I'm just not sure the keyhole is me.







































Pattern Adjustments -
- size 12 bodice to 14 hips

- added 5/8" to the length at waist

- sway back adjustment by NOT adding length at the center back and incrementally rotating out the waistline to meet the added length in front

- dropped bust point by 1 inch

I lengthened the hem by one inch and added a one inch hem facing. I like deeper hems in knits. The hem is totally off ... I did not walk the pattern so: either the back pieces are too long in the pattern OR I added too much length to the back. The jury is out.

I added pockets, but got the opening too shallow ... ugh. It works to hold a cellphone, the most important job at the moment. When my alarm buzzed today in class, I could feel it radiate up the length of the fabric ... I was leaning over enough that I couldn't feel it against my leg. That was an odd sensation.

I also reworked the facing to catch in the armscye, and interfaced the neckline all around.















This is the very last of my bird family knit. Some of the cheapest fabric I have ever found in my life. It ate up needles like they fall from the sky. There are so many skipped stitches! The fabric stiffness has added wrinkles galore and makes the dress fall away from the body.

I do think half of my problems are solely due to the fabrication used. But that has little effect on the keyhole and princess seams.

I am tempted to make this without the keyhole in a nice fabric before I make a final toss or keep decision for this pattern.

Fashion and Adapting

Fashion

I'm not a big runway watcher. My mouth does not start watering when the latest collections are released.

But while while I know what I like, what flatters my figure and coloring, I can always use a little help in putting together a working wardrobe. Enter Lucky Magazine. When I decided to buy a subscription to a "fashion mag" I purchased a handful at the grocery store, and set about ripping out pages that appealed to me. After 3 months, Lucky Magazine was the clear winner. Their ripped pile was towering over the others. Lucky fits my style much better than any other. I almost felt like Little Red Riding Hood as I went through the others - Vogue was too much, Instyle was too celebrity based, Harper's Bazaar was too chatty.

So I purchased my Lucky Magazine subscription and await its delivery for useful hints that I can put together. My only ding for Lucky is their coverage of styling and makeup products. Probably due to the fact that I don't style my hair much, and I get by with the bare minimum makeup that keeps me acceptable in the corporate world.

While I read the magazine cover to cover, some sections really stand out in my mind.

Does this outfit work?
Here's what they did last time:



All the "models" are fairly cute before, but Lucky comes along and makes a few switches here and there. I always come away with a "hmm, I bet I can ..." feeling.













Editor's Picks, and this month's favorite of mine is a TDF top. I wonder if it will go on sale?

I love everything about it. The asymmetricality, the obi sash, the color.

Foley + Corinna

I'm not the only reader with a deep lust on for this one. Splendora Blog











They've also got the One item 4 ways. The dress in this instance.

I was really struck by the cardigan (the dress, not so much). I love the looks, the length, not the color. I'll be morphing HotPatterns, Miss Moneypenney Coco Twinset cardigan for this. Trudy, what work you are making me do!!!














Wear it now, wear it later
Check Lucky's flipbook for a sample.

I love this look, talk about distilling the shirtdress to the lowest common denominator: placket, rolled sleeves, slight A-line. I must have it.

Looking through patterns, Butterick has a somewhat similar item, 5037. Granted, it's a shirt pattern, but those are easy to lengthen. However, I have a confession ... the big4 drafting sucks "Slurm." So, it is unlikely that I will run out and buy the Butterick pattern.














BUT, I have this lovely, lovely Burda magazine from January of 2004. Inside is model 113.

Empire waist, A-line ... well, you are going to have to picture it morphed into the dress above. I'll probably rotate the darts, slim the skirt, and get rid of the extra seaming and collar.

Perfect. And probably perfectly well drafted.

This will become my lowest common denominator shirtdress.







Speaking of shirtdresses, and slightly off topic, I've got this Patrones pattern cut out (model 64 from issue 241, Feb 2006):

I'm not doing the pleated inserts, but I've got the fabric picked out and the pattern morphed as need be: take out a chunk for hollow chest, DEEP sway back darted out (1 and 7/8"), and sleeve adjustment.

Sleeve adjustment ... I can only assume that Trussardi (the designer) was draping this on a model closely related to Loes Hinse, her patterns have what I consider freakishly thin bicep areas. My unflexed bicep is 12" around, this size 40 pattern has, get this, a 12 and 5/8" measurement. Okay, check the size 44, I think it had a 13" measurement. That was never going to work, so off to the old large upper arm adjustment
(scroll down a bit past halfway). This is a rare adjustment for me in big4, Burda, or KnipMode, but common in Loes Hinse.


I suspect I should run up a muslin of the bodice before I cut into my fashion fabric. I only have a couple yards, and my hubby picked it out. He hates fabric shopping, but he has an amazing ability to pick out the neatest prints that I've passed by. I don't want to waste the fabric as I have one time in the past (regret for that failure will sit with me the rest of my life).