Simplicity 4068, View C – Muslin

When I was rummaging through my patterns looking for something to make from the scraps of the Sommermode muslin, I came across this Simplicity pants pattern. It had been traced, but I don’t remember when nor do I know why it ended up back in the file without being sewn.

Upon first glance, it is very similar to my TNT pants pattern, McCall’s 5537, a "Palmer/Pletsch Classic Fit" pattern (see below). The only difference is the Simplicity pattern has a curved waistband whereas the McCall’s waistband is straight. No matter. With a copyright date of 2006, it is now sufficiently aged to finally construct the muslin and see if it works.

Pants - McCall's 5537

I chose an olive colored stretch polyester suiting for the muslin. The fabric came from Fabric.com back in October, 2009. I had previously made pants from McCall’s 5537 using this same fabric in pewter.  The fabric is wonderful so I hope this test pair fits.

Before I cut the pants muslin, I made myself another top from New Look 6179. The lightweight polyester fabric came from JoAnn's. I raised the front neck edge ½” and tapered to 1" for the rest of the neck edge. Adding a bit of neck/shoulder coverage eliminates bra strap exposure. I also added 1” to the sleeve hem which is just enough to make the sleeve more comfortable.

My sewing things are still being juggled around to incorporate the maybe/maybe not Horn cabinet. Besides installing the Singer 403A, the cabinet drawers have been filled with various tools and notions. It feels as if it has always been here and that makes me smile.

New Look 6179 - Yet One More!

What a non-sewing week it has been!  Well, not entirely, as I did quickly assemble New Look 6179 for my Frankfurt bound daughter to wear on the flight.  Her top was made from a stretch jersey knit purchased from Fabric.com.  Here we are at the airport.  We hadn't been able to sleep much the night before and the photo reflects that.

Going through the pattern envelope, I found that the pattern had previously been traced in three different sizes.  Apparently, I had sewn several versions of this top.  The floodgates were opened when I asked the girls about their tops from this pattern.  A few still exist.

I think this was the go-to pattern when something new was needed in a hurry.  Say, when they realized they wanted (or needed) something new to wear to school the next day but the stores had already closed for the night.  The pattern requires very little fabric and hardly any time.  I remember most the one made from the leftovers of a make-believe princess dress.

However, the all-time favorite is the RV top.  The fabric, emblazoned with various RV models, was a $.25 per yard Wal-Mart find.

One of the Mother’s Day gifts I received was a Fabric Mart gift certificate.  Originally, I was searching for a retro rayon print as I want to sew a dress on the Singer 66.  Not being able to decide, I changed direction and went practical.  What I need most is inexpensive fabric to use for pattern fitting.  I found this 54” wide cotton broadcloth.  After a 20% discount the fabric was $.80 per yard.  Of course, plain muslin allows problem areas and black Sharpie markings to be read trouble-free.  But, at $.80 a yard, I think this is just right!

I have almost finished the Singer biography.  I want to learn more about the sewing machine wars and will be seeking out other books focused on sewing machine history.

May the coming days be more sewing productive!

Simple Top - Finished

The simple top has been finished.  There wasn’t a cord or ribbon in the stash that could be used for a drawstring.  So, I sewed bias fabric ties to the ends of quarter inch elastic and used that instead.  It works.

The construction of this top is about as easy as it gets and I like that it isn’t big and puffy like other peasant-type sewing patterns.  Not bad for a muslin and I’ll be making this one again.  TNT.

Last week, while pulling together information for the Singer 66, I came across Singer and the Sewing Machine, a biography of Isaac Merritt Singer.  Written by Ruth Brandon and originally published in 1977, it has been around for a few years.  Even though I hadn’t searched it out, I am surprised that I hadn’t heard of it before.  Anyway, I bought my copy (paid about four dollars) from Half.com. 

I haven’t started reading it yet, but the back cover has piqued my interest:  "Women, booze, illegitimate children, fraud, bigamy, nineteenth-century capitalism, and the emergence of an empire..."  Ah, Tammy's summer spring reading......

Simple Top - New Look 6179

This quilting cotton has been on the shelf so long that I don’t remember purchasing it.  I bet it was bought due to its bargain price and not for a specific project.

I know, if only I kept a fabric log I would have that information.  Responsible sewing people maintain logs, including the purchase date, cost, yardage, fiber content, cleaning instructions and a swatch of each new piece purchased.  I have deliberately chosen to not be so structured by adhering to the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid!).  I purchase only (mostly) machine washable fabrics and thereby eliminate the need to record special cleaning requirements.  And, tell me, how much skill does it take to differentiate between cotton denim and polyester crinkled chiffon?  My fabric storage area is fairly small.  One can simply look at the shelf and know what is in my inventory.  Easy.  The goal is garment creation, not fabric collecting.  Granted, there must always be various fabric choices on hand but I have no intention of ending up on A&E’s Hoarders.

That being said, I have pretty much run out of reject fabric to use for muslins.  I am aware that quilting cotton is for quilts, not clothes.  In spite of this, quilting cotton is the testing choice for New Look 6179,  view C.

I see this simple top as an alternative to a t-shirt.   The pattern was purchased years ago and was used to make several versions for my daughters to wear with jeans.

Luckily, I had traced the pattern when I had used it before and was able to use a much larger different size for me (size 22).

For this muslin, I skipped the front facing piece and inserted wrong-side-out rectangles instead.  They were sewn together at the bottom and the center seam allowances were turned under and topstitched.  Bias rectangles were sewn to the outer edges and a large rectangle added for the bottom portion.  The front was then cut out and sewn to the other pieces.

The neckline casing needs to be attached and a drawstring of some type inserted.  The pattern instructions finish this edge with double fold bias tape.  I am not going to use that as I don’t have any that matches this fabric plus it would add needless bulk.  There is enough of the quilting cotton left to cut a bias casing. I'll see what I have that can be used for a drawstring.  The drawstring will dictate what type and size of casing to make.

The slide plate and the manual (DVD) for the Singer 66 have arrived.  The slide plate fits and the manual has been printed.  Hopefully, it will be sewing soon.

Since bringing the 66 home, much of my sewing time has been spent looking at vintage sewing patterns.  This eighty year old machine is influencing me.  I now want to sew a dress using a 1930’s or 1940’s pattern.  The dress should be wearable in public, but not as a Halloween costume!  I haven’t found a pattern in my size range that I like.  I could do some pattern grading, but I think it will be challenge enough sewing on this unfamiliar machine.  There is no hurry or deadline.  Eventually, a suitable pattern will come my way.