Third time IS the charm!

I think I am ready to sew! Here is my third muslin. I checked my hip circumference and I could easily take off an inch. I used the Pattern Editor to transfer the control of one of the front darts to the side seam.

I know my muslins keep getting shorter and shorter, I'm just trying to conserve fabric.

Second Straight Skirt Muslin

Well I got a whole bunch of feedback from the WildGinger people. I made my front darts shorter, and my back darts longer. I switched to just two darts and I lowered the hip line. Here is the second muslin,




I'm still getting a big pouch of fabric over my abdomen. And the skirt feels really loose in the hips. So what's next?... Well I have shifted the control of one of the front darts to the side seam. And I checked my hip circumference which turned out to be a bit smaller than what I had in the program. Third time is the charm...?

Straight Skirt Muslin

Here is my first garment in the making! I chose a simple, all-around staple, straight skirt with a back kick pleat. Here is the muslin-




I'm going to increase (almost double) the dart lengths and I will increase the hip depth as well. I'll be waiting to hear back from WildGinger support because they are always so wonderful. My time is dear to me; I'd hate to waste it. I already have the fabric picked out and it's beautiful; I can wait to sink my shears into it!

Winter Wonderland

I woke up this morning and this is what I saw...


Mmmmm, this has to be the best timing. Winter is harsh here so we are in no rush. But we still appreciate it's beauty of course.

WildGinger Pattern Master Fitting

So I recently purchased WildGinger's Pattern Master Boutique program. The program is very user friendly and is backed up by a tremendous amount of support - both online and over the phone. I find that you need a bit of experience in flat pattern drafting in order to achieve some of the more complicated styles of the 30's and 40's. My next purchase may be the Digital Flat Pattern Drafting book which should help me use the program more effectively. My sticky tape and scissors have been replaced by a monitor and mouse.

When you first begin using the program it's important to do a fitting. I took my measurements and my husband helped me. The user guide advises you not to agonize over the measurements and although I didn't agonize I was certainly careful and read the directions for measuring several times. I think it paid off.

I made my first muslin which felt alright. So I emailed pictures of my muslin to the WildGinger support group - within 24 hrs. they had gotten back to me and within 48 hrs they had sent me a list of suggestions, in the form of slight measurement adjustments. I made a second muslin, with the slight changes and it's perfect!
Here is my second muslin...


Now if I could only choose what to make first....