So I pre-shrunk the lining & iron-on facing by soaking it in warm water 'til the water cooled, then letting it dry overnight. And I pre-shrunk the wool fabric by steaming the heck out of it with my iron. You may remember that I bought enough for 2 suits last week--so that was 8 yards of wool I ironed by hand today. I'm sure it builds character.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNwT9lMbjlPsR8A2t8rWCK61zZiRMylNYm_fFbsnaVGTak8Qc27xY-cv7kyq_VbSACVvls9P6zUwNHt6zQI_dSNTiPwWxThhejPzf1ibtjamAT-eJXoxPJjy70XbSAoXKJrJcC2cdPEc3/s320/taping.jpg)
One thing that Gretchen recommended in the instructions for the pattern, though, was to check the pattern print test square to be sure it is 4". Then you can adjust your printer a bit to ensure the pattern is printing correctly. But there were no notes about which page that square was on. I flipped thru some of the 56 pages looking for it, thinking, "I'll print that page first, if it doesn't come out 4" I'll fiddle with the PDF file a bit & try again."
I never found the test square, though, so ended up printing the whole thing...and there was the test square--finally--on page 5 or so. And, of course, my test square was NOT 4"!! It was 3-7/8". So what do I do? Print it all again? NOPE! Not me. I'm making a muslin first and will hope for the best. I'm going for the size 10 pattern, but will cut it out as a 12 for the muslin & see what happens.
So, I started cutting & matching & taping. So far I've spent about 90 minutes just putting the pieces together. I think I'm over halfway--though I haven't been keeping track. So plan on that if you're thinking of taking this type of class...and be sure you have enough tape! (Later...another 20 minutes or so & I'm finished. So almost 2 hours for a new type of pattern-piecing.)
I have never been able to leave a pattern or recipe alone; I always have to fiddle with it a bit. Change the neckline, shorten the sleeves, add turmeric along with the cloves, whatever. So, of course I can't just do exactly what Gretchen says: I really don't want to use her skirt pattern! I've dug thru my stash of patterns (vintage & otherwise) and will come up with something cool. I'm going to do the jacket first, so I make sure I have enough for that, then I can use the leftovers for the skirt. I think that will be the grey w/ periwinkle pinstripes.
And I am also thinking I might try to make a pair of pants for the other suit...that will be in the greenish wool. I have a few skirt-suits that I wear to work a lot, but it's the pant suits that are more comfortable & warmer when I'm at the reference desk.
And one more change since I can never leave things alone. I don't like even numbers of buttons on jackets! I just think 3 or 5 looks better and fits better. So I bought more buttons than were recommended, so I can rearrange the buttonholes a bit & get 5 in (or maybe just do 3). I'm expecting a lot of this poor muslin! ;-)
Exciting! I shall watch your progress. I've also enrolled, but am nowhere near scheduling the time to make it...have the Bombshell to make too. Good luck with this - sounds like you know what you're aiming for too. Excellent
ReplyDeleteYes, very excited, SB! Started the toile today...
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