simplicity 1538 muslin.

i finally sewed the buttons on. either the buttons are a little too big, or i made the bound buttonholes a little too small. i just hope they don't stretch out too much with wear.

as for the cuffs- the pattern instructions called it a button link.



i wasn't clear on the how to so i googled it and 'button link' only returns HTML coding for creating a button link on your web site.

several alternative keyword searches later, i discovered that this is called a double button cufflink. i learned about the price differences between double button cufflinks, silk knots & cufflinks & at what events it's appropriate to wear each of the three, but still no instructions on how to sew the link. so i literally sewed a link however i could. it's an awkward process balancing the 2 buttons & maintaining an even link between them (i went for about a 1" link). i couldn't tell you how i managed it & the end result is not pretty, but i'm interested to see how it wears ie is it solid & does a 1" link work or should it be longer or shorter.



also, it needs shoulder pads. i know shoulder pads were big in the 40s, but i was hoping to stay away from them. unfortunately, without the pads the excess fabric droops in the front & poofs out at the bust, making it look lumpy. as an alternative, i might see if i can't take the front bodice piece up some more (maybe 1/2"?) at the shoulder yoke before making the gathers & see if that helps.

i learned many new techniques from this project & am ready to make another one. i've already got the fabric. it's not liberty cotton, but i did upgrade to something better than the cheap scratchy cotton this one was made with.

cotton remnant from britex. price was $12.99/yard, but i got 2.5 yards for $24.



lastly, when searching for the button link instructions i discovered:

The English Cut
thomas mahon, bespoke savile row tailor, london.

yes.

completed: simplicity 1538.

i had a busy weekend so i'll have to take better pictures later, but the blouse is done (save for the buttons) & i can't believe it but the fit is just perfect. not only the sizing, but all those tucks & dart at the waist shaped the blouse in a way that's perfect for my body shape.

as i mentioned before, this was supposed to be the muslin ie the trial run before the real thing on nicer fabric, but i'm not sure i want to go through this again. theoretically, it should be easier the second time around, but some of the tailoring tasks would make me really nervous on, for example, Liberty cotton, which would be a great fabric for this blouse.



i felt Liberty cotton up & down for the first time at Britex last week. it's $49.99/yard which sounds outrageous until you see the depth of color, crispness of design & of course put your hands all over it. but if you're sewing with Liberty cotton, there can be no mistakes.

& everything with a french seam.

_______________________

Problem Areas

the cuffs.



cuffs are not fun. actually, it's not so much the cuffs (although i did put one in backwards) as it is the faced bound buttonholes on the cuffs.

yes. faced bound buttonholes.

look, bound buttonholes are gorgeous & i really did think they were worth the extra effort, until i found out later on in the instructions that after you get done making the bound buttonholes, you have to face the bound buttonholes.

what a nightmare.

you really have to be exacting with your measurements so the facing slashes match the buttonhole openings perfectly or you're screwed. the lapel facings weren't so bad, but the cuffs? geez. the hand sewn slash 'n hem method wasn't cutting it for a number of reasons, so i ended up improvising my own method. at some point, i need to write it down, but not here & not now. there's extra stitching around the outside of the buttonhole that's not supposed to be there, but the cuff facings no longer look like something gnawed on them and i'm now confident they'll hold up over time.

setting the sleeves.



sleeves aren't exactly a barrel of laughs either & when i started working on them, i recalled being very frustrated with sleeves a long time ago when i used to sew. oh & i put a sleeve in backwards too, but i guess a backwards cuff & sleeve was payback for the fact that i did indeed get the sleeve plackets in the right way.

& i don't understand the purpose of steam-shrinking out the fullness of the seam allowance along the sleeve cap before you set the sleeve. i googled it, but i still don't know why. i just know you're supposed to.

so i did, although i am doubtful that this is necessary.

sleeve placket method #2.

clearly, this:



is a better method than this:



the process was like butter.

well, mostly. the new placket is a little chunky for this blouse. i used the sizing as suggested in the pattern (4 1/4" W x 6 1/4"), because i'd already slashed the fabric trying out the other method so i thought i should play it safe & work the new pattern as written. i had to take out one of the basted soft pleats to work the area, but it looks like there's still room to put that pleat back in.

there's no question this is the go-to method & i can adjust the sizing next time.

also, the slash is much deeper on this placket, which will make it easier to roll up the cuffs.

there's just one thing that bothers me about these sleeves. i'm not entirely sure i've got the pleats & the plackets going in the right direction. apparently, they're all supposed to be sewn in relation to either the right or left sleeve & the underarm seam, but i was a little confused about all that & i have this feeling i did everything backwards.

the sleeve placket.

i don't like the pattern's method for the sleeve placket. there's too much stress at the top edge.

i used embroidery scissors to snip all the way to the last stitch at the top point. i can't snip any farther, or i'll cut right through the last stitch at the top of the point.



i've also tried pressing the crap out of it, but it's still pulling & puckering at the top.



i found another method that looks to be less stressful to the fabric (it's also a nicer finish), but i'm not sure if it's too late to give it a try considering i've already slashed & burned my fabric.

i guess this is one of the reasons you "make a muslin" prior to sewing the final garment. so you can try out different methods on cheaper fabric.

the flip side of the muslin concept is that i am easily bored & the last thing i want to do is sew this blouse again.

coming right along.

practicing the bound buttonholes really paid off.

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Simplicity 1538
1948 vintage pattern

bound buttonholes.

the decision to shelve the skirt reconstruct didn't come easily.
i don't like to quit, especially when i've spent so much time on something.

mom asked "well, can you wear it?"

i said it either fits or it looks nice, but not both.

i tried everything i could think of to reconcile the front with the back, but there's just no way. it's hanging in the back of my closet now because mom said don't throw it away because you just never know.

this weekend, i started work on one the muslins. here's the vintage pattern (style #1 without the pocket). i'm making this blouse to go with the vogue 8425 skirt.




fabric is preshrunk, blocked & everything cut out.

step 1: make bound buttonholes.



?????

found a couple of tutorials & did some practicing.

i much prefer the look of these to standard buttonholes, although they're more work.

they're not hard to do, they're just hard to do right.