[Michelle D.]

Hi,
I’m making a muslin, first time, I’d appreciate some feedback on whether this is sufficient: I’m thinking to cut out and baste together the shirt front/back/yoke at shoulder seams, put in the front dart, and set in the sleeve. Does that sound about right? I don’t have to make the front plackets necessarily, correct? I was thinking of folding & pressing to mimic the front plackets.

[Liesl Gibson]

That sounds perfect! You can use the folded placket instead of the set-in placket to eliminate extra cutting and sewing. You might want to confirm the sleeve length with the cuff as well, and be sure the staystitch the neckline so it doesn’t distort while you’re trying it on. Good for you, making a muslin! It’s well worth it in the long run.

[Michelle D.]

Thank you Liesl! I did just that, staystiched the neckline, folding the plackets. I made up and attached only one of the sleeves – and I definitely needed to add an inch to the sleeve length because I’m taller and longer. I did not bother to muslin the collar. I’m almost finished my final product and I am loving it so much.

[Enbee]

I’m planning a gift sew for my mother, who loves a good shirt and is doing me a big favor in March (she’s flying across the country to watch my son while I’m in the hospital having a baby). I’d like to splurge and make the shirt out of Liberty lawn, but I know I’ll need substantial alterations for my mother (narrow shoulders and petite). I know the fit and drape of the muslin can diverge pretty wildly from the garment itself depending on the fabric used – what might work as a reasonable stand-in for the drape of Liberty lawn for a muslin?

I should probably note I’ve never made a muslin before.

[Lightning McStitch]

I’d maybe use a cotton voile or Batiste. Often you can pick up those lightweight almost lining weight cottons quite cheaply at the big box store fabric shops.
What a lucky mum and congratulations on your upcoming ‘vacation’ 🙂

[Liesl Gibson]

Just a lightweight muslin would work fine. Most good fabric shops will carry multiple weights of muslin for different purposes. I usually keep several weights on hand–right now I’m developing trousers and using a heavier weight than I would use for blouses. But @lightningmcstitch is right–if you have a voile or batiste that would be fine too. Even a quilting cotton will be light enough that you’ll get a similar result, I think.

[Enbee]

I got 2.5 yards of lovely Liberty yesterday! I can’t get over how silky it is!

I also got several yards of a lightweight muslin for pattern altering. Unwashed, it’s fairly crisp, and I could see that as being advantageous for marking/pinning etc. Since I’m planning to use the muslin for pattern pieces, not for wearing, can I/should I skip the prewash? Or will that lead to uneven shrinking if I need to iron it for some reason?

[Liesl Gibson]

Sorry, I just saw this! Yes, with dressmaking muslin you don’t wash it. You can iron it just fine, but the sizing gives it nice stiffness to make it easier for making muslins. It sounds like I really need to do a full tutorial about making a muslin–I’ll put it on my list for a video class, ok?

[Enbee]

Mom is in town and measured! And as suspected, I’m going to have to do some modifications. Length and sleeve length I get, but I’m not quite sure what to do about her shoulders, which are quite narrow. If I go by bust size, she’s an 8, but by waist/hips more like 12. I know shoulders are harder to change on the pattern – should I trace the 8 at the shoulders and grade out to a 12 starting under the armscye?

Also, Liesl, I’d LOVE to watch a video class on this!

[Nicole]

Me, me!
Small shoulders, big boobs and a big tummah!

You need to make a muslin. A FBA will be your friend here. I did one here http://fiveandcounting-motherof5.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/mama-gets-her-groove-back.html I have no idea if it is the right way but it may help you get started.

Liesl’s FBA instructions are brilliant.

Let me know how you go, I have purchased the Classic shirt pattern and need to make my muslin.

[Liesl Gibson]

And as always, I recommend the book Fit for Real People, which covers every aspect of altering dresses and blouses, including narrow shoulders, etc. You’ll feel confident making changes when you can refer to it.

[Enbee]

@motherof5, would I still need to do the FBA, given that the classic shirt has pattern pieces for cup sizes? Thanks for the link!

[Nicole]

@enbee I had forgotten about the cup size, apologies. You shouldn’t have too then.

I wish I has time to start this and do it with you.

I guess what I would do is is muslin the 8 graded to the 12 ( as you suggested). Put in one sleeve and check the bicep, you made need to add some there, check arm movement and check length.
Sometimes I have to remove fabric from the centre back yoke (and then the collar band)
Often I remove some fabric from the sleeve cap too.
Often I add a wee dart at my bust to remove excess fabric.

I am sorry not to be more help.

I will pop back if I think of anything more. I will find my book (that Liesl recommended above ) and have a read of that.

[Enbee]

Oh, absolutely no apologies necessary! This is all great information!

[Enbee]

Good thing my mother knows I’m a procrastinator! The “baby” from my first post is now almost 18 months old, but I finished the shirt! I thought I’d close the loop on this post and thank people for their advice.

I made a muslin, Mom tried it on earlier this summer when we visited her, and I’m very glad we went through the trouble. She preferred a looser fit than what I outlined above, so I went with size 10 graded to 14 instead of my original plan. I also lowered the dart by an inch and added back half an inch of sleeve length based on that fitting.

Now to ship it off to her and hope it fits – and then make my own!

Also, @lightningmcstitch, I’m pretty sure I saw the Kylie and the Machine tags on one of your makes. It’s the perfect summary, so thanks!