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I will readily admit that I am terrible at making muslins when I sew clothing. Most of the time when I am sewing clothing I am sewing with stretchy knits which makes wearable muslins are a little less necessary than if I was sewing with wovens (although my Appleton Dress took more than a couple of muslins to get right) so I just skip the step altogether. I really do understand how important they can be for getting the fit of a garment just right but I am impatient and still a toddler at heart so I cant get myself to take the time to make something that wont even see the light of day and waste my precious fabric.
When I recently made a “wearable muslin” of a pattern I had been coveting for a long time, the LoneTree Jacket by Allie Olson, I got first hand look at just how important making a muslin is. Although I ended up with a decently wearable garment (and I have worn it many times!) there are so many small changes I would make to this jacket to make it fit just right that I could have already done if I just would have taken the time to make a muslin…
The biggest thing I would have changed is the sleeves. They were incredibly wide on me, the armsyce was sitting about three inches too low and the sleeve length was a good six or more inches too long. In the photo above the sleeves are rolled up three times and I had already cut two inches off the length at the wrist. All of these would be easy fixes, however, and are definitely things that I will be doing on my next version of this jacket! It is easy to see in the bottom picture (the one with my pup) just how long the sleeves really are and how they bunch up when being worn “as is”.
I would also add a little length in both the bodice and at the hem to help balance out the piece for my full bust. It is easy to tell that this pattern was drafted for a more slender body type and isn’t balanced for the heavily chested. That is another simple fix that just requires a little playing with proportions, however.
I spent a lot of time on the stitching on this jacket. All of the top stitching is double stitched, using two passes of the needle instead of a much more efficient and practical double needle and I did a lot of extra stitching to make the facings stay in place, including stitching the zipper facing to the drawstring casing to keep it from flopping out when being worn. I would HIGHLY recommend this. Not only does the top stitching add a decorative element to the jacket but it makes it much less fussy to wear as well.
Pattern: Lonetree Jacket
Designer: Allie Olson
Size Made: XXL
The Good: The instructions and pattern markings are very clear and easy to follow. the trickiest part is making the pockets match exactly and the pattern make it very easy to do so. The finished look is very polished and easily wearable.
The Bad: This pattern didn’t seem to be designed for a women with more curves in mind. More length would need to be added to the length (even though I am only 5’3″) to balance the amount of fabric on the top needed to cover the bust. The sleeves are huge!! Definitely muslin those out if nothing else.
Documentaries watched while sewing: One and a season of The Great British Baking Show (about five hours worth of work)
Fabric: Walmart anti-wrinkle, non-stretch twill ($5.97/yard) in a slate grey
Will I make it again?: Yep! I am craving a rich eggplant version for fall!!
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