Ohh La La Pin Up Sew Along... Sewing your Muslin.

We've reached that point in the sew-along where we have to roll up our sleeves and sew a muslin. I know, it seems like a waste of time, and I know a lot of you don't have a ton of time to sew as it is. But trust me, you don't want to waste your valuable sewing time making something only to find out it doesn't fit properly. So take an hour (yeah, it will go quickly) and get your muslin started.

The pattern we're using...

When I cut out my muslin I like to do it on my cutting mat, with my nifty seam allowance guide stuck to my rotary cutter, and I can blast through it in minutes.

Yes, Yes I do use spools of thread as pattern weights.

You won't be binding any edges, sewing on any garter clips or any of that nonsense. This is just to make sure that your corset closes, and isn't too small or large, or short, or tall, or hot or cold.

My big stroke of brilliance with my last muslin was to write my seam number on my seam allowances. What? I know! Happy thought, right? Who hasn't wanted to just take a marker and scribble markings on their fabric so they won't smudge or disappear. Muslin graffiti.

What I'm listening to while I sew:

Darling, I have only one desire. from ShelteredBeats on 8tracks.

Sarah from Ohh Lu Lu has put together an excellent post on what you need to do to get your muslin ready.  You can read all about it here.

Or Below:

I have to admit... I can be a lazy sewist, when I am sewing for myself, but lingerie muslins take no time to sew, because they are so small! No need to worry about interfacings or linings for your mock-up -You just need something to test your fit!

For my muslin, I did not worry about sewing flat felled seams, like I will be sewing in my finished garment. I stitched regular seams, 5/8" in from the raw edge and pressed flat. The pieces fit together perfectly - great work on Anna's part!

For the laced corset - On the centre back pannel, fold your 2" extension flap over (towards the inside), press, and stitch 3/8" in from the centre back edge to form a bone casing, and again 1 1/2" in from the center back. We will add 2 bones to the mock up corset to test the fit. Insert a bone along the centre back, beside where the corset will lace. Always round off the edges of your boning, to prevent the bone from wearing through your fabric.

Instead of using eyelets on your mock-up, make a mark every 1 1/2" down where your lacing will go and make a small button hole - this will allow you to lace up your corset to test the fit, without any waste of precious eyelets!

You now have a corset that laces up the back! Try it on and see how it fits.

Mine looked good from the front, but didn't quite do up all the way in the back. I added 1/8" of an inch to the side front and side back seam, which corrected the fit.

Oooo... Curvy! Va va va voom!

For those of you making a hook and eye corset, if you have extra hook and eye tape, you can add some to your muslin to test your fit.

Remember to transfer any changes you made to your muslin, over to your pattern.

So, how did your muslins fit? Did you need to make a lot of adjustment?