Sorry, this isn't going to be about psychotherapy. It's about preshrinking wool fabrics. I'm not a big fan of dry cleaners, so I'm going to do the London shrink method. It's surprisingly easy, and today was the perfect day for it -- hot and not too humid. I tore an old twin sized cotton sheet [...]
Category: Duffle coat
The quest for "grain perfection"
Apparently if I want a high quality garment that will fit and hang well, I must first attain grain perfection. Essentially, this amounts to squaring up the length of fabric. My fabric had been "sampled" multiple times in the store, and one edge was very ragged. I clipped into the selvedge above the sample gouges [...]
Hair canvas… and a little rant about JoAnn Fabrics
The Bishop Method goes into great length about the glories of hair canvas. Hair what???? This was a new one for me, and a quick Google search proved that it does, in fact, exist. Sorry, but I didn't even consider looking for the stuff at my local JoAnn Fabrics, the only fabric store for [...]
Muslin #2….as good as it gets
Here are pics of the final fitting muslin. Considering that I had never altered a pattern before, I'm pleased with the result. It's come a long way from the first straightjacket, and it truly feels like it's time to be moving on. The next step will be to prepare the wool. Get ready for the [...]
Thumbs up for the new arm fit
I brought the muslin (with one revised armscye) to dinner last night at Brian and Martin's. They both agreed that the fit was better on the altered arm, so I returned home today to complete the other side. I've altered the sleeve patterns more than any other part. They're now shorter and wider both [...]
If they mention Pi, it’s over!
I started to research adjusting the armhole ( correct term: Armscye) and stumbled upon the Rundschau Sleeve System. Oh man, just take a look. I'm flashing back to algebra II! There is Mrs. Ladieu, in one of her smart Butte Knit outfits all covered with yellow chalk dust, graphing out a parabola while I break [...]
Muslin #2…..getting closer
Huzbear Brian came over yesterday to help in the garden and agreed to take pictures of me in the new and improved fitting muslin. So I donned a flannel shirt and sweater, thank God it wasn't hot, and modeled the new version. The alterations I've made so far are a step in the right direction, [...]
Can’t sleep? …..Alter
I've really had a hard time sleeping this week. My butch project, the outdoor shower, has been WAY more difficult than I imagined. I've been physically beat by the end of the day and my hands ache so during the night that I just can't ever feel rested. Ok. enough with my personal problems. I'm [...]
The muslin straightjacket
It's a cold rainy day here in Maine. The perfect day to "play winter" by putting on a shirt and wool sweater before trying the muslin. Yikes, I was worried that the XL was going to be small, but this is crazy. There just doesn't seem to be any "ease" built into this pattern. I've [...]
Making the pattern pieces
After months of just looking at the pretty pictures it was time to pull out the pattern. Thanks to many web sites I was pretty well prepared for what it would look like. Still, that initial once over is pretty shocking. All the pattern pieces, in all 4 sizes, overlap each other in random directions. [...]
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