I have read a couple of books and watched an on-line couture class, but that doesn't make me ready to make a wedding dress. So I thought I would try a pattern for a blouse for myself as practice. This is Butterick 5924. It is a collared casual shirt that can be made sleeveless, cap sleeved, elbow length or long-sleeved. The shirt has a high waistline and is designed with a bias lower half.
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| The classic puckering of seersucker |
Washing the fabric was the first task to remove the sizing from the fabrics. I even washed the muslin that will be used for the initial fitting and final pattern. You really don't need to wash the muslin, but I don't particularly like the smell and feel of some fabrics that have sizing in them. Chemicals are put onto the fabric to protect and strengthen them during the weaving process and then again to add shine and protection to the fabric before marketing. This fabric is a cotton and polyester blend. But when I get the fabric for the wedding dress, I won't be able to wash it. I have heard that some people do wash silk dupioni but it will lose its crispness, so dry cleaning is probably the only option, bridal wear is supposed to be crisp.
After washing all the fabric, I ripped off a 3 yard piece of muslin and started preparing it to become the pattern. It is necessary to line up the selvages of so that the warp and weave threads of the fabric are square. The online class that I took recommended pinning the two salvages together to keep them from shifting and ironing in a new center crease. So that is what I did using my new glass headed pins.The next step will be to read the pattern notes, separate the purchased pattern tissue paper pieces, and begin marking the pattern on to the muslin with the waxed tracing paper and tracing wheel.
But that will be in another blog.
Happy sewing!
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