Multiple Muslins (WHO AM I EVEN?!)

I got home from a super-awesome weekend trip late Sunday morning. But I'm getting too old for quick turnaround road trips and spent the rest of Sunday on the couch. Monday I went into my destroyed sewing room (last minute project to take with me!) and didn't have the energy to dive into anything else on my August list. Then wait, my olive M7547 pants...I really want those...

But Big4 pants.

Hmmm.

No doubt my biggest successes come from Burda and V9032 worked so well because of the 'butt princess seaming'. The back of those pants fit so, so well. I had many muslins with S2700 back in the day and do use that pattern still occasionally; but it's a silhouette that's a little different than what I'm currently into.

So I found the weird colored green fabric I ordered last year (it looked darker online!) and cut a muslin. They're numbered for my benefit so I remember the order...though the pics are telling.

Photo #1 is a straight out of the envelope size 18

• too tight
• back leg wrinkles
• not enough length in back
• too much length in front

I scooped the crotch curve and added inseam length. But they're still too tight and have no additional back length in the rise

Then I ripped open the back to let it separate (you don't want to see that) and added a 1" and 3/4" wedge (I normally add 1" to 1 1/4") and I lengthened the crotch point 

(spoiler alert: too much of an adjustment). 

I also lengthened the darts 1/2". Also the wrong move. If anything they should be about 1/2" shorter than the pattern. I don't know what made me decide to lengthen them...I sometimes shorten Burda darts...Because lengthening bak rise and shortening front rise are normal adjustments for me, I did those on the paper. I redrew the back curve and added to the crotch point directly on the fabric.

I actually went just a tad lower as I neared the crotch point when cutting out this chunk.

They LOOK okay. But as soon as I moved there was weird fabric everywhere. This is when I realized there was too much added to the back.

Suddenly my side seam isn't straight...and I meant to draw balance lines this time and forgot. 

Thinking about the 3-dimensional relationship between the fabric and my body, I decided to try something else. I decided the back was far too angled (scroll back up to the pic of the flat back!) and that I'd added too much. I took a wedge out on the fabric (it's not clean but the effect is clear). I also took out the back crotch seam, inseam and side seam and staggered them with the front so that the back seam allowance was 1/4" smaller at each of these. I only did these adjustments on the left side.

Excuse the poorly lit shot but SO much better! 

The only last bit is that it looks like my inseam is pulled upward still compared to the side seam, just less severely. So maybe I need a tiny bit more added to the inner thigh adjustment (I added 1/2") BUT this could also be a grain issue. I admit I wasn't as careful with this last muslin when cutting. And I was on the phone. I think I have enough of this fabric for a full length muslin. If not full length I'll at least go beyond the knees as much as possible. 

Also, I have a flexible ruler on the way to me, arriving tomorrow. Yay! So I figure I'll have a new pair of pants by the weekend?? :) 

Why am I going through all this trouble? My olive green stretch twill is pretty much amazing. It wasn't particularly expensive ($13.99/yd) but I love everything about it and want wearable pants from this. I also have an amazing piece of black stretch twill purchased back in March for the overalls from this pattern.

MN Primaries were held today!! 

Until later!