Arielle Skirt - Muslin #1

So, I've been wanting to venture out into apparel for some time now.

But it's super intimidating. First of all, patterns. 

I mean, I can measure out so many inches by so many inches on a piece of quilting cotton with my ruler and rotary cutter. But how do those markings on that tissue paper stuff get on your fabric?

Am I right?

Plus, now you're working in three dimensions.

And quilting cottons just play so nice. In quilts. Not always so much in apparel.

Somehow, at some point, I stumbled on Tilly's blog.

Oh my gosh, you guys. She is adorable. 

And she's really good at explaining and demonstrating.

So, when her book came out, I was all over that like white on rice (3/4s white?). ;)  I have read it cover to cover multiple times, and it breaks things down in such an accessible way. And it comes with super cute patterns that I actually want to make. So often sewing books for beginners have terrible patterns. Stuff I have no interest in making. 

Not so with Tilly.

But she had this other pattern, not in her book, that I was just loving. The Arielle Skirt.

I mean how cute is that?

And work appropriate?

Yes and yes.

And I need a little distraction from some other things on my mind and heart right now?

Also yes.

So I started the Arielle.

So, I, per Tilly's great advice, made a muslin. I measured between a 3 and 4 in Tilly's sizes, so I graded between the two (how-to shown in her book and her blog) on my trusty Swedish tracing paper. 

I used Saral Tracing Paper and my Clover tracing wheel to transfer the markings to muslin (that's how you do it!) and carefully cut out.

I'm so glad I took the time to make a muslin, because it really just didn't fit the way I wanted. And if you're going to the trouble of making something for yourself, it really should fit well, right? 

I mean that's the advantage of sewing.

I'm certainly not "average" size wise. Who is? I'd like to meet you. ;)

I'm shorter than what ready-to-wear considers petite for example.  I'm 5'1" and "petite" is made for a 5'4". Three inches can be quite a bit of difference. 

For example, you can kind of see in this first picture that the skirt is just too long for me. 

I apologize, these aren't the greatest pictures. I'll make Mr. Gardener take them next time. ;)

Pinning it up made it much better for me.

Some people can really pull off that mid-calf, midi look. I, however, look stumpy. So, I just don't do it. ;)

It fits okay, but I'm not in love with how it's pulling across the middle. It makes me feel like it's too tight and made me just feel unattractive.

And I'm a believer that how you feel influences what you look like (and how often you wear something). So I need to make some adjustments here. 

I also realized that I didn't follow the tracing/cutting instructions quite right so the darts are right side in in the back and wrong side out in the front. Oops. 

But at the same time, while I've got some hips and booty influencing the pull in the front, the waist doesn't fit quite right either.

So, I think I will shorten the length, size up to a four instead of grading between the three and four, and take in the darts in the back. 

I'll let you know how it goes. :)

But I'm so glad I did this with my cheap, crappy muslin fabric versus my nice and more expensive apparel fabric (which should be in the mail!).

Are you working on anything interesting?

Linking up with Freshly Pieced for WiP Wednesday!