Pantelone shirt pt.2

Continuing with the shirt for my husband's Pantelone part in Commedia All-Stars this Pennsic.

I created the sleeve pattern by attaching the front and back at the shoulders.  I overlapped them at the seam line and taped them together with scotch tape.  (That's one of the beauties of using the plastic cloths.  Tape will hold pieces together yet come off easily when done.)   I then overlaid another piece of plastic table cloth and traced the curve of the armhole created by the front and back.

It looked wrong.  Totally not like any modern sleeve pattern.  Yet...it worked.

Muslin mock-up before sewing together. Note shape of sleeve.

I cut the plastic pattern along the seam lines and transferred it onto the muslin to make the first mock-up.  The muslin was cut with an 1-inch seam allowance.  I hand-sewed it together, especially the sleeve because of the curves.

My husband was able to put it on!  

But adjustments are needed.

Add 4-inches to the bottom

Adjust placement of both shoulder/sleeve seams.

Also, the side seams fall towards the back, making the back pattern not wide enough.  Initially, I increased the width of the front pieces, not realizing the issue was with the back.  On the second version I will increase the back by one-inch on each side and decrease each front side-seam by one-inch.

I'll repeat the process for the second version.  Redraw the new patterns with adjustments on the plastic tablecloth before cutting the pieces out of muslin.  I'll be back with the new version.

~ Marjorie

Camp Pants - A Patterning Project

 We are back from our non-Pennsic camping vacation and I have a project I want to try.  

We stayed in-state (NY), choosing to camp at a KOA site where we could rent a cabin for less than a hotel room. The weather was cool at night, down into the low 60's (Fahrenheit), to the point I wished I had fleece pants for that inevitable 3:00 am potty run.  During a visit to the camp store it occurred to me that if I bought a pair of fleece blankets (50" x 60") I had everything else I needed to whip up a pair of pants.  They would look silly, considering the choice of patterns on the blankets, but they would be warm.  I never did make them, but on the last day there, I bought the blankets so I could do them at home.

The photo shows what I had with me to create a pattern and sew the pants.  The white roll is plastic table cloth you cut to size and is mostly used for outdoor parties.  I regularly use it as my pattern paper, but had it with me to cover our picnic table.  The aluminum foil will be used to create a more fitted-to-me crotch line.

I will work on these pants using these items only with the caveat that I'm going to use my sewing machine instead of hand stitching the seams.  I am experiencing issues with my thumb, so I will save wear and tear on it.  This is more an experiment/project to test my patterning skills than my hand sewing.  

And here's hoping I don't need to use that seam ripper.

~ Marjorie