Making a Muslin With My New Sewing Buddy

Well, I'm running behind on the Summer of No Pants challenge.  I didn't get my dress made this week. So, next week I will finish two; probably this dress and a skirt.  The dress I chose for this week is from the book Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt.  I did what the book suggested, and made a muslin. The first one I have ever made.  What is a muslin, you ask?  I didn't know either...shows you what a great "sewist" I am!  A muslin is a sort of mock-up of the garment you are going to make.  In order to get a good fit and not waste your fabric, you first construct the garment out of inexpensive muslin (hence the name) or some other fabric you don't care about.  I used an old sheet.  I decided to go ahead and make the muslin even though it seemed a little unnecessary.  I'm not thrilled with the time and effort it takes, but  I can definitely see the value in making one, especially if you have fitting issues or are using a complicated pattern.  This pattern I'm using is not complicated, but it did take a little tweaking to get the fit right for me.

My muslin is pictured here on my new best friend, my Uniquely You dress form.  I LOVE THIS THING!  I think it was made with me in mind.  The form is made of high-density foam.  It comes with a cover that you sew to fit your body tightly.  You then zip the cover onto the form and, voila! You have a dress form with your measurements.  When I put the cover on, it fit me almost perfectly!  I could not believe it.  I made just a few minor changes here & there, and then zipped the cover onto the form.  That was the most difficult part, and I needed both of my daughters' help to wrestle the cover on and get it zipped up!  I think we made it harder on ourselves because we were laughing so much.  It was...well...a little strange, and very hilarious.  But now it (she?) stands in the corner of my sewing room, ready to assist me in getting the perfect fit.