Madeline Slip - on the path to a "TNT" & sustainable fashion...
I finished wearable muslin #2 of the Madeline slip dress and #3 version that is actually a real project... my 90s grunge-inspired patchwork plaid babydoll dress, that I've been dreaming about since I first started making the New Look 6305 dresses.
Sneak peak:
I'll make another Madeline-centric post when I've got some fashion photos together... but I want to think more about fitting, in general, today. I'm still tweaking fit issues around the bust and I'm preparing to make another wearable muslin... after making a second unwearable test last night... with my first ever FBA. Never thought that would be an issue with me - but being small in stature, but not totally flat-chested... the fit on the Madeline bodice has been strangely challenging for such an apparently shapeless oversized garment.
So, I did some research and learned how to do an FBA on a pattern that doesn't have a dart. I found this tutorial from Helen's Closet to be the most helpful. It starts out by actually creating a dart where there wasn't one, then redistributing the ease through the pattern... but I was excited about just stopping with the new dart. (at the first part of step 4) so I gave it a try.
This is my third tracing of the bodice piece. It's normally a cut 4, same front and back piece... but I am going to make a back and a front - the back being a little higher cut and the front having a dart. So far the non-wearable muslin turned out promisingly well.
I am really interested in turning the bodice of this slip dress into a TNT or tried and true pattern. It's a lot of work... but I think it will be worth it to have a tank dress bodice that can have a wide variety of different skirt options attached.
The #makenine2018 challenge has been really fruitful so far, for encouraging this kind of deep work. I'm enjoying very much the methodical slow fashion of working and re-working the pattern. It ties in well with the Fashion Revolution movement going on right now.
I really appreciate this conversation and movement around sustainability and ethics in fashion - but I'd like to suggest that people also take it a step deeper to the production of their textiles. Sewing your own clothes is an important piece of the puzzle - but the fabric and notions must also be ethically produced to have a full impact on creating more ethical fashion.
For me, the answer is to rely heavily on vintage, thrifted, and reclaimed/resused fabric and notions. This is sustainable in that it's using things that have already been produced - it isn't encouraging new cycles of production and fast fashion. Think of how fabric designers come out with trending collections just like fashion designers do - sometimes we get so caught up in collecting fabrics that we are still just stuck in a loop of over-consumption and we don't know where these fabrics came from, the labor practices & chemicals/resources used in their creation, and the overall impact that has on the makers and us as the wearers of the garments.
If you want to reflect more deeply on this, I'd suggest checking out India Flint's book Second Skin: Choosing and Caring for Textiles and Clothing. It's really mind-blowing and amazing to begin to think about all the details that go into the garments we wear.
Another really thoughtful and sweet reflection on ethical fashion on a budget is from youtuber Kaara Mary. I love her effervescent enthusiasm. She has a lot of great videos on refashioning and ethical fashion.
That's all for now... happy making! <3
Sneak peak:
I'll make another Madeline-centric post when I've got some fashion photos together... but I want to think more about fitting, in general, today. I'm still tweaking fit issues around the bust and I'm preparing to make another wearable muslin... after making a second unwearable test last night... with my first ever FBA. Never thought that would be an issue with me - but being small in stature, but not totally flat-chested... the fit on the Madeline bodice has been strangely challenging for such an apparently shapeless oversized garment.
So, I did some research and learned how to do an FBA on a pattern that doesn't have a dart. I found this tutorial from Helen's Closet to be the most helpful. It starts out by actually creating a dart where there wasn't one, then redistributing the ease through the pattern... but I was excited about just stopping with the new dart. (at the first part of step 4) so I gave it a try.
I am really interested in turning the bodice of this slip dress into a TNT or tried and true pattern. It's a lot of work... but I think it will be worth it to have a tank dress bodice that can have a wide variety of different skirt options attached.
The #makenine2018 challenge has been really fruitful so far, for encouraging this kind of deep work. I'm enjoying very much the methodical slow fashion of working and re-working the pattern. It ties in well with the Fashion Revolution movement going on right now.
For me, the answer is to rely heavily on vintage, thrifted, and reclaimed/resused fabric and notions. This is sustainable in that it's using things that have already been produced - it isn't encouraging new cycles of production and fast fashion. Think of how fabric designers come out with trending collections just like fashion designers do - sometimes we get so caught up in collecting fabrics that we are still just stuck in a loop of over-consumption and we don't know where these fabrics came from, the labor practices & chemicals/resources used in their creation, and the overall impact that has on the makers and us as the wearers of the garments.
If you want to reflect more deeply on this, I'd suggest checking out India Flint's book Second Skin: Choosing and Caring for Textiles and Clothing. It's really mind-blowing and amazing to begin to think about all the details that go into the garments we wear.
Another really thoughtful and sweet reflection on ethical fashion on a budget is from youtuber Kaara Mary. I love her effervescent enthusiasm. She has a lot of great videos on refashioning and ethical fashion.
That's all for now... happy making! <3
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