Once again I am here in my hotel room in NYC with a big happy grin on my face and my poor tired feet propped up on the bed following another fabulous day.
I've just come in from a wonderful dinner that Marji arranged with a group of charming and very talented sewing bloggers. Marji has a great group photo so you really need to go over there and check it out. Of course Marji and I were both there as were Carolyn, Robin, Claudine, LindsayT, and NancyK.
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he sewing class has been also been very productive and a lot of fun. We were the first of the students to arrive in the classroom this morning and we got right to work. I finally threaded up a machine and started stitching up my second pants muslin, and Marji continued to work on her jacket. There were also brief lessons from both Susan Khalje and Kenneth King. Then I got my second fitting by Kenneth, which was very interesting.
On the first pant fitting Kenneth had only marked changes to the right leg, and on the second fitting there were more changes to the right leg as well as a few changes to the left, but not necessarily the same changes on the right and the left. A second fairly good size tuck was folded out of the right rear pant piece, and you can see the two folded pieces in the photo at right and again below. 
The second tuck folded another 1 1/2 inches out of the inner seam just below the crotch curve as you can see in this close up of the same area.
On the right front pattern piece, where a significant tuck had also been previously taken in on the first fitting, Kenneth had pinned out another small dart, this one shown with the red line formed by a tracing wheel . This little dart was translated into an equivalent move in the shaping of the front crotch curve and seam as shown in this picture.
The center back seam was also moved to the right at the waist. Shown in this picture is the corresponding left back piece which had to be extended the center back waist to accommodate the move, after which the darts were repositioned so they are balanced on either side of the new center back.
Very few changes were made to the left leg of the pants muslin. A large tuck was taken out of the back, similar to the one on the right, and a small tuck was taken out of the front, but not nearly as significant as the corresponding tucks on the right. The hip curve on the left was pretty much left alone, unlike the one on the right, where the front hip was pretty much redrawn as a straight line down from the waist (the straight black line in this photo).
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hen the curve of the corresponding back piece was extended at the hip making a much more pronounced hip curve on the back piece, which you can see in this last picture. Of course the point is not how the final pattern pieces look, but that the final garment looks straight and balanced and symmetrical on me when I am wearing it and we seem to be making good progress in that direction.
Tomorrow, pant muslin number 3. I hadn't anticiapted that the pants would take so long. Do I mind? No. Getting a great muslin is worth the effort. Once that has been accomplished, the pants are easy.
Perhaps with luck I will even get started on that second blouse muslin.
Okay now I understand a little better what you were explaining to me last night. I guess it's the pictures...I'm such a visual girl! *LOL* I hope that muslin number three is the charm!!!
Posted by: Carolyn | November 21, 2009 at 06:25 AM
What a wonderful opportunity!
Posted by: Ann's Fashion Studio | November 21, 2009 at 04:17 AM
I should add that I am not clear on what you posted. Is the blue line the new cutting line? How you got from the dart to the line is what I am questioning.
Posted by: Nancy K | November 21, 2009 at 12:10 AM
It was wonderful to meet you last night! I am intrigued by your pant fitting. Your back crotch looks a lot like mine! Low and flat!
Can you show how you take out the diagonal folds from your pattern? I assume that he is pinning wrinkles out, but it's never been totally clear to me from his pant sloper cd how this is done.
Posted by: Nancy K | November 21, 2009 at 12:08 AM
This is just so facinating, Mardel! Thanks so much for posting the pictures of your pattern pieces with the alterations. It gives me more courage to tuck/slice on my own patterns! A question, tho, are the amounts taken out of the right back and front pieces approximately the same or is KK using some other magic to get the inseams to match ? :) Thanks again, this information is priceless! Nedra
Posted by: Nedra | November 20, 2009 at 11:56 PM