I took up the muslin to Sharon’s and I did indeed get it right. However, Sharon thought the overall design was boring (too traditional), and together we tested out some other alternatives – a few of which I liked better.
Here is the winner from yesterday afternoon’s sketch-fest:
In this case, we still have the dramatic collar with the Celtic braid and black border, but the collar is smaller and tapers as it reaches the opposite side, disappearing just at the point of the neckline. The pocket will be black and red, with the line of demarcation paralleling the line of the larger collar section. We kept the buttons going diagonally down the front, though they aren’t shown in the sketch.
Here is the pinned-up muslin showing about what we intend:
Sharon also suggested that I change the design from a fitted, darted straight line (which she felt would be too rigid when combined with the stripes) to a swing coat – minimally shaped and slightly flared at the bottom. This, per Sharon, would give a looser feel and still be flattering. Since I’ve never tried on a swing coat, I have no idea if she’s right, but I figure it’s worth a try. So I will be trying to mock that up as well.
Of course, I’ve never tried drafting an asymmetric collar or a swing coat (this is only my third or fourth attempt at drafting, after all), but Sharon gave me rough instructions and I think I can figure the rest out. I’ve got three weeks to do it, which should be plenty of time – I’m busy next weekend and Sharon is busy the week following, so we’re meeting up in mid-August to catch up again. We’ll review muslins for the jacket, the coat, the kimono jacket, and the sloper which I’m going to draft based on the measurements Sharon took yesterday. Lots of stuff to do, and happily, plenty of time to do it in!
Meanwhile, I’m turning my attention back to weaving. I’ve decided to weave off the rest of this warp before installing the Fireside rolling temple (now that we’ve got the placement down, the fabric is very much in the way) and after that I’ll throw on a warp for the Handwoven article I’m working on. That should be quick and easy (we’re talking mug rugs here), so I think by mid next weekend I’ll be threading up the loom with that 37-yard warp, and starting to weave the samples for all that yardage.
Off to pit some cherries!
