My Purple Myrna Dress

From the moment I saw the Myrna on Colette’s website, it was love at first sight! I knew the way the bodice was drafted meant I had a higher likelihood of a good fit with my larger-than-average bust. (This was before I took Jenny Rushmore’s class on Full Bust Adjustments … nowadays, I know I can make almost any pattern work for my chest.)

I planned to use this pattern to make my dress for Michael & Micaela’s wedding, but wasn’t willing to cut into that expensive organza until I knew I had the fitting right. So this was the project where I learned what a muslin is.

Yes, muslin is a type of fabric. It’s also the term used for a rough draft garment. You use a cheap fabric (like muslin) and cut and sew the dress together. Then you try it on and figure out what needs to be altered in order for it to fit you the way you want. Pin it, cut it, write all over the fabric … it’s much like taking a red pen to a first draft of an essay.

In the case of the Myrna, I discovered the waist was SO very long. I know I have a short torso, but the way the pattern was drafted, it was all out of proportion.

I made my changes, traced up new pattern pieces for the yoke, cut it out, took apart my muslin, and put it back together with the new yoke. You can see the adjusted muslin above in the “After” photo. I was MUCH happier with this silhouette.

Yeah, I know, the idea of making a rough draft or two before you sew your final garment sounds like an awful lot of work. But I can tell you from first-hand experience that it makes all the difference in how much I like the final result. If your body deviates at all from the standard used by pattern designers like mine does, you owe it to yourself to make muslins part of your sewing workflow.

Now that I was happy with the fit of the pattern, it was time to cut into the good fabric. But I was still nervous about the $20-a-yard organza. So I decided to make myself another Myrna – this one, to wear on the beach in Hawaii during our upcoming trip in May – so I used a rayon challis I picked up at JoAnn’s.

About halfway through the cutting, I decided I really wanted a fuller skirt for this version of the dress. I had visions of this beautifully drapey fabric swirling in an ocean breeze. So I tried my hand at drafting a circle skirt.

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These photos are before I hemmed the dress. The jury’s still out on whether I prefer the circle skirt… Ultimately, I decided to go back to the skirt as drafted for the wedding version.

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…and here I am, wearing my purple circle-skirted Myrna on our trip to Hawaii. I made it from rayon, which isn’t quite as cool as cotton, but boy, does it have great drape and movement. These awesome pics were captured by the fantastically talented Tim & Rose Swearingen of Downeast Photographers on the beach in Kailua-Kona.

Final Verdict: