Contemplating hacking off my hair.

Obviously, these hair colors aren’t quite right. Daily Makeover only let me pick two hairstyles before it demanded that I upgrade my account, so I didn’t get to try out anything else. Here are some other styles I like:

Last time I was at the salon I asked my stylist to cut a stacked bob like the last image, but she balked at that saying it was an “old lady style.” Why am I still attracted to an old lady style? I’m almost twice the stylist’s age, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Anyway, I’m due for a ‘do. Should I go drastic and get it chopped off, opt for something in-between such as getting bangs, or just get a trim?

Maybe I should dye it hot pink.

Can you tell I’m bored?

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After reading posts on Burdaystyle’s and Gertie’s blogs about muslins, I was baffled at how much controversy the topic generated. Muslins/toiles aren’t for everyone. That’s cool. Tissue fitting isn’t for everyone. That’s also cool. I don’t make muslins for every single thing I sew, but I do find them invaluable diagnostic tools when trying out patterns by companies with which I’m not familiar, or for styles which are different from those I typically wear or for fitted clothes made out of fabrics with little stretch.

I’m particularly glad I decided to make a muslin for my Butterick blouse. I learned some valuable lessons and now I think I’ll have a blouse that looks much nicer than what I would have ended up with, had I just forged ahead using my typical set of alterations. Here’s what I ended up with for my first try:

At first glance, I was happy with the way this turned out. The only thing I took issue with was the horizontal dart position. That could be fixed easily enough. Then I took a closer look at the back. Eek gad! The wrinkles along the sides! The poofy bit at the mid back! Not good.

What to do? First, I checked in with the incredibly helpful people at PatternReview.com. They suggested I try a narrow shoulder adjustment and sway back alteration.

For my second muslin, I attempted the narrow shoulder adjustment. The shoulder seams appeared to be in the right place, but there was still significant wrinkling.

Even worse, the alteration restricted my arm movement.

On a whim, I decided to try another method. I re-traced the pattern using one size smaller for the waist upward and then worked a larger FBA.

Pretty good on the front, except I need to shorten the legs of the horizontal dart. Just eyeballing it, the shoulder seams look like they are in the right location.

Instead of a swayback alteration, I took out 1/2″ at the lengthen/shorten line. I don’t think I have a sway back. Rather, I have a short upper torso. The alteration got rid of the puddling at mid-back. Yay!

See the difference?

The back isn’t as billow-y, but there are still wrinkles along the sides.

I inserted shoulder pads, which reduced those wrinkles. Yay!

Instead of shoulder pads, I’m going to try a sloping shoulder adjustment. I will then sew on the sleeves and make sure I have lots of room for movement. If that’s good, I’ll start in on the actual blouse. I think this looks promising!

Your thoughts? Does this look about right?

Here is an excerpt from the Threads magazine article I referred to in my previous post:

Spruce Up Your Shirt Hem – Threads.