The Reworked RTW Muslin

After some helpful advice from Carolyn, who writes a very pretty blog and is making the same pattern for the RTW Sewalong, I decided to take in the muslin quite a bit.  

(I had to take my own pictures without even a timer, because J left the house with my camera and I had a hard time figuring out his.  Please excuse.)  

I took in every seam another 1/4 inch, and reduced the width of the shoulders by almost an inch.  The sleeve cap will have to be redrafted as a result, but that's for another day.  

I think the pulling in these photos is a result of trying to hold up the enormous camera--when I look at it when not trying to take a picture, it hangs nicely.  I'm so much happier with the fit having taken it in.  I didn't take in the center back, and I think for the fashion fabric I won't take in the side back seams--it really just needed a reduction in the sides and front seams.  I'm also contemplating shortening the torso and adding a little more length to the hem, since I like the length of it, but the narrowest part of the waist sits a little too low for my liking.  But, when I just pinned a tuck across the torso to check before sewing, moving the waist up suddenly made the whole thing look much less slimming.  I may not move the waist, since it bothers me less in photos than it did while I was wearing it.  

I'm struggling with this muslin more than most things I've sewn, but I'm really enjoying the experience (when I get the time to work on it).  This is definitely the most complex pattern I've done, even more complex than the suit jacket I made for J and more complex than the historic patterns I've done.  (I started sewing because I got a job in a museum's costume shop in high school, and I stuck with it through college).  It's got so many pieces!  And I think the fit for women's clothing is less forgiving than for men's clothing, at least when it's tailored, since women's tailored clothing is meant to sit so much closer to the body.  But I'm also enjoying the difficulty of fitting this since I feel like I'm getting a better understanding of my measurements and making adjustments.  This pattern is definitely outside my comfort zone, but it feels like a good stretch.