Adding the Stays

Quick work today!  The stays for the back, side back and side front need to be basted onto the outer fabric.  I always do this by hand, because it's quicker for me. Basting all the pieces below took me maybe 20 minutes.

For basting, I always use silk thread.  Aside from making me feel fancy, I find it makes the whole task of basting and the subsequent removal of basting stitches much easier.  The silk thread doesn't tangle up like polyester thread, making the hand stitching nice and easy.  And it's very easy to pull out later, even if you've sewn over it. I keep lots of colors on hand so I always have a contrasting color. Seriously, go get yourself a spool or ten.

When basting, make sure to keep the work flat.  That is - work on a flat surface; don't pick up the fabric and do the basting in the air or in your lap.  Keep the stitches on the loose side so that nothing is pulling.  If you turn your piece over, and you wouldn't know there was a piece of muslin basted onto the back if you couldn't see the stitches, then you've done well.

Also, get into the habit of not tying knots in your basting thread.  This reduces bulk in the seam allowance.  There's a lot going on in a blazer:  many seams and many layers of fabric.  You'll want to reduce bulk in whatever way you can!  So just take a back stitch at the beginning and end of your basting.

After the muslin stay is basted to the fabric, you'll need to make a few of the markings again on the muslin.  Place the pattern piece back on top of your fabric and redo the necessary marks.

There you have it - one more task done.  It probably took longer to read this blog post than it will to baste these stays on!