McCall’s M7254 Knit Blazer in Denim-Look Scuba

Muslins have merit. Not that I’ve ever argued otherwise; I’m just overly anxious to have the finished product in my hands, so I skip muslins and dive right into my good fabric. And yes, that has backfired more than once—thankfully, not as much as you’d think, though.

But when taking on a McCall’s pattern, I knew a muslin was a necessity. As I described in my recap, the instructions are so extra that a muslin is an incredibly good idea for several reasons:

• familiarize yourself with the pattern
• gauge the fit
• identify shortcuts
• test construction techniques

About the Fabric

2 yards of Denim-Look Midweight Scuba Knit from Cali Fabrics

• Content: Poly/Spandex
• Midweight
• Horizontal stretch: 75%
• Vertical stretch: none

Not to be confused with neoprene scuba diving suits, scuba fabric is a double knit much like ponte. It has a bit of substance to it so it’s great for more structured garments. It has a snappy recovery, super smooth and cool texture on both sides, and a nice drape.

This particular scuba was wonderful to work with. A very well-behaved fabric; no rolling edges, no clinging, washes and irons well. I was relieved that it took to fusible interfacing well, too.

Fusible Non-woven Interfacing

The interfacing I used came from Wawak. Described as a “fusible sheer tricot knit interfacing/interlining…used for soft shaping or as a backing for firm support. It is washable and dry cleanable. Made from 100% polyester.”

I fused it with my steam press set for wool as the instructions said. To be safe, I tested a small scrap of fabric first.

It was a little finicky on my actual pattern pieces, which were much larger than my test scrap. The side without the glue was a bit grabby and also stuck to my muslin press cloth. But I was able to work through those issues just fine.

About This Make

• Size S (no grading)
• View C
• +2″ to the sleeves

What I Learned From My Muslin

• I used a tricot/non-woven interfacing (compared to woven/non-stretch interfacing on my muslin) in order to preserve the properties of the fabric. Lesson learned: use an interfacing that mirrors the fabric. If the fabric stretches, use a stretchy interfacing. If the fabric has no stretch, then use a non-stretch interfacing, and so forth.
• I streamlined the shoulder seam. Rather than all the basting the instructions make you do, I anchored the seam binding over the seamline with some wash-away wonder tape on the back of the fabric. Then I sewed a single shoulder seam, catching the front and back bodice pieces and the seam binding all at once. I trimmed the seam allowance down to about 1/4″ and finished the raw edge with my usual zig-zag stitch and overcast foot. Works way better than what the instructions tell you to do, and it’s way quicker.
• Size M was too big. The shoulder seam ended a little too far past my shoulder bone and the overall fit felt a tad baggy, so I sized down to a S for this make and it’s spot on.
• Ignore most of the stitch descriptions in the instructions. I used my good old lightning stitch and zig-zag stitch edge finish for the whole thing. Huge time saver and super effective.

Other Things I Tried

• I used my purple tip needle for the whole thing because of the substantial feel of the fabric.
• I tried using my free-arm on one of the armscye seams to help with easing. Even though I managed to get through it, it was actually more of a pain, so I ditched that idea on the second armscye.
• To help with easing on the second armscye, I started the seam where the fabric stretch started to diminish, so by the time I came around to the end of the seam, I could utilize the stretch to ease in any extra I couldn’t wrangle earlier.
• I added a statement button and a “stretch” buttonhole.
• I topstitched the collar seam allowance again for that awesome detail.

Notes for Next Time

• I may need a swayback adjustment.
• I’d like to hack the sleeves for cuffs. I just do NOT like hemming, and I do NOT like the feel of hemmed sleeves.
• I plan to use my Tan Stretch Scuba Suede from Cali Fabrics, so I need to test interfacing on that. I suspect I might have to forego it on that one.
• I’m wondering about topstitching around the edge of the collar to add a little detail to the finish.

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