Muslin #1 for the RTW Tailoring Sew Along

I'm anxious to get started on this sew along, so I've made the first muslin for my pattern. Just a reminder, this is the pattern I'm making:

The red one, with some pretty drastic alterations in the style department. The pattern really does have some good "bones" though, and I was pleasantly surprised at the fit. For once, I only made ONE change before I started and that was to shorten it by 2". Here's your first look (admittedly the fabric is very light weight, and the final jacket will be more medium weight):

 Right off the bat, you can see it's too big, but not really that much. Most of the "bigness" is the sleeve, which is too long, and too loose-fitting, and the armscye which is too low. That last problem is kind of a relief after all the modern day patterns I've used lately that have armholes so high they cut off the circulation to your arm. I also think there may be too much double breasted overlap, and for the next version I think I will remove 5/8" from each center side, and also 5/8" from the collar. I also want to round the corners of the collar.

Again, here, mostly sleeve issues. The side seam falls nicely straight (can't see that very well, sorry), and the shoulder seam hits at the proper place. The shoulders are just a bit wide. Since the darts come from the shoulder seam, I think I'll try widening the darts 1/4" on each side to solve the shoulder width problem.

There is kind of a glare on this picture. It's a gorgeous day today, so sunny, but that makes taking pictures a bit harder. Anyway, I want the back to be closer fitting, and I'll add contouring darts to the back to accomplish that. The side seams are perfectly straight, and I'll play around with making them a little more "hourglass". I have more of a rectangle figure, but this jacket does make me look boxier than ever! Finally, it's still longer than I want, so I'll cut another 2" off the hem, and see where that takes us. The welt pockets seem a little high, but when I shorten it, they may have to stay a little high. Of course, the button placement will have to be adjusted.