Some patterns surprise me.  I start out thinking they're ugly, won't work for me, look bad on a hanger... and then I try them, and they work.  The 1920's fashions are like that for me.  I am not drawn to boxy shapes or straight lines.  The later seasons of Downton Abbey were rather sad, costume-wise.  The wealthy ladies at least had pretty silks and beading, but the servants might as well have been wearing black pillowcases.  So much no.

Michael Portuesi, of the Line of Selvage blog, posted recently about Fashion Draping 101, including excellent photos and explanation the purposes of draping.  (Can I just register my envy right now that he gets to take a class on this?!  Lookit how fancy and official his muslin looks!  And a dress-form you can pin into... I swoon!)  If you don't know what fashion draping is, I'll let you read his post rather than repeating the info here.  Here, I'll just dive right into doing it!  

This blouse is a wearable muslin-- by which I mean it's a test garment, but I'm using nice enough fabric and finishing it well enough to wear it.  
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​​THE FABRIC has interesting provenance: a bunch of rose chintz cotton which once covered the shelves at the store where I work.  It lived in storage for several years before my boss gave it to me when she found out I sewed.

​THE BASE PATTERN comes from a fun thrift store find: a 1980's style blouse that looked like it came from a high school production of Hello Dolly!  In its original state, it was hideous: the fabric was pink and synthetic, trimmed with black lace and sequins, and some strange black plastic faux-armor stuff which was falling to pieces.  It had big puffed sleeves and a giant collar/lapel which looked like a mini cape in the back.