Somebody's trying to tell me something...

...but, of course, I'm not listening.

I started in on my New Look 6735 top today.  It's been painfully slow going for a simple knit shirt.  First off, I left my pattern pieces spread out on the dining room table, and the puppy got hold of the front and chewed it up (this was one I had previously done an FBA on).  So I ran out to Jo-Ann for a replacement.

Then, after spending almost an hour tracing my pattern pieces, re-doing the FBA, and trimming all the seam allowances to 3/8" (because the last time I made this up, I forgot that only the neckline SA was 3/8", and I serged the neck trim piece to the neckline using a 5/8" seam allowance.  WAY too low cut, even for me.)  I finally laid out the pattern on my fabric.  It's this lovely knit from Emma One Sock:

 I made sure to keep the big round medallion-looking things off my boobs, but I realized I had only ordered 1.33 yards, and I needed 1 3/8 for the 3/4 sleeve version. (And, of course, the fabric is sold out now - right after I realized how nice a matching skirt would be...)

I have enough to cut one full sleeve, but I'm short a few inches on the other piece.  It's a very busy print, so I think I can get away with piecing the sleeve, but I'm not sure how best to do that so it looks like a design element, and not a major screw-up on my part.  (Any thoughts?  Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments below.)

Also, I'm thinking of adding some ruffles to the neckline with the very tiny amount of leftover fabric I have, sort of like this Marc Jacobs top:

(Yes, the fabric has a very similar color scheme to the EOS knit print.) Anyway, I'm feeling a bit discouraged at the moment.  In theory, this should have been a 90-minutes-from-start-to-finish project.  I think I need to take a break (before I do something I'm going to regret) and pick it up again in the morning.

Perfect Sew. Get. Some. NOW.

This stuff ROCKS.  After cutting a second (even wonkier than the first!) collar piece out of my fabric (the one at the top of the photo below), I balled up the remainder of my silk chiffon, ran it under cold water for a sec to dampen it, then put it in a coffee mug and sloshed a generous splash of PS on top. 

Ten minutes later, I was pinning the pattern piece to a crisp, freshly-pressed-into-submission piece of silk organza chiffon (!) and cutting out a much-better-behaved collar from it. (The PS-treated collar shown at the bottom of the photo looks a little off only because it has such a sharp crease on the CB foldline making it ripple a bit when laid open.)

I'm back to feelin' the love for this top again...

NL953 - Part I

So I'm most of the way through cutting out my fabric, and I'm remembering why I don't like working with silk chiffon.  And neither does Sally Cowan, who writes on her Keeping You in Stitches website:

"Silk Chiffon is not the fabric to use when working on your first project. [NB: Make that "your first 100 projects."] It has a mind of its own. Because of its weight, it is perfect for pants, loose tops and flowing dresses. When cutting this fabric, cover your table with tissue paper. Pin a double thickness of fabric to the paper. Pin the pattern through the fabric AND paper. Keep pins within the seam allowances. Use sharp scissors and cut through all the layers. And pray."

Well, now, that's encouraging, isn't it?

And I like Claire Schaeffer's comment in her book, Sew Any Fabric:

"To avoid ripping and over-handling, make a test garment before cutting the fabric to refine the fit and practice your sewing skills."

Oh.  Oops.  Too late.

New Look 6952

I'm getting ready to cut out my Unique Patterns custom-drafted New Look pattern, #6952 for the first time.  The only alteration I've made to it is to add 1 3/4" at the hem. 

(It feels so weird not to be endlessly hacking up my pattern before laying it out on the fabric...)

What I'm loving...

This dress:

Milly Cascade Sheath Dress: Chestnut. Asymmetric V neckline. Sleeveless. Cascading ruffle down front side. Front slit detail at hem. Asymmetric V'd back. Polyester/viscose/wool/elastane. Made in Italy of domestic material.  Original price: $360. (Neiman Marcus, Bloomie's, etc.)  I really like the way it is styled in the second photo - it looks like it would make a great transitional garment for summer/fall & winter/spring.)

I have a piece of fairly drape-y light brown poly/rayon plaid (no lycra/elastane, though) I bought at Fabric Place in Framingham, MA that I'm planning to use.  I'm not sure about the full-length ruffle, though - on the one hand, it creates a slimming vertical line (good) but adds bulk over one side of my already-bulky boobs (not so good).  I'm thinking of just having the ruffle go from my waist to the hemline instead, sort of like the Anthropologie-inspired skirt, but in a sheath dress version. 

I'm going to use my Unique Patterns dress pattern (9023U0) as a starting point, changing the center front from two pieces (with a waistline seam) to one, rotating the bust dart into a princess seamline, putting in a side seam (invisible!) zipper, and, of course, changing the front and back necklines and adding the flounce cascade. I should probably line it, too, so I could wear it over a brown turtleneck top as a jumper.

Easy-peasey, right?  I'm going to work on drafting the pattern tomorrow, cut out a muslin Thursday and sew that up on Friday afternoon.  With any luck, I can get started on cutting out the real fabric early next week.

Sewing goals for 2010

OK, I've been following the annual sewing goals posts on the Pattern Review website, and I've been stealing inspired by many of my fellow sewists' resolutions for 2010 to come up with my own insanely overreaching list:

• Organize my sewing space - and keep it that way!
• Sew every day, even if it's only for a few minutes
• Make muslins more often
• Finish at least one garment per month
• Finish my daughter's Halloween costume by mid-October
• Spend less time READING/BLOGGING about sewing/knitting, and more time sewing/knitting
• Figure out some way to make money sewing, or teaching sewing - and DO IT!
• Sew more clothes for my daughter
• Stop buying mass-produced crap clothing (including thrift store stuff that doesn't fit well); buy local/handmade products whenever possible
• Make myself a great fitting:
• woven blouse
• winter coat
• pair of jeans
• bra
• Work on improving my skills and learn how to:
• insert an invisible zipper
• sew on Slinky knit so it doesn't look like crap
• use some of the tools/notions I haven't used much (or at all)
• make great buttonholes

So - stay tuned in 2010 to see how it goes!

Third time's the...third time, I guess

Well, I haven't actually started cutting out a third muslin yet.  I'm hoping to work on this some more tomorrow afternoon (maybe I should make that this afternoon, as it's almost midnight here).  I think I'm going to go back to the original pattern and draft from that one, making the changes that I know are working (moving the shoulder seam back, raising the fisheye darts, petite-ing the upper bodice, lengthening the sleeve), and re-doing the ones I'm not so sure about (splitting the fisheye dart into two darts on each front piece rather than one huge one, scooping out the back armhole, not to mention the bust dart - not only does it need to be shortened, I think it still needs an FBA...arghh!). 

I do know that I am going back to a MUSLIN, rather than sacrificing any more fabric I might actually want to have as a shirt someday.  The busy print of the fabric I was using for attempt #2 made it really difficult to see what was fitting and what wasn't.

And I know I said I was going to post pictures.  I did take them, but haven't downloaded them to my computer yet.  Tomorrow.  I promise.

Self-drafted skirt finished

I made this skirt (photo will be posted soon, I promise!) from a piece of crappy solid olive green cotton or cotton/poly (? - it wasn't marked on the bolt) bottomweight Jo-Ann's fabric. It was the only thing I could find that coordinated with a pink/orange/goldenrod/olive long sleeve t-shirt that I have. I'd been wearing that shirt mostly with jeans, because it doesn't really go with much else in my closet.

Speaking of the shirt, it's a RTW one that I bought at Port Boutique in Portland, ME. I love the shop, and buy almost all my RTW pants there. I even have pretty good luck finding tops and dresses there that fit reasonably well. This one needed a little help, though - I took it in on the side and sleeve seams, serging off about 3/4" of the seam allowance from wrist to hip. Now the sleeves don't droop down (as much - the cotton knit tends to relax as the day goes on) when I push them up to wear as 3/4 length sleeves.

I used Elizabeth Allemong's instructions in European Cut to draft the skirt.  I took all my own measurements, even though she advises against it, because it was late at night and my husband was asleep.  (And I think I probably did at least as good a job as he would have.)  It took me two muslins to get a finished basic skirt pattern that I can use from now on.  I need to increase the CF/CB and side seam allowances as this skirt has only 1/4" allowances (I had to make very narrow seam to get enough wearing ease in the skirt) and I could stand to lower the front waistline about 3/4", but otherwise the fit is pretty darn good.

The only downside to the whole project is that I couldn't find a zipper to match.  I ended up using a light greenish yellow zipper from JAF.  Since then, however, I stumbled across Dawn's blog post about ZipperStop and I've ordered their color card (which has a ginormous assortment of YKK zipper tape colors to choose from).  The zippers are very reasonably priced (provided you order several at a time to reduce the shipping cost per zipper), and I'm looking forward to going through my stash to identify the upcoming sewing projects that will need zippers so I can place an order.

I have some great hot pink sandals that go with the outfit, but at the moment they clash someting fierce with my bright red toenails, so I just wear a pair of brown slip-on casual shoes for work or running errands.

I'm thinking of making a coordinating (not *matching*) headband with some of the leftover skirt fabric. (I am also considering making a matching "Mini-Me" skirt for my daughter - pretty soon she will be too old to be caught dead wearing what Mom is wearing). Actually, I've made the headband, but I need to figure out how to embellish it so it doesn't *look* like a matching headband. Maybe I'll add some knitted flowers or fabric rosettes to the headband.

Neckline gaposis - the problem and its solutions

I mentioned in a previous post that I had problems with neckline gaposis - a neckline that doesn't lie flat against your body, but instead ripples out, due to the neckline edge being too long - while working to perfect the fit of Butterick 5300.  I did some research  into what caused the problem and how to fix it, and I've posted the collected wisdom here so it will hopefully will benefit others who are dealing with this problem.

What causes "neckline gaposis"?

Poor pattern drafting - this is where making a quick and dirty muslin can really help.  (Tissue fitting doesn't really give you an accurate picture - it's best to test the fit in a muslin) Also, the larger your bust and the lower/more open the neckline is, the greater the gaposis is likely to be, so folks who alter their pattern pieces with an FBA should always check the fit with a muslin first.

Over handling the fabric - because necklines are almost never cut on the grainline, they have a tendency to get stretched out as you are working with them.  To prevent this, stay stitch the neckline edges as soon as you can after you cut out your fabric. (For years I was guilty of just skipping this step in my rush to get to the "real" sewing.)  If you are using neckline facings that are interfaced, fuse or baste the interfacing to the facing pieces ASAP.  After sewing facings to the neckline, measure the neckline distance and compare it to your pattern to make sure that it hasn't "grown" on you. (If it has, a good option is to use solution #4 below.)

How to correct "neckline gaposis"

The following links provide information on various ways to deal with neckline gaposis:

1. Eliminating gaposis by shortening the neckline length
2. Shifting the pattern's center front line - or - rotating excess length into a dart (or increasing the size of an existing dart)
3. Taking a deeper shoulder seam allowance (refer to the third paragraph)
4. Easing the neckline edge

(If you know of any other methods or references I should add to this list, please let me know in the comments - thanks!)

The Perfectly Fitting Shirt - Part II

The first draft of the pattern with the modifications I talked about in my previous post is done, and I have some good news and some bad news.  The good news is that the shoulder seams now follow my shoulder line perfectly, the sleeves are a better length, and the pointy darts don't seem to be that much of a problem.

The bad news is that the bust darts ended up WAY too low on this second attempt. When I drafted the new front pattern piece, I lowered the dart by first tracing the CF, neckline, shoulder and armhole, then I slid the tracing paper up 5/8". Next, I traced the bust dart, using the endpoint of the size L dart, and connecting to the ends of the M dart legs at the side seam. On the original pattern, the L and XL darts ended quite a bit further away from the bust point than the XS-S-M darts did.  (This made absolutely no sense to me, as I was working with a D/DD cup front piece - all of those smaller sizes should have had their darts end further away from the bust point based on the cup size.) When I tried on the second muslin, I could immediately see that the darts were too low. I pinned out about an inch on each of the shoulder seam allowances, which moved the darts up to where they should be, and also made me realize...that I really needed to petite the upper back.  Sigh.

So what I need to do for Version 3 (god, but that's depressing to write) is take a 7/8" tuck in the upper front and upper back pattern pieces, then lower the armhole by about 7/16" (I want a slightly closer fitting armhole), re-draft the front neckline edge and, finally, re-draft the sleeve to take out some of the now excess sleeve cap ease. (I'm thinking of folding a long vertical dart in the center of the sleeve so the cap height remains more or less the same.)

Also, I noticed an error on the original pattern when I measured the sleeve width at the bicep while I was drafting the new, longer sleeve.  Although the width printed on the pattern for the size M said 16 1/4", my measurement (through the crosshatch mark and not including the 5/8" seam allowances) was only 15 3/4".  To me, a half inch difference is a significant one, and something that should have been caught during the drafting process.
 
So I'm back to the drawing (drafting) board this afternoon, and on to muslin #3...stay tuned!

The Perfectly Fitting Shirt - Part I

As I do this time each year, I went through my closets and drawers to identify what I have and what I need to complete my fall wardrobe.  I have pants and skirts galore (OK, more like eight to 10 of them), and several dresses, but very few shirts (and even fewer shirts that fit me well).  I have decided that my priority for sewing has to be developing a TNT blouse pattern so I can whip up a half dozen or so new shirts for the fall (which officially starts tomorrow, BTW, so I'd better get cracking).

After reading several reviews (in particular, Debbie Cook's - you're fabulous!), I have decided to use Butterick 5300 as my starting point:

Like Debbie, I find the Connie Crawford patterns rather "blah" at first glance.  The sketches really don't do her designs any favors. I was looking at some of her patterns on her website yesterday, and I was really impressed with the photos of live models, particularly the ones that show the same design on two different size women.  I think Connie really has a gift for plus size designing - the clothes look just as wonderful on "fluffier" women as they do on the more slender gals.

For my first attempt, I used a lightweight, taupe-colored linen (or maybe linen-look, I can't tell) fabric from my stash.  I figured if I really got lucky, I'd end up with a "wearable muslin" (sorry, Ann!).  In any event, it wasn't doing anything just sitting there in my stash, so I figured it might as well be used for something.  I chose View C, which has a faced V-neckline and 3/4 length sleeves with slits at the hem, and started with the D/DD front pattern piece.

I have to say that it fit pretty darn well right out of the envelope compared to most Big 4 patterns, and had I made no adjustments, it would probably fit as well as or better than most of the RTW shirts in my closet.  However, since my quest is for the Perfectly Fitting Shirt™, I started tweaking it.

I had a bit of a problem with the front neckline gaping (which I plan to address in more detail in another post).  It was particularly noticeable on the right front, because my right shoulder is lower than my left (thank you, scoliosis!).  To correct this, I'm going to take a little wedge out at the shoulder seam, tapering to nothing at the shoulder point, which falls exactly where it should be.  Additionally, I noticed that the shoulder seams are clearly visible from the front - they need to be moved towards the back, which means adding length to the back and back facings, and removing length from the front and front facings.  Again, since the shoulder point is in the correct location, I need to add/remove wedge-shaped pieces of fabric, about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch (for left and right fronts, respectively).  Since I am planning to use this pattern again, I'm going to draft separate left and right fronts (and left and right front facings) so I don't have to fiddle with the right side adjustments each time I use it.

The bust darts are a little too high, and too close to the bust apex.  I need to shorten them by about 5/8" and lower them by the same amount. I'm a little nervous about shortening the darts - they already end in a rather sharp point, but I was able to press the point into a smooth curve on the linen fabric.  I'm concerned that shortening it will increase the angle of the dart, and depending on the fabric I use, it may be harder to press into a smooth, curved shape.  (Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to handle this?)

I should have taken Debbie's advice about the fisheye darts on the front pattern piece right from the start - they were indeed far too close to the CF.  Both the front and back fisheye darts need to have the widest point (waistline) raised about 5/8 - 3/4".  The total length of the darts seems OK, but the pattern's waistline is lower than my narrowest point.  I haven't quite decided if I need to petite the pattern through the upper back as well.  I  like the length of the unhemmed shirt, so I'll need to add another inch to the fronts and backs for hemming.

Finally, the sleeves could be longer.  I usually need to add an inch (or two) to full-length sleeves, and the 3/4 length ones were no different.  I made the mistake of taking out 1.5 inches in the width of the sleeve the first time I cut them out because the finished biceps measurement printed on the pattern was 2.75" larger than my arm measurement, and I thought that would be too much ease.  I generally prefer closer-fitted sleeves, but after trying the sleeves on, I realized that my arms really need the total amount of ease for movement.  I thought the amount of ease in the sleeve cap was reasonable, and the sleeves were fairly easy to set in to the armhole, even though the pattern has you sew the underarm seam first and set them in "in the round".

I'm going to re-draft the pattern this afternoon and take another swing at it in a different (non-muslin) fabric.  Wish me luck!