I Won't Let it Beat Me!

McCall 5468, I can't let it defeat me!!

So I tried to make this dress, and let's just say it didn't work out. It may have had something to do with the pattern drafting...it may have had something to do with my "frankendressing" it. I suspect that because I only retraced pattern pieces that already existed in the envelope that the problems had to do with the draft to begin with because:

a. It was drafted for someone much shorter-waisted than I am, because if you look at the drawing and the pattern envelope artwork, the dress clearly hits at the waist. Now, part of this has to do with how large chested I am, but even on the back this dress does NOT hit at my natural waist.

b. The dress, like most "Big 4" patterns, is drafted for A and B cups. It doesn't even have darts, just gathers around the waist. This is part of the reason that the front of the dress is short, because it is pulling to fit over my chest.

I believe that the solution to these problems is two-fold. One, to add a a full-bust adjustment; the second is to lengthen the bodice by two inches, which is pretty standard for me when using Big 4 patterns. I hope that the combination of the two will place the waistband at the natural waist and add the blousing effect that is shown on the pattern image.


To the left you can see the original dress with "waistline" marked.

In the side view you can see how the waistline curves down towards the back.

To add the FBA, I utilized the instructions provided by Debbie Cook on her web page for empire waists, since that was what this one basically started it's life as!

I started with my original pattern piece that I drew by morphing the scoop neck front, with the armscyes from view B:


I then drew in the slash marks indicated by Debbie:


I then cut along those marks and spread the pattern as needed, and used it to redraw a new piece:


Here is the new piece with the completed FBA, with the dart aiming in the appropriate direction, toward the bust point:


But remember, the FBA is only half the fix. I also needed to lengthen the bodice on the front and the back:


You may ask, Michelle, why have you finally succumbed and given in to the FBA, when for so long you have skated along without it? Well, I have finally admitted, even though I did not want to, that I do have...a full bust. I went to Nordstrom's, I was drug into a fitting room by a well-meaning saleswoman who, with the help of a tape measure and many, many, many bras was able to convince me that I was not the 38C (or possibly a D) that I had for so long assumed I was but I am in fact a...are you ready for this? A 34DDD. Now, if I am a C-cup, I can possibly convince myself that I can get by without an FBA but there is no amount of self-delusion that can make a DDD anything but a full bust. I am sure that the only thing that has gotten me by so far is the fact that I am cutting such a large size, since my bust measurement is so much larger than my high bust and my rib cage.

Here the top is already looking better. I'm seriously considering turning the inside and outside waist bands into a foldover band and making a shirt or two like this:


And here is the completed project. I did make a couple additional changes besides the FBA and the lengthening of the bodice. The pattern calls for cutting only two waist ties and then hemming. I cut four instead and then doubled and turned them. I also kept my original raised neckline, and the morphed-on sleeves and armscyes from view B, even though I was using the front from view D.


Look, Ma! No pregnancy bump!! And considering that this is my first FBA, I'm actually pleased that the darts are facing in the right direction:


In the end, I am much, much happier with this version than with the original. I got my "70's dress" even though it was more work than I had anticipated.

McCall 5468 and New Look 6648

This past weekend, I completed two projects, McCall 5468 and New Look 6648. Both were fairly heavily altered from their original states.

First, McCall 5468. This was a new pattern for me.


I was originally attracted to the sort of glam retro vibe the pattern had going on, but ended up doing the "franken-dress" thing because I wasn't entireley happy with either version of it. I liked the sleeves and skirt length of view A:


But didn't want the cross-over front, mainly because I already had so many wrap dresses, and this really didn't set it apart from those wrap dresses. Instead, I wanted a scoop neckline, but the scoop neck had these odd batty sleeves, with armscyes that went almost all the way to the waistline. I would feel like a flying squirrel in that!!

So, I redrafted the front of the dress by tracing the sides and armscyes of view A, and the neckline of view D. Also, after reading the reviews of the dress on PR, I decided to raise the neckline and add a binding, since most of the other reviewers had had issues with the depth of the scoop neck. The pattern instructions also had the neckline constructed with a simple hem, with I felt really didn't give a very finished look. Hence, the binding.


I also left off the back tie because I felt it looked a little too twee for a 36-year-old. Now, if I were 35, maybe....but really, what adult woman wants a dress with a bow above her butt? Nothing against those of you who may want that, but I am nothing if not opinionated. Plus, I made it, so I can leave off anything I want. To make up for the fact that I left off the back tie, I cut the waist band smaller than the pattern indicated.

In fact, I cut the whole pattern smaller than indicated. It was hard to decide what size to sew because there is so much ease in the pattern. According to my measurements, I am exactly inbetween a 16 an an 18, so I normally cut a 16 because the "Big 4" run just that...BIG. But, according to the pattern, the finished garment measurements were 44 inches at the bustline for a 16, and that is just too much ease in my opinion for a knit, so I cut a 14. The dress is still large, the shoulders are wider than they should be, you can see in the photo above that the shoulder seams droop off the dress form. If I make it again, I will get the other pattern envelope and use the 12, and make an attempt at an full bust adjustment and also lengthen the bodice. It's not quite short enough to be an empire waist, and not quite long enough to hit at the natural waist.

I also changed how the skirt was gathered. After my "how many months are you?" experience with my last gathered skirt (Simplicity 3678) I shifted the bulk of the gathering away from the center of the skirt.


It did not result in the front being entirely flat, but much better than previous attempts. I think that if I make the dress again, lengthen the bodice, and make the waist smaller yet, that it will look much better.


Overall, I am not as "wowed" by the dress on, as I was by the concept of the dress. I like it better on other people. But that in part may be my own fault and the fact that I cobbled together different pieces, drafted a new neckline, added a binding, moved the gathers, left off pieces, possibly used the wrong size....

But I think that the main issue is that I am a bit bottom-heavy and the gathered skirt does nothing to help mask that, where an a-line or gored skirt, as Clinton and Stacy would say, skims the body and hides any multitude of sins. I have made other dresses that really do flatter much more than this one. Although after reading the positive comments on PR, I may have to rethink...perhaps I just know how I WANT it to look, and to those people who aren't party to the "image in my head," the dress is perfectly fine!!


When I think about it and really dissect what initially attracted me to the dress, it was the sleeves with the gathered wrists. And I can draft those sleeves onto any number of other dresses that I have found that work better for my body. So, when you see a review for Vogue 8379 with long sleeves gathered at the wrist, you will know that I have been slicing and dicing patterns!!


The second project that I finished over the weekend was New Look 6648. I have made this pattern before, and I quite like it. It is a great shirt with simple lines that is perfect for "over the top" fabrics, because there is no aspect of the shirt itself that competes for attention. It is just a simple top with kimono sleeves and a shirred waist.


However, there is one issue that is bothersome. As drafted, the neckline is huge, and you are constantly tucking away bra straps. Here is the original version. You can see how broad the neckline is:


Here is my new version, in a wild leopard print that I couldn't pass up at Hancock's:


I made the neckline smaller...I would say that I redrafted it, but that would be doing the word "redrafting" a disservice. I freehanded it while I was cutting the pattern out. Fortunately I didn't gank it up too bad. I used the existing pattern for the neckline binding , but just cut it shorter. I also did not use their instructions for attaching it, but folded it in half, and sewed it on like a standard binding.


The only downside to the shirt is that even with the new neckline, you still have to wear a cami underneath, because you can see straight in the arms if you raise them. The sleeves are huge! But, the shirt is super-comfy, and like wearing your pajamas.


It also only takes about an hour to cut out and sew...really! It is so simple you won't believe it! Two seams, hem the sleeves, add the neck binding, and the waist and you are done!

A New Way of Doing Things-For Me...

So the last week I haven't sewn a single thing. I have decided that to increase efficiency, I would cut a HUGE number of projects so I could just get down to some serious sewing.

So, in the past few days I have cut out the following projects:

The muslin for Vogue 8280. Now, admittedly I normally don't use muslins. I am incredibly lucky in that most patterns fit me with minimal alterations (if I would just remember to do flat measurements and cut the right size). I read on PR about people doing FBAs and sway back adjustments, and forward shoulder adjustments, and lowering bust points, and slash and pivot and I just shudder with fear. I could never figure all that out!!! I am incredibly fortunate that that my proportions, even when heavier, tend to fall within a single size. Which is not to say I don't make the occasional misstep...I make plenty of wadders!


But, back to Vogue 8280. After reading all the reviews on PR, I couldn't get a good handle on whether the pattern ran large, small, true to size, just that it could be a real booger. So, I decided since it was a straight skirt, and that needed to FIT, I would do a muslin. Fortunately, Yo Momma cleaned out her closets and bequeathed to me an entire trashbag full of old sheets that I can chop up and use for muslins.

I have a second muslin cut out (from I believe my old sheets from grade school!) is for a dress for my niece. I let her pick out fabric for a dress that she could wear to our wedding in February. She picked Butterick 4385, after a prolonged battle that involved me taking away the Vogue catalog, as well as McCalls because that Hillary Duff stuff is SKANKY.

She is a bit larger in the hips than the largest size on the pattern, so I put a little extra room in the side seams. I may also need to add more of a curve to the princess seams at the bust, because she is starting to get her boobies, oy vey. She picked out some cute fabrics, though. Pink and blue, and age appropriate. The pink and blue brocade is for the jacket and the band around the top of the dress, the blue is for the lining of the jacket, and the main part of the dress is a satin with a relatively low sheen.


I also got the fabric cut out for Vogue 8409. This is a pattern that is for both a knit and a woven, so I did flat pattern measurements before hacking into the fabric. No muslin, it's a simple dress, I can alter on the fly if I have to.


I am using a gray doubleknit from Fashion Fabrics Club, it was super-cheap, so I'm not too worried if I mess it up.


I also cut out a version of the Hot Patterns Wong-Sing-Jones Kimono Wrap Dress. I am making a version for a friend, but before I cut into her fabric, I want to learn how to put it together. That way if I mess it up, I mess up my own fabric.


For my "muslin", I am using a light grey knit for the main part of the dress and the trim will be in a black and grey print picked up from Fabric.com. For her version, the main part of the dress will be red, with the trim in heather grey.


And last but not least, I cut out McCall's 5468. I did make some changes to the pattern, though. I preferred the sleeve from View B, but the scoop neck from View D. But, if you look, the sleeve is set in very differently in B and D. So, if I wanted the scoop neck, I had to draft that onto the front pattern piece for View B. I also got rid of the ties, because that looked just a little too twee for me. Since I wouldn't have the tie to cinch the waist, I did flat pattern measurements and decided to cut a size 14.

After slicing and dicing the pattern, who knows if it will actually work out, so I decided that the fabric that I would cut it from would be my least favorite of my new acquisitions. If it works out, I'll cut another from fabric that I like better.


I also have Jeremy's coat to work on, but that involves about 400 hours of hand stitching to get the padstitching completed. I only work on that one a little at a time, because I don't want to get fatigued and screw it up, since it's about $150.00 of materials.

I still have some to cut out, but my back is screaming from cutting on the dining room table, so it's off to the sewing room for a while!

Keep Me Off the Interwebz!

I made a some great internet scores the past few days, but now I probably need to stay off the interwebz for a while!

The first thing that I got was a buttonholer for my Singer 401. It is super-cool, and even makes keyhole buttonholes. Not to mention, it came in a cool retro case.


My other scores were some awesome knits from Fashion Fabrics Club. They were having a $4.00 a yard sale and I snagged a few for fall dresses.




At least one will become McCall 5468 and I will probably make at least one of the "old standby" Vogue 8379.

I also got 6 yards of black jersey, because, well, you never know. I don't actually have a project in mind, but you never know. You always need black jersey. And I got two yards of swirly purple charmeuse.


The charmeuse will probably become Butterick 5284, if I manage to catch it on sale! Otherwise, I might grab the Hot Patterns Metropolitan Criterion Blouse.

I also need to figure out something to do with this hot mess I found in my stash:


There is only a yard and a half, so I I'm pretty limited. I'm seriously thinking about making a little batwing shirt for my niece, who loves all things sparkly and tacky. That kid...all her taste is in her mouth!

I also bought my first REAL vintage pattern. I saw this one online at Out of the Ashes and just could NOT pass it up! I have no idea when I'm going to make it, or where I would wear it, but dammit, I'm going to sew it up!