Simplicity 2497: Sewing It Up (Part II)

So . . . this has become an ordeal.  First, voila

That face probably tells you all you need to know.

I finally finished this damn dress.  Guys. . . just. . . whatever.  

Here is my review.

Pattern Description: Misses dress in three lengths with neckline and sleeve variations.

Pattern Sizing: Misses sizes 4-20

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I like the cute sleeve variations.  I do not like the whole size zipper into a pocket thing these Cynthia Rowley patterns seem to dig on.  I also did not like the proportions of the finished product.  I liked the sleeves of view B, but with my

Fabric Used: Rayon blend

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I did a full bust adjustment and added a few inches to the sides, waist, and skirt to make the pattern fit my body.  I outline that saga with a few cusswords and excruciating detail here and also here.  I also lengthened the bodice an inch and a half to make the bodice less empire and installed a center back zipper instead of a side zipper.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I will sew this again, mostly because I am not terribly happy with my first finished product and the potential for really cute dress-ness is still there. 

Conclusion: I really like the idea of this dress still, but so far not the dress I made.

My specific points of contention with this finished product are as follows:

 

I love these sleeves but. . .

• They add too much bulk to my upper body silhouette.
• They are also much too puffy to layer comfortably, that goes for both variations. 
• The sleeve band is too snug for comfort.
• The armsyce is weird.   (I don't know why or what I even mean here either)
• The neckline gaps a little, against all odds really.
• The waistband is still tilted!  Keep in mind that I picked the entire thing apart and re-cut the bodice to correct this issue. 

I did make some tweaks to make it more wearable.  I removed the original sleeves and re-cut the sleeve lining from view A to make simple cap sleeves instead.  These sleeves will fit inside a jacket or cardigan  which is good because my quick and dirty waistline leveling fix on the back of this dress is far from attractive.

Ultimately, I am giving in on this version of the dress.  I think I made some mistakes here that, even if corrected and executed perfectly, would not result in a staple wardrobe garment.  It's not bad at all.  I've already worn it out once and to a job interview at that. . . but I don't love it. 

Simplicity 2497: Sewing It Up

This is quickly becoming a saga. . . here's why.

Once you've made your muslin and checked your fit, your next steps should be selecting your fabric and sewing up the real thing.  This is where I made my potentially fatal error.

I decided I wanted a red dress.

I did not think at all about the composition of that fabric other than that I wanted a woven fabric-not a knit for this first dress.  I picked what I found to be the perfect red in Joann's that also met the qualifications allowing me to use a 60% off coupon.  I got a great deal on four yards.  (No, I didn't actually need four yards but just in case.)  

I pre-washed it and dried it and that's when I realized that my "perfect red" fabric was also a linen.  Or maybe a "linen"-I did get it at Joann's.  Linen is nice and all, but it is a stone BITCH to sew if you aren't that great at sewing in the first place and in any way inattentive.  If you are me, in other words.  It shreds if you look at it funny.  Not quickly or dramatically . . .  the threads just quietly unravel as you cut and sew it. 

Like dark, diabolical magic.

It also grows miraculously . . .  perhaps to compensate for its tendency to slowly disappear as you handle it.  It expands . . . almost overnight.

This should show you what I mean. The only length I added was at the bodice bottom.  This thing is huge on me and it shouldn't be.  I ended up trimming off four inches from the bodice sides.  That's insane.

And look at this sleeve.   What is up with that upper arm weirdness?  

Here it is with a lot of the bodice fullness removed and a last minute sleeve change.  The 3/4 sleeves just looked too weird so I did the short puffed sleeve instead.  

Better, but some things are still off:

• You might wonder why my waistband is so tilted.  Me too!  I have this problem a lot and I think I may need to add a different alteration to my repertoire.  I requested Fit For Real People from the library so hopefully I can find what I need there.  The internet's best advice so far has been . . .  This is in FFRP.   

• Where did all that back fabric come from?  I like the fact that the dress is not getting intimate with my back fat but something about this looks suspicious.  Like I'm trying to hide the fact that I am hiding the partially reanimated spirit of Voldemort on my back . . .  or something.

• Are these pockets low?  This is probably due to my lengthening the bodice.

• The zipper looks damn good from this side.  I tossed both the pattern instructions and the general guidelines for installing an invisible zipper.  I vastly prefer this method.

• This side zipper is also almost entirely unnecessary.  It's inaccessible for me-my T-Rex arms can't zip or unzip it easily while I'm actually wearing the damn thing.  Plus I haven't used it since putting it in.  There is enough room to just pull it off and on over my head.

• The puff sleeves are cute but they are a little snug.  I also made a mistake in the construction order and I have an exposed seam that should have been covered by the lining. 

I am feeling very meh about this dress now. . .  and it's a bit of a bummer because I was seriously pumped before.  

I don't think I will finish this as is.  In fact, I think I will take it apart, make some more alterations, and then put it back together.  I still love the color and at this point it's gotten personal.  I can't let the fucking pattern win.  It thinks it has beaten me!

I did a little more internet research and here's what I think I will do.  

• Raise the waistband back up an inch or so.
• Make a tilted waist adjustment
• Reconstruct the sleeves and add a little more ease.
• Remove the side zipper and put it in a center back seam*.  It will be a lot easier to fit and make changes once I do that.

I'll have to pick the whole damn thing apart and re-cut a few pieces but eh. . .  I can do that while listening to podcasts and thinking about all the stuff I haven't been writing for this blog.  

The plus is that it shouldn't take me long to sew it back up again once I get started.  I know how to do all the annoying bits now.  

*I won't share with you the various contortions that make it possible for my short armed self to pull up my own zippers.  It would be really awkward for us both.

Simplicity 2497: Fitting the Muslin

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Once your paper alterations are done it's time for a muslin fitting so you can see all the many ways your alterations went wrong.  You can skip fitting the muslin if you are confident.  Hubris is always punished but you know, whatever floats your boat.  When I make a muslin I, do the bare minimum.  I skip facings, finishing, and I only attach one sleeve.  You might also leave out zippers and other closures and pockets unless you want to test the installation or application.

Behold, Simplicity 2497: the Muslin.

All in all, my errors were not egregious but as you can see there is some awkwardness going on.  some of it, like the wide neckline in the front and in the back will be corrected further along in construction.  Other issues, like the too-tight sleeve cap and awkwardness around the zipper will require further attention.

The sleeve in image 2 and 3 is after further sleeve alteration

I mean, this sleeve was fucked up.  The top part of the sleeve was sooo tight and the armhole itself seemed too small which didn't seem possible considering how much length I added to the bodice sides.  After much googling, internet tutorial research, youtube video watching, and redrawing of patterns, I went back to Sewing for Plus Sizes and realized that I forgot to add the length from the bodice to the sleeves. 

1. Too tight sleeve cap, 2. Dart detail and high waistline, 3. Too much length in the neckline, 4. Zipper into pocket detail

Problems:

1. I added unnecessary length to the neckline pattern.  
2. The invisible zipper into pocket application was fussy and not well done.
3. This waist seems much more empire than other finished versions I've found online.

Solutions:

1. Restore the neckline pattern pieces to their original forms to remove the extra fullness.
2. I decided on a slightly shorter zipper than the pattern calls for.  My FBA translated to much more length in the bodice as well, so my pocket only contained about an inch or so of zipper anyway.
3. I am going to add an additional two inches to the bodice length.  

Simplicity 2497: Fitting the Pattern

Simplicity 2497 is a Misses pattern sized 4-20.  Since this pattern calls for a woven fabric and does not feature any significant areas of stretchiness, I had to make significant changes to the pattern before I could even attempt a muslin fitting.  How did I know this?  I checked the finished garment measurements on the back of the pattern.

The finished garment measurements can give you a better idea of how much room you might really have in the bust-always a problem area for me.  The size 20 listed a 48 inch finished bust measurement including wearing ease.  There was no way that was going to fit my 44 DDD chest.

In fact, if you are top heavy in the slightest, and by that I mean a C cup or above, you may want to try doing a full bust adjustment.  There are excellent books and online tutorials with pictures as well as youtube demonstrations to show you how to measure and make your adjustments.

As you can see, my FBA added several inches to the bodice area of the dress.  I would say closer to five inches all together.  (Remember, many pattern pieces are doubled or cut on a fold) This FBA also added darts which I may or may not keep in the finished product.  

A good rule of thumb is to fit the most challenging part of the body first.  When it comes to altering patterns, I find that my bra size is much more of a factor than being plus sized and that once I have addressed that area, all remaining necessary alterations seem to flow from that point.  

Once I completed the FBA, I also extended the sides of the bodice front (the orange tissue paper) and the bodice back, and trued up the length of the bodice back (pink tissue paper) with the altered bodice front.

I completed my initial pattern alterations by adding the necessary inches to the waist band and to the skirt panels.

My next post concerning Simplicity 2497 will focus on fitting the muslin, where it will become painfully obvious that I omitted a rather important step while making a completely unnecessary change.

Simplicity 2497: Research, Research, Research

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Most of the pattern companies make plus sized patterns.  I own a few that I have yet to try out.  Part of that is laziness.  The other part is that some of them are just less aesthetically pleasing or they would be better suited to that rarest of plus sized creatures-the ten foot tall perfectly proportional giantess with curves everywhere except her belly.

In any case, I prefer dicking around with straight size patterns.  There's that moment of triumph when I make the damn thing fit.  There's also the thrill of slashing and taping and all of that . . . it feels like I'm going rogue.  I pretty much love anything that lets me feel like I'm going rouge.

The first step in fitting the pattern is deciding which areas will need the most adjustment.  If you are just starting out sewing garments, I recommend Simplicity's Simply the Best Sewing Book.  In fact, this is a great general sewing reference book that has a comb binding so it opens and lies flat.  You get a great overview of how patterns are created and sized, how to pick the pattern size best for you, and an overview of basic alterations you might make.

Check it out!

This book suggests using your high bust measurement to determine your size.  This little tidbit is what opened up the world of straight sizes to me.  If you use the high bust measurement, you can pick a pattern size that might only require a full bust alteration and the neckline and shoulders will still fit.

For those who might be interested in plus-size sewing, I really like, and use pretty much every time I work on a new pattern, Sewing for Plus Sizes by Barbara Deckert.  The photos and illustrations feature some banging eighties and nineties fashion, but you can pretty much find info on how to do anything you want.  I also like that there is a emphasis on alterations that might be especially beneficial to plus size people.

Check it out!

In addition to these two resources, I also do fairly serious internet research.  If you put a pattern title and number in google image search, you can find personal blogs of people who have sewn it before.  This is really helpful if you have the time.  If a pattern has some quirks, reading about others' experiences will help you plan ahead.

Pattern Review is another great web resource.   In addition to pattern reviews, you can see images of finished garments.  Additionally, questions posted on the forums are answered quickly by people who know what they are doing.

This pattern has some pleating on the sleeve and an inseam side zipper that opens into a pocket.  I researched both of those details as well as the full bust adjustment and adding width to sleeves and waist.

Me and My Adult (so-called) Apron

My diet has been working wonders for me health-wise, but all this cooking at home has been hard on my clothes.  I finally broke down and bought an apron because I was too lazy to make one.

Source

I got this Me & My Adult Apron from Hobby Lobby.  The site says 9.99 but I don't think I ended up paying that much so definitely check your stores.  Anyway-it's plain and serviceable . . . but I take issue with the "adult" sizing.  Sure it gets the job done-but that bib area . . . would barely cover one boob.  However much weight I end up losing, I'm still going to have a broad chest and back.  Also, the neck loop is way too long which is odd because if my torso was that long, this apron would barely cover to my waist.  The proportions seem weird is all.

So . . . I'll have to make an apron anyway.

Check these out, they are gorgeous

I don't know if I have written about these Polish cookie aprons before but I really want one.  I think I can make one that will be broad enough across the chest and provide enough coverage across the sides.  The silhouette is simple enough, but I am also considering some alternatives for fastening other than the ties.  I want it to fit snugly and I don't want to worry about the ties loosening.  

Ideas:

• Pull over style with a fabric covered wide elastic band in place of apron strings
• Heavyweight cotton in muslin color-I actually really like that plain canvas color
• Hanging loops so I can hang it on the pantry shelves like my current apron

Project Wedding Dress: Finale

Would you like to get a good look at the final project?

I went from this muslin . . .

Image is my own

. . . to this dress.  What do you think?

Image by Love Joleen Photography

The dress is made from 100% dupioni silk ordered from Fabric.com.  If you remember, I really wanted a peach shade and this color turned out to be perfect.  You also can't beat the texture of dupioni silk.

The fabric was pricey so I skimped a little on the yardage.  That meant I had to cobble together the cumberbund waist overlay and I was not able to make the effect as pronounced as I wanted without sacrificing length.

Image by Love Joleen Photography

Here is what I have learned about sewing my own wedding dress:

• Muslining is essential--if for no other reason than that it will make you less nervous to cut into the pricey fabric.
• If you want silk, go for silk dupioni and make peace with texture.  That way you can throw that sucker in the washer and dryer.  Which I totally did.  Twice.
• It might be worth it to shell out the cash for a half yard more than you think you will need.
• Petticoats are a pain in the ass.  I made what I guess is called a can-can slip for this dress which was a lot less involved than your traditional petticoat style . . . but still.  PITA.
• Don't skip the horsehair braid hem.  I did and it made walking way more difficult than it had to be.
• Plan for more sewing time than you think you will need.

Image by Love Joleen Photography

The wedding is long since over and at this very moment my wedding dress, that I slaved over, is draped unceremoniously over some shelves in our bedroom.  It's too long to hang in the closet and the attached petticoat means it really can't be folded.

I have plans though . . . and those plans include taking it apart.

Stay tuned . . .  Project Wedding Dress is about to become Project Something Else.

Finished! Simplicity 2443

I finally finished my first Cynthia Rowley pattern.

I am seriously glowing with pride and I have to say I love the results.

Remember this monstrosity?

All stunning photography is my own

And this curious purchase?

Add a lot of seam ripping (serging wastes so much thread!), some creative seaming . . .

one yard of black knit, two yards of black woven, trials, tears, and despair over one ruffler foot, two sewing machines and one in reserve and we have . . .

Simplicity 2443

Cute right?

Hopefully I'll get a chance to wear it out this weekend.  My boobs won't be lumpy so that should be way more exciting for everyone.

In Which I Become Legit . . .

I guess I'm official now.

The inner workings of my Brother-Wes just got done oiling up and cleaning the Singer

Wes bought me sewing machine number two at Goodwill.  Thirty dollars and I have a brand new to me Singer Merrit.  As far as I can tell this puppy is slightly older than me. 

Does this mean I'm a real sewist now?

Dressing While Plus: The Empire Strikes Back

The main reason I've picked up sewing again is that I really, really want to wear cool clothes.  The realities of fashion make this difficult and/or expensive.

Plus sized clothes are available, however, my rather large breasticle issues create their own problems.

Take this dress, for example.

Source

It's an Old Navy maxi dress.  Cute, breezy, summery. . . I really, really like it.

I would never order this dress.

1. Old Navy no longer carries plus sizes in their stores.  (haters-I've been boycotting them ever since)  2. I don't believe in this whole, order it in your size and pay for it, just to try it on business.  What if I try it and don't like it?  Do I get my money back or will I be forced to shop for something else that I may not like?  I find that ridiculous.  (They tried to pull this one at David's Bridal too by the way)  3. The style of this dress, which makes it cute, is the same thing that would make it unlikely to fit.

Empire waists on the busty tend to ride up.  That line that is supposed to lie underneath the bust would insist on sitting on top of the bust.  That in turn would pull the skirt up and out which has the effect of making the unfortunate wearer look pregnant.

Friends, I spend a significant portion of my life worrying about whether or not my outfit makes me look pregnant.

The question: what's a girl to do?  The answer: make it her damn self!

Work in Progress

I have been sewing, off and on, since I was in elementary school.  My aunts and grandmother were major crafters although not in the hobby sense.  They made things because it was more cost-effective, more practical, and traditional to do so.

Sewing my own wedding dress was an option I've always had in the back of my mind.  Making that decision was pretty easy.  However, sewing my own wedding dress while incorporating structure, shaping, and some couture technique-that's pretty new.

Sewing my own clothes was easier when I was in high school because I was smaller.  I weighed a lot less and my shape was more in line with pattern sizing.  Things have definitely changed since then.  I find that now that everything up front is bigger I have to make considerable alterations to any garment I want to make.

Take this dress for example.  This Cynthia Rowley pattern from Simplicity is really cute and it is designed for a stretch knit.  Should be a piece of cake right?  Not so much.

Source

The finished garment measurements on the back of the pattern envelope were way off so I decided to make a muslin and do a full bust adjustment to be on the safe side.  This is what I ended up working with.

Not cool.  Not cool at all.  (I cut up a jersey dress I found at Goodwill on the off chance that the muslin would be wearable.)  The bodice fit okay but the neck band and shoulder straps were not happening.  These pieces are interfaced so the really don't stretch much at all.  The neckline was basically a turtleneck.  The skirt had no fullness, which made the pockets gape.  Awful.

 

This is what it looked like after some clipping and tugging pieces into position.  I need to add from an inch to an inch and a half of length to the shoulder straps, the center front of the neckband, and the sides. I also want a really full skirt so I will double the width of the skirt and gather it to fit.

 

 

 

Additionally, the neckband curves around the bust need some reshaping to correct gaping.

I think it will be really cute once I correct the fit!  I am planning to live dangerously and experiment with horizontal stripes once I have a workable pattern.

* All un-sourced photos are my own.
** I decided to name my dress form Kiki.  It's usually naked and I decided that if I was ever a stripper Kiki would be my stage name.  Kiki's doing a pretty awesome job right!