B4789 Part 1: fixing the too wide neckline and too deep V (front and back!)

Here it is:

And here is the first part about how I got there.  I made a muslin in turquoise interlock (yes, now that I've completed the PR class Understanding Knit Fabrics, I can say, for sure, that the muslin fabric is interlock!)

Making a muslin really paid off.  First I cut a 14 but wound up taking the shoulder seam up .5" and using 1" side seams.  So it's between a 12 and a 14.

The neckline and back of the dress:
The V-neck in the back was way too low for my taste.  It just felt like too much skin was exposed.

I also didn't like how wide the neckline was either on the front.  Too much chest exposed.


I taped a piece of paper behind the pattern and added 1.5" to the shoulder and then drew a curved neckline. As it turned out, the neckline was gaping in the back, so starting 3.5" down, I sewed upward to sew .5" inward at the top of the CB seam. Now that edge hugs my neck.

You can see in my drawing I originally didn't add the 1.5" to the shoulder seam....and then I did. :)
I added 1.5" to the shoulder on the front, tapering down to the "square" (this is essentially where the knot will be).

That's all I have time for tonight, but I plan on writing about ...
-the swayback tuck
-fixing the "holes" in the front of the dress
-the issue with the hem
--how I actually cut out this dress
...in posts throughout the week!

There was a huge storm on Farmer's Market day, so I didn't go...but here are some gardenias from my mom's garden:



Here are some gladiolas I bought at Whole Foods. Don't you like my new vase cozy? (it's a half scale t-shirt I made the Understanding Knit Fabrics class...we each had to make two, one in interlock and one in rib knit, to see how using the same pattern but fabric with different degrees of give means the shirt actually turns out to fit differently...)

We were encouraged to use a vase or jar to test the "fit" of the two shirts.  The interlock shirt fits this vase quite nicely.  :)

The rib knit is much too big, yet the same size pattern was used.

Let me tell you, several lightbulb moments occurred with these lessons...

Be well!!!