Sunday, August 4, 2013

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

Here it is:
B4789 done!
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.
B4789 muslin
I also didn't like how wide the neckline was either on the front.  Too much chest exposed.
B4789 muslin

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.
B4789:  changing the back V to a rounded neckline
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).
B4789: changing the front neckline to add 1.5"
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:

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...)
My new vase cozy
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.  :)
interlock knit: Just the right size
The rib knit is much too big, yet the same size pattern was used.
rib knit:  too big for my vase!
Let me tell you, several lightbulb moments occurred with these lessons...

Be well!!!

10 comments:

  1. Great job on fixing the pattern, the dress looks fabulous on you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great job on fixing the pattern, the dress looks fabulous on you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I really admire how much patience and commitment you have with your sewing. It really shows in your final pieces. Another great dress!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gorgeous dress, and so flattering on you. Thanks for the pictures of your pattern alterations-I have a hard time visualizing some changes people describe.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a great dress. The colour suits you and the fit is perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Pretty dress and love the color on you and the background perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I tried this pattern a long time ago and had the same problems with the low-cut front and back. Thanks for the hints. Your dress is very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The dress looks really great! Great job on the redesign.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What fun tiny t-shirts! I recognize that button flower fabric as coming from JO Ann!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Now I get what you did to fix the neckline. I just had a head slap moment of consciousness.
    Thanks Kyle.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for reading! I love hearing from you! Because I've been getting lots of spam comments, I'm changing the settings to moderated comments.