This is actually New Look pattern 6407.
On the left side of the muslin, (my left, viewing right) I did NOT make the sleeve bigger, which was part of the problem on that side. Plus, by cutting the armhole 1/2" bigger all the way around, it was just way too tight. I slit the sleeve from hem to top, but the blouse was still pulling at the armscye.
Heidi - I do think I need a larger FBA, but as it is, the dart is now gigantic. I have not seen the the alteration you are speaking of, but would love to. Also, I agree that both of the darts need to be shorter - I don't want to look like I'm wearing a sculpted Madonna shirt! This size 10 was over on my shoulder, so I took the right shoulder in 1/2" and think it sits better there.
Birgitte - the pattern does have a line of ease/gathering stitches across the top of the sleeve cap. I didn't worry about evening them out since this is a muslin.
Marji - In using the FFRP FBA, I had to increase the width at the CF slash by 1-1/2 inches. Maybe I should have done two. The problem I have with this is that first of all, it changes the armhole from a smooth curve to something like a fish hook. I adjusted this by taking a second slash under the armscye to lower the curve (Kind of like the Sandra Betzina method)
Secondly, the dart ends up being about a mile wide. You can see that I redrew this dart several times. I think it is pointing to the right spot, but does it look like it needs to be raised? I do think that both darts need to be shortened as I said before. Oh, the other thing is that using this method, you slit right through the vertical dart, so I redrew the dart under the apex. I don't think I was supposed to sew the entire widened dart together.
So, do any of you see anything/something else that I am missing? I've already widened the sleeve by 1". I'm not sure if it's just the sleeve thats giving me trouble. Why am I not getting this? Something must be counter intuitive (at least to me) here, because like Heidi, this seems to have been my nemesis for quite some time.
Thanks for all of your help. I'm going back to the pattern pieces and seeing how well I can incorporate all of your advice. Obviously, this blouse is not going to make it on our trip. Well, maybe it could, if I didn't have to take care of all of lifes other little details that get in the way of my sewing ;-)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Q & A
Posted by Nancy Winningham at 12:45 PM
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5 comments:
Nancy, I actually think that both darts need to be repositioned. The horizontal dart looks like it needs to be raised just a little bit and the vertical dart looks like it needs to be moved towards the center (at least at the top).
I left a comment at patter review that I think you need a bigger FBA. You can see the the blouse is pulling at the center front. Also, if you made a 1/2 narrow shoulder alteration, I think you should definitely raise the bottom of the armscye by a corresponding amount. This alteration is counter-intuitive. It seems as though making the armscye fit up closer under your arm would restrict movement more, but it actually increases your range of motion.
It seem to me that a fish hook result is what you want. That's what will give you the space across the chest/toward the bust when it's opened up while going around your armscye.
The shape of the side seam is just a function of the large side dart and the waist shaping that is done in the side seam. It's just not what we're used to seeing. Doesn't mean it's wrong.
Do New Look patterns often vary greatly from the Big Four? I haven't tried one yet.
Nancy,
Are you a member of the Creative Machine yahoo group? Pati Palmer was the guest last week and she gave us a a pdf file with the new "Y" Bust Dart Alteration which is what they are now recommending for this exact problem. Because there is a slit toward the shoulder the side dart doesn't have to open as wide. You can join the group to get it from the file section or email me and I'll email it to you.
I didn't know you enlarged the entire armhole... Okay, I'm sending you a direct link to Kathleen Fasanella's post "Sleeve cap ease is bogus" where you will see what the correct shape of a sleeve cap looks like. (That post is how I found her). Then maybe you could post a photo of your sleeve as it is now.. Basically, you need more coverage in the back, and scooped out in front (arms hang forward on the body, not center) This is why I now like to draft from scratch :-) Less headache that way.
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/mt/archives/sleeve_cap_ease_is_
bogus.html
Thanks for your comments, ladies. This is all very helpful information. I have raised the bust dart and moved the vertical dart slightly toward the CF. I created additional FBA using pivot and slide. Now I will get to work on that sleeve cap!
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