At 3:30 when I woke up, I did what no one should do at that time of the morning - started to think - which leads to overthinking - which definitely does not lead to going back to sleep. It didn't help that when I went to bed last night, I was panicking (on that normal not crazy level) about these tops for my daughter. Oh the pressure we put on ourselves, the expectations.
Jessica and I have the same figure type and virtually the same set of alterations but we're not the same size and my bust is sadly lacking in comparison so I can't try on her tops to see how they look although I did tie a wad of batting around my bust yesterday to get an idea. I couldn't tell. Wads don't position themselves the way full breasts do and the difference in our upper bust sizing has an impact. I tried.
While I want the tops that fit so she'll a) have something to wear on her holiday, b) feel pretty and feminine, and c) be encouraged to sew, reality is that it's hard to fit a body that lives nine hours away and is currently nursing a new born. You can't use tricks like cutting wide side seams and adjusting to fit when there's no one available to fit. Sigh. This is why I shake my head every time someone says they're sending their measurements to China to have a dress custom sewn. Really? That's not as easy as it sounds even from the did you measure correctly perspective never mind the fit one.
Getting back on topic - LOL - I want to view these are prototypes that we can fine tune the next time we're together in August however, I'm afraid if they don't fit, it'll dash her hopes and she won't let me keep trying. I definitely don't want to do that. Oh the joys of motherhood. They never change do they? SO...
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... I have two patterns in my stash that come with DDD cup sizing - Butterick 5721 above and McCall's 6536 below. I'm going to use them for the bust and copy the style lines from the other patterns and since I'm making knit garments, it's - I hope - perhaps simpler to remove ease than to try to create the bust sizing.
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I decided to try this route because I'm concerned that I'm over adjusting the bust - a discussion I had with both Jodie and Steph (both blog readers) last night, the consensus of which was erring on the side of less is probably a better choice. Prior to having her baby, my daughter was a DDD so this should work with knits. Once I post this, I'll compare patterns shapes and decide.
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If you read yesterday's posting later in the day, there was a warning about the middle bodice piece of Vogue 8817. LOL - the bust point is over under the arm. NOT going to work. I have an idea that may work better. I'll let you know once I know.
At noon yesterday, I thought I had one top finished and now, I'm not so sure. It just doesn't look quite right so I'll compare pattern pieces and decide from there but even if I decide to cut it differently, I was really pleased with how it came together and will use the same process.
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Vogue 8691 has points along the bottom of the hem that are finished with a ruffle in the original. I omitted the ruffle, adjusted the finished length, and hemmed each section BEFORE stitching the seams together. I started by fusing a 1/4" strip of knit interfacing to the bottom of each section. The strips were cut with the stretch running the long way.
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And then I serge finished the edge to trim it evenly and give a neat appearance and then...
![]()
... I turned the serging to the wrong side and top stitched from the front about 1/8" away from the hemline.
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When the seams were joined, I trimmed away the visible seam allowance, pressed, and hammered flat each point. It turned out well... except... I made a mistake...
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I'd stayed up late the night before to finish drafting the patterns and forgot to walk the seams. The princess seam between the side and center fronts was out by 1 1/4". Without thinking, I trimmed to the shorter length of the center front and then realized I probably should have cut another center front with the longer length as I may have affected the full bust adjustment. I definitely lost some of the drama on the points. Oh well... mistakes happen... live and learn... and... this may be fixable once I compare pattern pieces but as I keep telling myself, these are prototypes. We'll adjust from here. I'd just like them to be wearable muslins - VBG.
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The neckline turned out great. It was stayed with 3/8" strips of knit interfacing cut with the stretch running across the strip so there would be no give around the neckline. I then serged a strip of fabric around the neck with right sides together, wrapped it to the back, stitched in the ditch and then again just onto the edge of the binding, and trimmed away the excess in-behind. This is my most commonly used neck finish. I like the way the serged application creates an even and well supported edge.
SO... instead of doing what I thought I'd be doing today, I'm going to recheck my work, possibly recut some pieces, and basically approach this from a different perspective of comparing and using the DDD sizing that someone else has already drafted. Eventually, Jessica won't be nursing and will - hopefully - revert to her regular sizing so the tops might be tighter now and perfect later or... who knows... we'll see. It's still fun and frustrating - VBG. I'm up for the challenge.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - originally I typed one done here but that may not be true so I'm grateful that I actually have some DDD sized patterns. They're rare and will be helpful.
Jessica and I have the same figure type and virtually the same set of alterations but we're not the same size and my bust is sadly lacking in comparison so I can't try on her tops to see how they look although I did tie a wad of batting around my bust yesterday to get an idea. I couldn't tell. Wads don't position themselves the way full breasts do and the difference in our upper bust sizing has an impact. I tried.
While I want the tops that fit so she'll a) have something to wear on her holiday, b) feel pretty and feminine, and c) be encouraged to sew, reality is that it's hard to fit a body that lives nine hours away and is currently nursing a new born. You can't use tricks like cutting wide side seams and adjusting to fit when there's no one available to fit. Sigh. This is why I shake my head every time someone says they're sending their measurements to China to have a dress custom sewn. Really? That's not as easy as it sounds even from the did you measure correctly perspective never mind the fit one.
Getting back on topic - LOL - I want to view these are prototypes that we can fine tune the next time we're together in August however, I'm afraid if they don't fit, it'll dash her hopes and she won't let me keep trying. I definitely don't want to do that. Oh the joys of motherhood. They never change do they? SO...
... I have two patterns in my stash that come with DDD cup sizing - Butterick 5721 above and McCall's 6536 below. I'm going to use them for the bust and copy the style lines from the other patterns and since I'm making knit garments, it's - I hope - perhaps simpler to remove ease than to try to create the bust sizing.
I decided to try this route because I'm concerned that I'm over adjusting the bust - a discussion I had with both Jodie and Steph (both blog readers) last night, the consensus of which was erring on the side of less is probably a better choice. Prior to having her baby, my daughter was a DDD so this should work with knits. Once I post this, I'll compare patterns shapes and decide.
If you read yesterday's posting later in the day, there was a warning about the middle bodice piece of Vogue 8817. LOL - the bust point is over under the arm. NOT going to work. I have an idea that may work better. I'll let you know once I know.
Vogue 8691 has points along the bottom of the hem that are finished with a ruffle in the original. I omitted the ruffle, adjusted the finished length, and hemmed each section BEFORE stitching the seams together. I started by fusing a 1/4" strip of knit interfacing to the bottom of each section. The strips were cut with the stretch running the long way.
And then I serge finished the edge to trim it evenly and give a neat appearance and then...
... I turned the serging to the wrong side and top stitched from the front about 1/8" away from the hemline.
When the seams were joined, I trimmed away the visible seam allowance, pressed, and hammered flat each point. It turned out well... except... I made a mistake...
I'd stayed up late the night before to finish drafting the patterns and forgot to walk the seams. The princess seam between the side and center fronts was out by 1 1/4". Without thinking, I trimmed to the shorter length of the center front and then realized I probably should have cut another center front with the longer length as I may have affected the full bust adjustment. I definitely lost some of the drama on the points. Oh well... mistakes happen... live and learn... and... this may be fixable once I compare pattern pieces but as I keep telling myself, these are prototypes. We'll adjust from here. I'd just like them to be wearable muslins - VBG.
The neckline turned out great. It was stayed with 3/8" strips of knit interfacing cut with the stretch running across the strip so there would be no give around the neckline. I then serged a strip of fabric around the neck with right sides together, wrapped it to the back, stitched in the ditch and then again just onto the edge of the binding, and trimmed away the excess in-behind. This is my most commonly used neck finish. I like the way the serged application creates an even and well supported edge.
SO... instead of doing what I thought I'd be doing today, I'm going to recheck my work, possibly recut some pieces, and basically approach this from a different perspective of comparing and using the DDD sizing that someone else has already drafted. Eventually, Jessica won't be nursing and will - hopefully - revert to her regular sizing so the tops might be tighter now and perfect later or... who knows... we'll see. It's still fun and frustrating - VBG. I'm up for the challenge.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - originally I typed one done here but that may not be true so I'm grateful that I actually have some DDD sized patterns. They're rare and will be helpful.