The Art of Altering

T & T refers to a pattern that has been tried and tested until it's amazing. This Vogue 8598 has the potential to be one such favourite. It's very "me" which is probably why I gravitated to it after the not so me "romantic" blouse. But... there were issues.

Rather than start over completely, I worked from the sample sewn on the weekend to correct the problems areas. I pinned and tucked and ran up and down the hall to look in the guest room mirror every few minutes. It took all afternoon BUT... it's together now. There is an art to altering patterns neatly. I'm just starting to learn it.




Most important was to raise the armhole 3/4" without disrupting the curve and notch. I drew a rectangle around them and cut it out.




Then I taped a piece of a paper into the hole and drew a line 3/4" up from each cut end. One line is on the filler paper and the other is on the pattern piece.

Then I matched up all the lines and taped the rectangle in it's new location, traced a new line to fill in the side seam, and re-drew the line to the shoulder. It now tapers in 1/2" which not only continues the existing curve but also accomplishes my goal of a narrower shoulder. I thought it would be more like 1 1/2" but from my pinning and tucking, this seems good. I'll pay attention to it as I sew and narrow some more if necessary - that means not cutting the sleeve out until I'm ready for it.

This pattern is pretty clean. Sometimes when I'm altering, it's really marked up and there are lots of lines. I use different colored pens so I won't get confused and make sure to cut out each piece before moving on to the next so I don't forget what I decided on. I'd hate to be cutting out the fabric and not know which way to go. This way, I just follow the edge.

Sometimes, I'll compare different sizes to see if cutting on another line would be more beneficial. Here you can see the 14, 12, and 10 lines. What you can't see is my moulage. This is a pattern customized to my size with the amount of ease that I want for a blouse. I print it off my computer, lay it under the pattern, and compare to see where I need to alter and which lines of the existing pattern to follow. In this case, the fourteen was best.




I also write notes all over the pattern detailing what I did along with the date so that the next time I go to sew it, I have the information needed including whether my size has changed since then. Along with raising the armhole, I lowered the sleeve cap to match, narrowed the neck opening, adjusted the collar pieces to match, shortened the body and sleeve of the garment, and made a 1" high hip adjustment. I'm ready to sew.

I'm going to try this green with black fabric partly because I want to sew something other than black and partly because it's the direct compliment of the dusty pink in this skirt. Remember that any tint or shade on one of the cards will be complimented by any tint or shade on the card of its compliment. The skirt is black with a shade of blue-red and the blouse is black with a shade of blue-green. In theory, it works. In reality, I'm not sure if I'd wear these together but not because of the colors. I think the blouse fabric looks darker and I prefer darker on the bottom but then again... black would be darker so...

I emailed the photo to my friend Francine who is a professional painter (walls and paintings) and we discussed the colors together. We both think it's slightly unusual but also quite intriguing. Perhaps that's the edginess I'm wanting to bring into my wardrobe. I think the right jewelry could bring it all together.

What I really want is something to wear with that skirt before it's too big for me. I'm wearing it today with a black sweater. If the blouse doesn't look good when it's done, that's okay. The dark green fabric that I bought on Sunday will go fabulously with it for a more monochromatic look. I'll make another skirt with it.

While I was cleaning yesterday, I was thinking about the 3 in 1 Color Tool. Typically it's used by textile artists and quilters however, it's an amazing color tool and can be used for any thing involving color including interior design, jewelry, knitting, AND... getting dressed. I'm going to refer to it a bit more for the pieces in my SWAP and see if it adds an extra energy.

Today is knitting, all day. My arm is a little sore but not too bad so hopefully it hangs in there all day. Between the two groups, I knit from nine in the morning until nine at night with a few breaks in the middle. I may need sympathy for my H1N1 "ouchie" or to just "suck it up sweetheart" as I told my son when he complained. Nothing like having your words thrown back at you - LOL.

Talk soon: Myrna

Grateful: electricity - 29,000 people in BC were without yesterday - and safety - we had a HUGE wind storm last night which always makes me nervous about the neighbour's trees that lean our way