I'm not sure why I was surprised except that it's something I've been becoming more aware of but hadn't thought about specifically in relation to this pattern. Certain details - such as where my waist is positioned relative to where it is on the pattern - can greatly affect whether a pattern works for my body type. Typing that sentence, it seems so obvious.... now.... however, over the last few months, I've discovered that some alterations are necessary for a dress or blouse while completely different, even opposite, alterations are needed for pants or a skirt. It's a learning curve.
When sewing a dress or blouse, I typically need more room through the waist because it's positioned higher and when sewing pants or a skirt, I typically need to go down a size through the waist because its positioned lower. One is my actual waist and the other is my pant waist. My actual waist is wider than my pant waist. When cutting out the garment, I need to know which waist we're talking about. You'll see why this is important in the next few pictures.
New Look 6563 has a dropped waist. The tie is more at the waist. The pattern reviews indicated that it is a lot closer fitting than it looks so I measured the flat pattern and cut accordingly or so I thought. This is the front when I tried it on. NOT flattering.
The bottom is too tight, crawling up, and causing all these wrinkles. It looks like the bust position is incorrect however, when I unpin along the bottom of center front, the garment has more ease and shifts and the bust point becomes correct. And then, there's the back.
More crawling up. More wrinkles. My figure type is a short waisted triangle with high back hips, which leads to the question - is it possible for my body type to wear this pattern that is representative of my fashion personality? This pattern, this way - no. I'd have to add so much ease through the hips that it would become quite baggy as opposed to fitted or do an awful lot of work with darts and shaping to get anywhere close. Something reminiscent of this pattern - yes, by moving the waist.
Here's the back with the high hip adjustment pinned. That's a 3" tuck raising the level of the waist and peplum seam significantly and creating an entirely different look. Even though the front is lumpy, bumpy, wrinkly, it isn't as big an issue as the back once there's more ease. It seems like I've been forever working to achieve a smooth flowing fit through the back. I love a good puzzle. I started thinking about how can I have this blouse without those problems. What I really want is those tucks and button loops on a blouse that fits.
Simplicity 2501 also has a peplum. On this pattern, the waist is raised as opposed to lowered. You can see that it's a similar but entirely different look. That's what I meant by something reminiscent. This pattern is more suitable to my high hips. It also comes with separate pattern pieces for B, C, and D cups which made it an excellent candidate for working out the issues before copying the New Look design features. With weight loss, I've gone from a 38C to a 34D since taking the bra making workshop in October. This is creating new fitting issues to think about.
I made a muslin using a light box to copy the darts and design lines onto broadcloth with a felt pen. That might sound messy but there's no need to be neat with markings. It's a muslin. I want the lines correct not pretty. HOWEVER... when I stitch the muslin, I cut and press carefully so that the test garment will be as true as possible. A lot of sewers skip pressing on a muslin. I think it's important.
The front with the D cup sits much better. I like the pleats at the waist as opposed to another dart. Lots of darts are necessary to provide the shape for my figure but they're not always wanted just like I don't always want princess seams even though they work wonderfully. The pleat is a fun change. It could easily be altered to two or three smaller tucks or to gathers.
At the back, you can see the benefit of the raised waist. It's MUCH smoother. There's some excess fabric in the width to be adjusted by raising the dart end and narrowing through the underarm. I'm working on the real thing now and then, I'll transfer that learning to the New Look pattern and sew it - or at least a version of it - and then, I'll have two blouses. Wouldn't that be strange for a girl who currently has none.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a nice long talk with Howard last night. He's safe and having a great time. They need a miracle today with paperwork and government bureaucracy in order to take the buses into Guatemala. Otherwise, they will be parked for weeks at the Mexican border and delivered long after everyone flies home. I know he'd rather drive them all the way. What fun if that comes about.
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Personal Growth - I'm learning to cook. YES YES! It's starting to come easier and feel more confident. Here's the cauliflower soup I made on Friday from two heads of cauliflower baked at 400F for an hour, pureed with rice milk, and and combined with sea salt, black pepper, summer savory, parsley, tarragon, oregano, and ginger. It was YUMMY.
AND...
... I'm working on drinking more water. For the past week, I've been getting up and drinking two cups of water while the coffee is brewing. While it sounds like a little change, it's a big step in the right direction. This is good.
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