Yesterday, the woman sitting in front of me in church was wearing a sweater somewhat similar to the jacket I am (was) sewing only her's had ribbing around the waist. I sure wish I could have tried it on. I think that ribbing might have made all the difference with its waist definition.
Things started out well. The facing and the lining pieces were both designed with 5/8" seam allowances meaning I could stitch them together by machine for a neater, stronger seam. It also avoided a lot of (in my opinion) unnecessary hand stitching. All good.
In the images above and below, all but the underarm seams are sewn. Thrown over my shoulders, the lining felt lovely, shiny, smooth, light, full of potential.
The I sewed the fashion fabric together, pinned the lining in place around the front edge, tried the jacket on and... WAY TOO MUCH FABRIC. The supposedly three quarter sleeves were full length already and the cuffs weren't sewn on yet. The way the pattern is drafted, there's no way to shorten the sleeves without changing the style substantially and - my waist was missing. All that fabric across the middle dwarfed my figure completely. This is good learning.
I have a different figure now than I had twenty years ago when I used to fashion sew and a greater understanding of fit. It's taking me a while to learn what works. To a certain extent I do know. After all, I have been wearing clothes for those twenty years. BUT... part of me wants to experiment, try new things, break out of the box, and find new directions. Along the way, I'm learning what does and doesn't work. Apparently, baggy middles don't work.
Vogue 8146 above has a peplum back similar to the pattern I was trying - Vintage Vogue 2934 - AND it has a much higher armhole. That's something I need if I want to maintain shape which has me concerned about the Vogue 1202 pattern below that I want to sew for Christmas. There's no real way to tell without a muslin but what do you think? Will the waist shaping and belt be enough to maintain my figure or will the bat wings overpower everything?
All I know for sure is that Vogue 2934 has been sampled, found wanting, and removed from the self imposed sewing club list. I'm no longer "lusting" after this pattern. Instead, I'm regretting "wasting" my purple paisley and thinking through refashioning ideas while - VBG - consoling myself with shoes.
So far, I've bought three pairs of black shoes with varying heel heights in my search for some flirty, colored ones. The color search is not going well but aren't these fun? They're great with jeans and with tights and a skirt and - LOL - they're Earth Originals which if you look up, are specially designed to mimic walking uphill. Apparently, they are good for my calves and I'll lose weight wearing these shoes. Too funny. They didn't say anything about walking in them, just wearing them. Somehow, I don't think that's enough.
Even though Kyle will be the last of his friends to get a driver's license, he's the first to buy a car. He got a screaming good deal on this Honda Accord complete with leather seats and a sporty fin. He's so cute. He goes out to the driveway to sit and listen to the radio in "my" car. There's nothing quite like a teenage boy bubbling with excitement and trying to look cool. Love it. I also love that wanting to insure the car when he gets his license is an incentive to save money. YES YES. Parents love these kinds of tools - at least I do. Car power makes my job so much easier.
A little house cleaning and then I'll see what I can do with that jacket. If it's possible to cut out the other Vogue peplum jacket, I'll do that but I doubt it will be. We'll see. If not, I'll play around with some ideas but most likely the fabric will get stored for now. What do you do with your opportunities masquerading as mistakes? Luckily, I enjoy the challenge of refashioning.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - a sense of humor
Hmmm, I'm wondering: if you are short-waisted and with a fuller bust, the Vogue drapey top isn't going to do you any favours. The non-existent arm shaping is going to overwhelm your waist and shaping through the waist and going to create a 'look' of more width across your chest/bust area. I think someone who is average to long-waisted with a small bust and thin arms would be able to get away with a top like that better. Probably need to be taller too!
ReplyDeleteAnd to prove me wrong, somebody will make it, who is the exact opposite of the model and it will look fantastic!!!
I like the pattern but it's not one I would pick, I'm everything that the model isn't. Good luck with whichever way you choose to go. :)
Shortwaisted and big boobs here, and as much as I like the design, I wouldn't touch that Vogue with a 10-foot pole. ;-) ITA with Sue's analysis - any waist shaping on this top is negated by those batwing sleeves.
ReplyDeleteIn the past I have used dolman sleeve tee shirts to hide how large my bust line actually is. I find that the bust gets lost in the loosness and folds of fabric that are characteristic of this style. But I think you need a fairly controlled dolman sleeve for this theory to work, so this particular pattern may swamp you with all its fullness. Maybe you can streamline it a bit to keep the great styleline without so much excess?
ReplyDeleteLois K
Myrna, I know you're done with the vintage style jacket, but a couple of thoughts come to mind. I think your lining fabric looks a little too stiff for the project. This is where touching and feeling would really help! I've seen this pattern made up and it's just a lightweight coverup rather than a real jacket. The fabric and lining needs to be somewhat lightweight so it'll drape.
ReplyDeleteIf your figure is anything like mine, you probably could have sized down due to the shape of the garment. Fitting would mostly be in the shoulders. For example, I usually cut a 10 through the shoulders and a 14 through the bust/hips but I think this one could probably work for me as a straight 10.
Anyway, I mentioned all this because of the Donna Karan sweater pattern. You'll need to make adjustments based on your shoulder size and height so it's sized for you. I have a dolman sweater that I love and I'm 5'4" and busty, so I know you don't have to be model-sized to wear this style. However, dolmans do require adjustment to your body or they can be overwhelming.
PS I like the new shoes!
I tend to be thinking along the same lines as Nancy's comment. But I would add that the the dolman looks too low for you as shown on your dress form and that I think this little jacket would be best if it were a little shorter. I know it looks like it hits between the waist and the hip to me in the sketch, an I would think it would be most flattering if it were shorter in front, at or just above the waist and then tapering longer in back. This might not work if your are shortwaisted though.
ReplyDeleteIt is a style I loved when I was young as I have a long torso and I had no bust then. I think it would take some work for it to flatter me now that I am post-menopausal. I might still give it a try though. I tend to be stubborn that way.