Fit it Good

One of the unfortunate things about getting older is that silhouettes that worked when you were younger sometimes don't work as well, either because weight distribution changes, or your body becomes more sensitive in some areas.  To wit: the fit and flare.  I've long preferred this silhouette, as I think it is a flattering one for my figure (narrow shoulder and pear-shaped, with a large waist-to-hip differential), but I've noticed in the past year or two that I'm much more sensitive to pressure on my middle, particularly from waistbands.  It just bothers me in a way I can't really describe.  (I think Karen and Kerry have captured it well, though). 

Nope.

 That said, I've been hoping to find a shift dress that didn't look like a sack on me.  The other unfortunate thing about my particular proportions is that columnar dresses look really odd on me without some kind of waist definition.  But I don't want the pressure on my middle in the front, so you see the difficulty.  

This dress went through a lot of iterations to get to its current state. I think it was worth all the angst and ripped stitches in the end, as I think I finally have a shift dress block that I can make again and again.  

Not there yet.

 My main quibble is that the inseam pockets I originally installed were a rank disaster and gaped badly, making me look five miles wide across the hips, so this dress doesn't have pockets (wah!) But I think I might be able to address that on a future iteration.  

So, here's the sewing rundown.  I wanted a dress that would tie around the middle somehow and not be restrictive.  I also wanted a semi-straight skirt (not a gathered or sharp a-line variety).  3/4 sleeves would be a plus.  I had tried on a dress at LOFT this summer that tied only in the back without a lot of front shaping, and it was so comfortable and flattering.  I ended up not buying it because the colorway didn't suit me and I didn't think the flutter sleeves looked good on me, but I liked the overall silhouette.  

I decided to start with my Simplicity 1080 as a block, and modify from there.  I cut the sleeves 1/2" shorter, and straightened the skirt by a wedge of about 1" at the bottom, tapering to nothing about 12" up, and took about 4" off the length.  I left off all the bust and waist shaping and added inseam pockets using the Colette Moneta pocket piece (I admit, I've never gotten this particular pocket to look nice, which makes me think it is a drafting issue and I need to find a better inseam pocket pattern for when I can't anchor the pockets to a waist seam as on the M7353).  

Ta-da!

 I used the Carson sleeve pattern again since I knew it married well with the cut-on armscye of S1080 and was reasonably comfortable in a woven fabric.  I also made ties and attached them at the side seams.  I even drafted a proper facing for the collar!  After making the Emerald dress, I am kind of digging wide neckline facings that are sewn down--they look so nice.  Shocker, I know.  I'm the girl who always converts facings to bias if I can (and sometimes even when I shouldn't!)  

I don't have a picture of that iteration of the dress, because I never wore it like that.  I put it on, tried the ties different ways, and just could not get comfortable.  The sleeves looked schlumpy and irritated me, and the ties were even worse.  I tried them Obi-style tie, I tried tying in the back, just in the front, nada.  Felt and looked terrible. I threw the dress in the corner for a time out, and then went back to it a day or two later.

I took off the sleeves, added a double waist casing using 1/2" bias and 1/4" elastic, and thought that worked pretty well, even though I didn't love the way the elastic felt against my front, and the bodice seemed to flare out from the sides around the bust line in a weird way.  I wore it twice like this before tackling a final fix.  

I took the casing off the front only, and cinched the elastic to where I was happy with it and tacked the whole thing down at the side seams.  Then I took up the sleeves more than an inch (they are at least 1/2" shorter now than even these pictures) and took in the side seams another 1/4" from the armscye to the waist casing, taping to nothing at the waist line.  I'm much happier with the fit and feel of this dress, and I think it is close to the silhouette I was hoping for.  I can make different iterations of this dress for summer and fall and be very comfortable and happy. 

The Weight: Songs for Change

I don't know how it's been in your neck of the woods, but this week has kind of kicked me in the behind.  So I was so happy to run across the group Songs for Change on YouTube (thanks, Rod). 

This was exactly what I needed to hear this morning.

Purple Violet Squish

Can you guys stand another series of purple dress photos?  I had accumulated a pile of clothing that needed alterations, so yesterday was the day to do it (I still have to finish up a bit today, but mostly I'm finished). 

First was to let out the back darts in my denim skirt just a hair.  I had taken in the side seams and back darts in the late spring, which was fine before Pascha, but not so much after.  The waist was just too tight for comfort.  The darts had been taken in about 1/4" on each side (there are two sets of darts in the back, but I had only altered the set closest to the zip). 

It was a pretty quick alteration, and while I'm not sure the skirt is 100% there yet on fit, my weight is fluctuating enough that I don't want to let out the side seams again, since that just made the skirt look too big around the hips.  The skirt fits fine through the hips; I'm just trying to get the waist fit right, and my waist measurement varies a lot, even within the space of a day.

The second was the purple dress I blogged over the weekend.  It was too big in the bodice, too long in the waist, and too long in the hem.  I started with the easy fix, which was to unpick all the waist seams (there are three seams there, once you count the bias binding for the casing) and pull out the elastic.  I've already done this once, so it felt a bit tedious.  I then measured the length of the bodice against the Indigo dress, which I like the length of. 

I marked the appropriate spot on the purple dress, added seam allowance, and cut off about 1/2" from the bottom.  I reattached it to the skirt, reattached the bias, rethreaded the elastic, and whomp, whomp, whomp.  Still too big, still too long.  I admit, I was pretty discouraged.  The elastic was also too long.  While I was looking at the mess in the mirror, I decided to see if part of the problem was actually in the shoulders, rather than in the waist seam, as I was having a hard time thinking about undoing it all a third time. 

I pinched out the shoulder seams, which brought the bust darts up to where they should be, and also the waist seam to a flattering point on my torso.  It also put the hem at a better place and the pockets were at a better height for my arms. I sort of had to gather my gumption to unpick the bias from the neck and shoulders, and then take out the sleeves, but I got 'er done, and then started taking out the excess.  I started with 1/2", but ended up taking out 1" total, in addition to the 1/2" seam allowance that was originally allowed. 

I also wondered if the arm chafing was because the sleeve caps came down too far on my arms, so I trimmed about 5/8" off each sleeve before reattaching.  I ended up with a much more comfortable sleeve cap, and the more geometric look that Rae has on her pattern cover photo, so that's all to the good.

All those changes seem to have fixed the fit of this dress.  The bodice has a slight bit more ease than the blue dress, but I'm a lot happier with the fit around the arms.  Now that I know that the sleeve caps are too long on my frame, I'll be trimming them if I use them again. 

I guess I nearly made this dress twice over, but having a functional garment is worth it in the end.  It's not my favorite thing I've made, but it is comfortable and cool.  So I'll take that.  I've had a lot of frustrating mornings lately, not knowing what to put on my body.  I'm usually cross and sweaty by the time I finally get something on, which doesn't make for a happy start to the day. 

I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I'm getting some style ideas from a six-year-old girl in our parish who is very sensitive about her clothes (she and Ponchik are exactly the same age).  She values comfort above everything and has a style that is all her own. I've observed what she chooses to wear with interest.  Proportionally, I can't pull off what she wears (also, I am forty and not six) but I'm looking what makes her clothes comfortable, and why it appeals to me, and trying to translate that into grownup clothing/style.  I guess it's not that different from what I wear, since I am rarely a martyr for fashion, but I ended up with some things at the end of the summer that just annoyed me for one reason or another, and I'm tired of clothing that reminds me of its existence during the day. (I'm also tired of being hot and sweaty all the time, but that's another blog post).  Thankfully the next two or three days are supposed to be deliciously cool and fall-like, so I'll take that.

(And for those who are perplexed by the title of this post: when I was in college, I wrote a Rather Long Paper on the 1960s in Haight-Ashbury, and that phrase came up in my research somewhere.  I ended up using it in the title).

Frankenpatterning again

This dress was quite an experiment and mash up of patterns.  After my Indigo dress, I wondered if I could get a slightly better fit in the bodice by using my Emery block and omitting the waist darts.  I also thought that the shoulders on the Washi bodice were slightly too wide for me, and wanted them cut in slightly so that the cap sleeve is a bit shorter over my upper arm.  I like the way the sleeve cap looks more geometrical on Rae's cover version, and I think she has wider shoulders than me, so it would make sense to cut the shoulders in a bit to achieve that.

 

I ended up blending the Washi bodice and the Emery bodice in some possibly strange ways, but it resulted in a bodice that was easier to fit onto the bottom skirt (from the M7353, to which I added 1/4" of ease at the hips on the back piece only, to give myself a bit more room and get rid of the fabric pool that happens on almost every iteration of this skirt pattern.  I also shorted it at the top by 2 1/4" so that I could put a less deep hem on it.

So what I did was this: I took my Emery front bodice and compared the width of the bottom to the width of the skirt, and they matched exactly.  Then I matched the shoulders and armscye to make sure they were compatible (they were a close match, but I narrowed the shoulder width about 1/4" to match the medium size on the Washi (I've previously been cutting it at a large).  I also cut the neckline to match the Washi, instead of the higher boatneck of the Emery.

The back bodice was a bit more gnarly, because it is drafted for neck darts and waist darts, and also mean to have a center back zip.  Omitting the zip wasn't a problem, and the bottom width was correct without the waist darts, but the neck darts were a bit problematic.  I was concerned that my head wasn't going to fit through the top unless I got rid of the darts, but to do that, I had to do a bit of fancy folding.  As it turns out, I probably could have kept the darts (I just remembered that my original Frankenpattern dress used this bodice block with a side zip, which means I was always pulling through dresses over my head and never had a problem).  I laid the Washi back bodice over the Emery and folded to match the tops and armscyes.  Probably a bit fly-by-night, but it got the job done.  

I put the whole thing together, tried it on...whomp, whomp, whomp.  Not good.  The whole bodice was a size or two too big, and the waist drooped badly.  It was also a touch long in the waist, so I pulled out the elastic, redid the waist casing so that the waist seam pointed up instead of down (also reduced a lot of bulk on that seam by doing so) and then rethreaded the elastic with 2" less length.  I could have stood to lose another inch, maybe, or raise the waist line another 1/2".  I ended up hemming at 2 1/2" (and probably could have gone 3 1/2"), so I don't know why taking off the extra length that the top of the pattern piece didn't work. The Emery bodice is slightly longer than the Washi (I always add 1/2-1" to the bottom when I make it) but it isn't that much longer. 

The resulting dress is just okay.  It is still too long in the waist and a touch too long in the skirt, and it feels a bit precious to me.  I also don't love the way that the armscye edges rub against my underarm.  I don't know why, since the bodice is actually too big, whereas the others it is very fitted around the bust and arms.  I sort of have this problem with all these dresses, but I felt better about wearing the others, so it didn't bother me as much, but the chafing combined with not loving the fit really doesn't help the case.  I suppose I could take it apart again, shorten the waist and re-hem it, but I don't have that in me just this minute.  I'll probably get to it another time. 

I'm not sure I would do this again, because I think the bodice is too blousy for my taste.  The Indigo version has some fit issues too, and was harder to blend and make work, so maybe this little experiment just needs to end.  I think what I'd really like is something without a defined waist in the front but ties in the back to cinch things in a bit. 

It took me more than a week to wear it, and I really would rather be wearing something else except the humidity is stupidly high again and my closet is lean.  (I'm in the process of trying to switch to natural deodorant--more on that later--and I am sweating through clothing at an alarming rate.  I can hardly keep up with the wash.  I'd quit the experiment all together, but traditional deo/antiperspirant isn't working at all for me any more, so I figure this can't be worse.  Except it kind of is).  Anyway. All the fun hormonal stuff when you turn 40.  Yes, I will take some cheese with my whine, thankyouverymuch.

Off to sew a shapeless green linen dress with sleeves and side ties.  Here's hoping I like the result.

Yarn Along: September

~knitting~

I've made a lot of progress on my Pabaigh, but we went away for Labor Day weekend, and I didn't want to bring a project that required a lot of my attention, so I brought the yarn for the next thing in my queue, which is Doocot.  

I've had this denim heather yarn in my stash for a few years now.  I bought it for something else that I didn't end up making, and decided it would be good for this little cropped sweater.  I'm really digging this silhouette right now, and I think it will work nicely over my dresses this fall.  (In the winter, I generally need something around my neck to feel warm, but this might work into the cold months too, with the right layers).  

~reading~

Still working on Scruton's Notes from Underground, and also Mary Eberstadt's How The West Really Lost God.  It's a bit dense but interesting.  She's challenging a number of my paradigms about secularization, and it goes along with a number of other intellectual shifts I've experienced recently.  I'm curious to read her forthcoming book, having read an excerpt recently.

On our recent trip away, I re-read a novel from several years ago and it was nice to have a mental break.

I also read a longish article on Camille Paglia's legacy and found it very interesting as well.

~sewing~

I find my sew-jo seems to be returning, albeit in fits and starts.  I switched my clothes from summer to fall this week, as the temps are finally going to be reasonable for a stretch, and I'm trying to figure out how best to dress my today body, which seems to be going through perimenopause all of the sudden.  It's very disorienting.  

I have to remake my husband's linen kombu (the one I made for him the summer he was ordained has been through the wars at this point, and badly needs replacing.  He is in the habit of sticking his ipad in the capacious pockets, with predictable results on the handworked buttonholes at the bottom).  

Anyway, I ordered some black linen for that, but I also ordered a few lengths in jewel tones for me, to make a dress and a skirt (I already have some dark purple Brussels linen to make a dress).  My marigold linen skirt from two years ago still fits (mostly) and my Spice Cake Essex skirt from this spring is okay, so I need a few more pieces to round out my fall.  I'm finding my knit M7353 dresses are a little too hot for me to wear right now, so linen it is.  

~watching~

I finished Chernobyl (it is an important watch and the series is extremely well done), and then decided it was time to catch up with Jimmy Perez and the gang on Shetland, so I'm watching seasons 4/5.  I'm nearly done season five, and it has not disappointed.  Douglas Henshall is a favorite of mine.  He's a subtle actor, and I like that.  I particularly love the moody atmosphere and soundtrack of the show, plus the landscapes are just stunning.  Calgon, take me away! 

 

 In other news, my kids went back to school yesterday, and all the people said amen. Ha!

 

 

 Linking with Ginny for Yarn Along!