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.

Shelbourne Falls Emery Mashup

A few weeks ago, I decided to take the plunge and download a customized croquis of myself from My Body Model.  I've been dithering about it since it was released, and there was a little spring sale going on, so I decided to go for it.  I like the croquis better than the Gertie ones because I don't have to add anything to match my shape.

I then happily set to sketching, trying out some silhouettes for dresses with fabric I had in my bins that I wanted to make up for the warmer weather.  I don't have many summer dresses right now, so it seemed like a productive use of creative energy and fabric.  I did buy a bit of fabric too, but some of it was to test out some patterns I was trying out.  

This was my first one.  I've had the Emery pattern for a long time now, and the bodice was the basis for my Frankendress, of which there are many iterations on this blog between 2014-2016 or so when Dottie Angel frocks took over my sewing queue.  I've lost a lot of weight since then, and I also wanted to try a sleeveless dress since I almost always wear a cardigan over my dresses now anyway, so I went ahead and retraced the bodice and skirt (I had never actually made up the skirt that goes with the pattern) and set to fitting with an old sheet.  I fitted the bodice only, and made a straight size 12.

My muslin told me that I needed to take in the side seams quite a bit (I ended up taking an additional 5/8" at the top of the side seam and tapering to a 7/8" side seam at the bottom), and lower and shorten the bust and waist darts.  I remembered from before that the bust darts are drafted for a much perkier chest than mine, so I had already lowered and shortened them when I traced off, but I ended up shortening a total of 1" and lowering about 1/2".  The waist darts were about 1/2" shorter than drafted. #hounddogears

Okay.  So I took my courage in my hands and cut into this Denyse Schmidt fabric I found on etsy.  It isn't particularly rare or dear, but I always hate to risk fabric on an unknown venture.  I wasn't sure how the sleeveless bit would really look (cardigan notwithstanding, I have a long-standing issue with my upper arms.  I'm mostly over it).  I also worried about the pouf of the skirt.  (And we all know how I feel about that).

My fears were well-founded on the skirt.  I pleated it using the washi dress pleats as a guide, but I had to add at least two or three extra sets of pleats to either side of the center on both the front and the back, which gives you an idea of how much volume is in that skirt.  I probably should have traced off a size six instead to reduce the volume.  I tried on the dress and then couldn't get it off my body quickly enough.  NOPE.  I threw the dress in the corner for a time out and flagellated myself for my profligacy with fabric.  

The trouble is, I don't have a go-to dress pattern right now.  I'm over my Dottie Angel frocks, style-wise, and the Washi dress is fine as a cool weather layering piece, but I don't actually like the style much for summer.  (I found this out the hard way when I made a maxi version out of some pretty red calico I got in an instagram sale.  No matter, I'll cut the maxi down for one of the girls, but still.  Grr.)

I posted my angst about the dress fail on instagram and one of my friends made a comment about tweaking it to save it.  I honestly hadn't thought about it--I was so upset about the failure that I couldn't even think about wanting that fabric anywhere near my body.  After I calmed down a bit (INFP/J, what I can say??  All the feels, all the time), I decided to try cutting the skirt down to a slimmer profile. 

So I pulled out my trusty Anne Adams 9481 and set to work with my seam ripper.  I took apart the whole skirt, recut it smaller, and reattached it all the next day.  And whomp-whomp.  I wasn't thrilled.  The fit was good, the dress was pretty, but I still wasn't wowed.  Neverthless, I put it in my closet to save for warmer weather and a reassessment.

Well.  The weather is definitely warmer now, and I tried it on (whilst taking a bunch of photos of finished makes) and while I don't think this will be an everyday kind of dress for me, it will work nicely for an event I have to go to in May that requires a bit of dressing up.  So yay for that.  It's also a decent summer church dress, I think.  So I guess it gets to stay in the closet.  I might take up the hem another inch or so, but maybe not.  I can't quite decide.

I'm happy I took the time to fit this dress carefully, and I do have a well-fitting dress out of it, that I could replicate in a different fabric, so there's that.  I could see making it in a lightweight corduroy for fall or winter, perhaps, for a dressy cold-weather garment.  (Note to self: make a pincord version for Christmas next year).

So the experience was valuable, and I do have a wearable garment out of the process.  Just not the wearable garment I thought I would have.  But that's okay too.