Shouldering the Burden

I made square shoulder adjustments to the muslin today. Y'all, some stuff is just hard without a sewing buddy. And unfortunately, Ruby and I are not twins in the shoulder and chest areas. The shoulders on the muslin are better, but now the "darts" I have above the girls are even more noticeable. Here is my list of potential suspects, listed in order of likelihood. Fitting & Pattern Alteration (2010) makes me like the people who use WebMD to incorrectly self-diagnose all types of illnesses:

• High bust position --  distance from shoulder to bust is shorter and longer from waist to bust
• dart shaping lies below the bust contour
• fabric is tight across the bust and loose below the dart
• bodice front bust dart needs to be raised to accomodate the bust contour 
• Shorter shoulder joint -- the body is shorter between the shoulder and arm hinge than average
• bodice too long between shoulder and arm hinge 
• bodice armhole drops too far below the arm hinge, hindering arm movement 
• dart shaping is below the crown of the bust
• loose folds may form at the waist, the armhole, chest and upper back need less fabric length
• Prominent bust -- measurements at bust level are longer, wider and deeper than average; the breast forms a lifted conical shape
• fabric is tight across the bust
• horizontal wrinkles form between the bust
• diagonal wrinkles radiate from the bust to the garment edges
• waistline and/or hemline rise across the center front
• bodice needs more length, width and larger dart

So, what do you think the culprit is? Please keep in mind that this pattern has no dart. I also think I could stand a 1/4" narrow shoulder adjustment. Speaking of shoulders, do you think I have forward shoulders?

I have my instructions for the next set of changes. (Seriously, if you have any type of fitting issue, I highly suggest Perfect Sew and Fit. Post a picture; they diagnose the problem and provide solutions.) Eventually, I will have to cut two more muslins. I just have to think long and hard about my next sacrificial fabric. Pouring over the swatches from the stash with a glass of wine might take the edge off. The problem is that the ITY "muslin" I bought from Hancock's value section is cute enough to be a real garment ... Rescue me Fabric.com.

I have had a busy day, including a trip to the office. I'm going to wind down now. Peace, love and soul!

Not Waisting Away

Thanks to all who had input on my last post about finding my waist. The verdict? I had the measurement right the first time. I was delusional last weekend. Bend to the side; the part that folds is your waist!

Here are some great videos Patricia @Perfect Sew & Fit sent me to help determine where the waist is.

• http://youtu.be/TynnNZHuPjE
• http://youtu.be/Hur_ompEzNA
• http://youtu.be/w7njhM0jMF8

Other good news -- I was able to to get my hands on M6353 last night. I was so geeked that I misread the sales paper and thought the sale started Friday instead of today. The cashier saw how crestfallen I was and let me have it at today's sale price. Thank God for small miracles. I will have this dress for the July 4th holiday. I'm on the lookout for a killer rayon-Lycra blend in a super-saturated fun color. With five yds of fabric, I'm guessing color is important.While Jo-Ann's is the leading with Deep Lake, Blue Jewel and Calla Green, I was hoping for something more citrus-y. High End Fabrics has a nice selection of modal-spandex knits, but the colors aren't as intense. I've reached out to Ann at Gorgeous Fabrics for suggestions. I've ordered swatches from Spandex World too:

Today, I'm going to attempt a square shoulder adjustment on the KS3740 muslin. I'm so thankful for all of the help everyone has offered on this project. Carol @Fit That has suggested that I might get better results if I start with the medium instead of the small. There's more than one way to skin a cat, so I'll try this in a medium and follow her recommendations (as soon as I find muslin-worthy fabric). 

True confession: it's supposed to be 70 degrees today and 56 tomorrow. I might end up sewing tomorrow instead of today :-)

Waist Not Want Not

Where is my waist? Seriously. I started to do a post about this over the weekend, but I didn't because I thought it was a stupid question. Looks like I should have posted because I don't know!

Up until the weekend, I thought my waist was here:

Then, I got it into my head that my waist is where my upper body meets my lower body -- where my back ends and butt begins.

When I looked around on the internet, I thought I had confirmed my new theory.



I thought the key issue causing the pool of fabric at my CB waist was the sway back/bubble butt combo -- not only did I have less CB length above the waist than most because of the sway back, but I also had less length below the waist and "crown" (as PFA calls it) of my butt. I thought that what ever I have going on between lines 18 and 20 below is very different from other people.


This obviously changes what I think my CB measurements are! This is a 3/4" difference. Now I have even more resolve to get my measurements taken professionally.

But wait there's more! I have square shoulders. Maybe y'all could tell from the pictures on the last post. I had no clue!



I thought I had forward shoulders. Do I? Are they both forward and square ?! Wow ...

Teaching myself how to sew is certainly not the most efficient thing I've ever done. Clearly I need mentoring! Thanks to everyone who reads these desperate posts and gives me tips along the way.

Step by Baby Step

If I never see orange rayon-spandex knit again ... just kidding. I think I want more to make this dress, but I digress. I am continuing with KS3740. (I see six muslins around the room now; there may be another one in the bedroom.) Still determined, but really ready to get it right. I'm reaching out for fitting help and folks need to see pics, so here goes:  a symphony in three muslins. I apologize now for the butt shots; y'all need to understand just how much altering I need to do.

4/28 Update: I've gotten some inquiries about sizing, so the details are below.

The pattern does not have a CF waist marking or give finished measurements for the hip. My CB length is my best guess when I try to take my own measurements. I need to find a sewing buddy to help me take my measurements.

4/28 Update #2: I'm not sure where my waist is! Seriously. My body measurements could be wrong. See today's post.

Muslin #1 -- straight out of the envelope. I went with the S because of my upper bust measurement. Can you say tiiiight?!

The pattern's CB waist is the top line. The other two are me trying to mark my actual waist while fighting the rolling fabric.

 Muslin #2 -- 1" FBA and 5/8" round back alteration.

Muslin #3 -- added 1/2" back width and 7/8" to the round back alteration. I called Kwik Sew and the back neckline is supposed to sit 1/2" below the base of the neck. I think that means my total round back alteration amount should be 1" instead of 1 1/2" (that's good news.)

The story of my life -- tops ride up and pants gape or slide down.

I've been using the pivot and slide method for all of the alterations so far.  Here's a closeup of the shoulder. At the neck, the seam is probably 1" lower than it needs to be in the front. I also noticed that the more length I added to the upper back, the more pronounced the wrinkles from the bust to the shoulder became. 

I will go back and reduce the round back alteration. Should I worry about the shoulders after I complete it like PFWC suggests or save that alteration for last as FFRP suggests?

I actually managed to pull the shirt down and keep it down for a few shots. It was harrrrrd.The top line is the pattern's CB waist.

Am I delusional for thinking I can get to a fitted T-shirt with no back seams?  Also, this is a lighter-weight knit with about 3% spandex. I plan on making the finished top in knits with 5%-8% Lycra. Do I need to add more width to the bust and back above the waist now or will things be better with the stretchier fabric?

Next up:  getting the pattern's waist to be at my waist with no fabric pooling either above or below and, of course, adding more width below the waist. At this rate, I might have the perfect top by Christmas! Actually, that is the bestest gift ever :-) Anyhoo. I've almost decided that my next top project will have some seams in the back!

Another Muslin

Muslin #2 for KS3740.  This one I made using a stretch rayon blend jersey from Fabric.com. People, I got the fabric for $2.44/yd! It's perfect for muslins. Hence, my love for Fabric.com. I digress.

To add excitement to this stage of the game, I whipped out my fusible knit stay tape for the neckline and armholes (in addition to the shoulders). The pattern didn't have any directions for stabilizing anything other than the shoulder seams. Should I make this a habit for all tops, even when it's not in the directions? When stabilizing the neckline and armholes, do you do both front and back or just the front? I'm not a big fan of staystitching because my seams aren't always straight. (I figure ripping out staystitching defeats the purpose.)

What I was supposed to be doing with this attempt was a narrow shoulder adjustment. I also wanted more shape to the bodice. It wasn't as fitted as it was in the pattern picture. I did a 1/4" shoulder adjustment and that seems to have taken care of my narrow shoulders. Nancy Zieman and I had a moment and I was able to taper from the S to the XL and kept the pattern's fitted shape.

With muslin #1, I had resigned my self to live with the wrinkles across my backside since I planned to tuck the shirt in. Duh, I have one, maybe two pairs of pants that I can tuck things into. This would not do. Besides, I gave up being trifling for Lent and the point of learning to sew was to get stuff that really fit. After that pep talk, it's back to the drawing board. I need to add 2" to the hips for the next muslin.

I also need to tackle my biggest fear, adding length to the center back where I need it. So my aha moment was realizing that I was creating my own problem when previously tapering from a S to an XL. I used the XL length as well as width for the adjustment, which was the wrong thing to do for my sway back. So with this version, I went from S to XL in width only. Now, I have to add length under the waist where my butt juts out. I'm going to use the Burda Workshop adjustment for a rising hem. Pray for me!

*Sidebar* If you own a a Dritz dress form, will you please tell me how to adjust the center back so that it stays adjusted?

I also solved the issue with the puckered stitches from the previous muslin -- I selected a different stitch! I'm using the standard overlock stitch and it works great.

So I interfaced the collar with this interfacing from Fabric Mart. I'm trying to convert to better-quality interfacing. Can anyone tell me if this is the good stuff? It feels and applies better than Pellon's Easy Knit, but I think it's a little too much for this fabric. It's given the fabric the weight of ponteroma double knit. Could I get away with interfacing one collar piece and not both?

I'm determined to get this right before moving to another project and at this rate, I won't get to the other knit top I wanted to make for Easter. Oh well. At least I'll have my first TNT pattern.

Houston, We Have A Muslin - Kwik Sew 3740

After getting frustrated with B5454 and weeks of meetings that kept me away from my sewing time, I needed a quick win. I decided to revisit Kwik Sew 3740.  Here's where I was. Here's where I am now:

The pros:

• It doesn't look half bad
• Nancy Zieman, at least for this top, has solved my swayback issue
• I did an FBA correctly (how much do I love Pattern Fitting with Confidence?)

The cons:

• You can sorta tell on Ruby, but the shoulders are too big. I never thought I had narrow shoulders. This also happened with the Butterick dress.
• (Ignore the stain on the front)
• The top is too long
• I padded a new dress form today, so ingore the wrinkles across the butt. The form isn't and exact match to me. Also, I don't know if I'd wear the shirt out once I shorten it, the wrinkles may go away.
• I wish the cowl seam would stay hidden better. I think I'd like more body in the cowl too.
• The biggie - what's up with my seams?

The fabric is an ITY jersey. I'm using an 75/11 ballpoint needle and C&C's fine thread. The stitch is a stretch knit overlock stitch for open knits and jerseys. I used an overcast foot, but the fabric still wanted to tunnel. My tension is set at 3. I pressed and top-pressed.  

Well, this is still good for the grocery store (maybe) and Saturday's around the house. I'm going to try another muslin in a rayon-spandex knit.

Save My Shirt & My Sanity

This is the next installment of posts where I give a desperate cry for help! This is for KS3740. It's a knit top with no center back seam.

Issue #1:  Do I have a round back? I know you can't see me, but the pattern falls away from my neck. I do have rounded shoulders. There's also a gap at the back armhole.

























I know this is gonna sound crazy, but could my butt (ha ha) and sway back be part of the problem?  Could the curve from the top of my rear to my waist be so severe that it causes the pattern to hang differently at the neckline?  I realized my dress form needs some work because the top is much shorter on me.  Anyhoo. Can you kinda see how the top stands away from Ruby's rear? By the way, she is wearing my Burda 8629 muslin. This twill is now a muslin because I didn't realize there wasn't a nap layout. Live and learn.

Okay. Does it really take this many tucks for my sway back or am I doing something wrong?

How on earth am I going to true this (Issue #2)? Seriously. How do you suggest I true it? Do you see the new grainline in green? Next to the original, it looks like a dart! The wonky center back I'm sure contributes to the issue at the neckline, but I have that problem when I try on unaltered tissue.

The top is supposed to be close fitting. Do I have it pinned too tight?

Back to the truing. the vertical green line you see at the neckline is what hangs over the ruler when I compare the top edge of the pattern to the bottom edge. (I think I measured it right.) When I fold the pattern under along that line, the pattern sits flat against my back.

Please help.