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Topics - RachelB

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Technical Help / do I need to lengthen the back bodice?

« on: March 18, 2024, 12:46:02 PM »

I am having these diagonal draglines on my shoulder blade as is pictured here. I could not get a picture of my back because my husband was not at home to take it, but I am having the exact same issue as is in this picture I found by googling. I don't think I have a rounded back because I have very good posture. It is something that people comment to me about. Do I need to lengthen the back bodice to correct this fitting issue? Thanks.

Technical Help / bias wrinkles with photo, finally

« on: March 09, 2024, 21:23:25 PM »

I finally have a photo of the fitting problem I have been having. When I posted about this before, a couple of responders asked for a photo. The bias wrinkles are on the right back bodice and can be seen in the picture. I bought a book called The Sew/Fit Manual and it says that bias wrinkles indicate that something is too wide and too long. But, I am not sure what is too wide and too long, since I don't really have these wrinkles on the left hand side of the back bodice. When I was sewing several years ago, I never had this problem, and those clothes still fit. I can't imagine what has happened. Does anyone know how to fix this?

Patterns Discussion / upper bust measurement question

« on: February 24, 2024, 03:34:08 AM »

After having tried everything else, I have decided that part of my fitting problems is that I am making the wrong size. I have always used the upper bust measurement, but my pattern is a Style Arc pattern, and they only give the full bust finished measurement. I tried to determine the upper bust measurement of the pattern by measuring from the bottom of the armscye horizontally across the front and back bodice pieces, but my measurement matched their finished full bust measurement. So, I did that incorrectly. Where on the front and back bodice pattern pieces would I measure to figure out the upper bust measurement? Would I start at the midpoint of the armscye and go across? I have googled to find the answer to this question, but all I get is how to measure the upper bust on my body, not a pattern piece. Thanks.

Technical Help / question about drag lines

« on: February 11, 2024, 02:11:59 AM »

I am still working on my Style Arc Queenie dress to sew a knock off of The Vampire's Wife Falconetti Dress. The pattern itself is virtually a replica of the dress. I am getting close to getting it fitted correctly, but I am getting some draglines on the back bodice. I didn't take a picture of it because my muslin fabric is sheer and I would feel uncomfortable posting it.

However, weirdly enough, the model wearing the dress in the link above has the same fitting issue, so I will post it so you can see. I have circled the drag lines in picture in this link. Draglines picture Does anyone know what is causing this and how to fix it? I tried taking a smaller side seam, but that did not fix it.

Technical Help / Shoulder slope adjustment created another problem

« on: February 06, 2024, 00:13:17 AM »

I had some problem with armhole gaping that I asked about recently. I cut a smaller size in the upper front bodice, but when i made the toile, the armhole gaping was the same. I put on my previous toile (prior to this one) and pinched the shoulder slope some and the armhole gaping went away. I did not need any adjustment on the back armhole, so I just dropped the slope by 3/4 inch at the shoulder on the front bodice. I did this by starting at the neckline and drew the line until it was 3/4 inch lower at the shoulder seam. Then I took off the same amount under the arm on the front bodice. This way I did not have to adjust my sleeve. Two problems developed from this. First, I forgot to lengthen the side seam of the front bodice by the amount I took off the bottom of the armhole, so I know how to fix that just by adding that length back. But the one I don't know how to fix is the second problem that developed. Now, the shoulder length of the front bodice is not the same as the back bodice. When I put the shoulders together to sew the seams, they are not the same length and the difference is enough that I can't ease them together so that they match. How do I fix this problem? Thanks.

Patterns Discussion / looking for a pattern

« on: January 31, 2024, 19:51:17 PM »

Has anyone seen a pattern with bow detail like on this dress? I have looked and the closest I have found is this pattern. Do you think I could make the neck of that dress round like the one I want to do a knock off of and still be able to make the bow attach without pulling on the round neck? Thank you.

Alterations Advice Please / removing a dart

« on: January 23, 2024, 18:55:38 PM »

I found a tutorial that shows how to remove a bust dart from the front bodice and get rid of the added fullness at the hem. Is it possible to eliminate only part of a dart? That is, can this procedure be used to take out some of the fullness of the dart and have a smaller dart?

Technical Help / major issues with armhole gaping

« on: January 22, 2024, 18:07:33 PM »

I am making the Style Arc Queenie dress and I am having a major issue with front armhole gaping. My front armholes are asymmetrical so that I have more gaping on the right than on the left -- 2 inches on right and 1 inch on left. The dress has French darts, which I love. I tried to fix the issue by folding out a dart where the gaping is and then rotating that fullness into the French dart. However, it made the angle of the darts so severe that they became pointy---not a good look.

No amount of pressing would get rid of the pointiness. I know I could add darts to the front shoulders by rotating the fullness there, but I don't want them. I don't want any darts in the dress except for the ones already in the pattern. The next thing I am thinking about doing is changing the shoulder slope on the front to take out the gaping. However, I have 2 inches of gaping on the right side and 1 inch on the left side. Will it work to alter the front shoulder slope that much, and with different amounts on either side? If that won't work, it has been suggested to me to shorten the upper bodice between the bottom of the armhole and the shoulder to make the armhole smaller. This would be done by folding out what I don't need. However, since the amount of gaping is different on each side, will it work to fold out a little more on the right than the left? If I use this technique, will I need to make adjustments anywhere else on the front or back bodice to accommodate this? I am getting so frustrated.

I would appreciate any suggestions that anyone has. Thank you.

Technical Help / moving dart INTO side seam?

« on: November 27, 2023, 18:30:34 PM »

I am trying once more to make a replica of The Vampire's Wife Falconetti dress. I started trying to do this a couple of years ago and could never get it fitted properly. I had planned to take a rest for a couple of weeks, but it turned into about 1.5 years. Unlike before when I was altering a similar pattern, now I am using the newly released Style Arc Queenie pattern , which is an exact replica of the dress. It is going much better than before, and I almost have the fitting correct. However, I am having some issues with the French dart. In order to get the very fitted look of the bodice, I have had to make it larger. Now, I am getting a big bubble at the end of the dart point right at the apex of the breast--not a good look. I have read that it can be due to having too large of a dart. I know that I could turn that dart into two French darts or some of it into a waist dart. However, since the original dress does not have those, I don't want mine to either. I read yesterday that part of a dart can be moved INTO the side seam. I don't mean a side seam dart. It is moved into the side seam allowance. Here is a tutorial. I am thinking that I am going to take some of the French dart and turn it into a waist dart, but them move the waist dart into the side seam. However, I am concerned about how the back bodice will be affected when I stitch the front and back side seams together. Will it make the back bodice to tight? Can someone give me some advice? Thanks.

In the wardrobe / taking apart a dress for a pattern

« on: December 21, 2021, 17:30:19 PM »

I have been working off and on for 10 months trying to sew a knockoff of this Vampire's Wife dress. I have done at least 6 muslins of the bodice of M8032 and the fit has never been correct, mostly on the back bodice. It occurred to me (why it did not before I don't know

), to use a bodice that I know fits, the one from S2444. I made the changes I needed to make to S2444 on the actual pattern tissue. This was early in my sewing and it never occurred to me to redraw it on paper and make the changes there. This pattern piece is almost falling apart and, with all the problems that I have had in getting the fit correct, I was wondering if it would work to take apart one of the dresses I made with it, undo the darts, and just trace that actual bodice onto paper and use it. I don't wear those dresses anymore. I am definitely going to make a muslin first. Would that work? I have a second question. The S2444 pattern has two darts on each side of the front bodice that slant from the waistline toward the bust point. You can see them in this picture. The Vampire's wife dress has one dart on each side of the front bodice that extends from the side seam to the bust point. This picture of another Vampire's Wife dress shows the dart. If I changed to darts on S2444 to be like the one on the Vampire's Wife dress, would it change the fit? Should I do that or leave them like they are? Part of me says to leave them like they are because I know the bodice fits, but the perfectionist in me says change them.

Patterns Discussion / In search of jacket pattern

« on: October 21, 2021, 14:23:54 PM »

I love this Alessandra Rich two piece dress but it is way beyond my budget:
https://www.net-a-porter.com/variants/images/2204324139702456/ou/w2000_q80.jpg

I have been looking for a pattern to make the jacket, but I am not finding anything. I have looked at jacket patterns, top patterns, two piece dress patterns, etc from the Big 4 pattern companies, Burda, and even vintage patterns. Here is a link to the jacket:
https://www.net-a-porter.com/variants/images/2204324139702456/in/w2000_q80.jpg

Does anyone know of a similar pattern? Thanks.

In the wardrobe / Latest muslin of my Vampire's Wife dress knockoff

« on: April 12, 2021, 02:34:11 AM »

Here are my pictures of my latest attempt at my Vampire's Wife knockoff dress:
front: https://www.flickr.com/photos/192120208@N05/51110543981/in/dateposted-public/
back: https://www.flickr.com/photos/192120208@N05/51110543066/in/dateposted-public/
right side: https://www.flickr.com/photos/192120208@N05/51110293479/in/dateposted-public/
left side: https://www.flickr.com/photos/192120208@N05/51110294029/in/dateposted-public/
Here is the inspiration picture: https://thewebster.us/shop/the-falconetti-dress.html?glCountry=US&glCurrency=USD&gclid=CjwKCAjwvMqDBhB8EiwA2iSmPPO5bt1f6_jte9s0B22j6T6EuoIs1XDHCaprpYaaM92ZAAiVmkpEMxoCSIIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I did a 1.5 inch FBA, lowered the armscye underneath the arm by 1/2" from the amount I had raised it before, took out the fullness from the neck and front armscye, and raised the waistline by 3/8". There is some weirdness going on in the fit of the right back bodice and on right front bodice that is not happening on the left front and back bodices. I don't know what it is or what is causing it. I can't imagine why this is happening on the right but not on the left. This is discouraging. After all of this, I still like the fit of my first bodice the best, even if it was not perfect. I just wish I had gotten a picture of the back of it. I feel like at this point that I need to take a step back and take a breath. It gets a little better and then it gets a little worse.
Here are pics of my first bodice. This has the darts I took to get rid of neckline and armscye gaping so that is reason for all the darts on the front. When I made the changes on the pattern pieces for my second bodice, I accidentally used fabric with a little stretch and it turned out horrible. Instead of remaking it out of the same type fabric, I started making more changes.

first bodice front: https://www.flickr.com/photos/192120208@N05/51009920962/in/dateposted-public/
upclose of front bodice: https://www.flickr.com/photos/192120208@N05/51009919517/in/dateposted-public/

I did not get a picture of the back. I would appreciate any suggestions.

In the wardrobe / Pattern Drafting question

« on: April 06, 2021, 14:48:24 PM »

I have had some minor changes in my body since I last sewed. Formerly, it was the case that all I had to do was take out the fullness in the front armscye and neckline to get a good fit. Now, it has become more complicated. I am currently trying to fit a pattern bodice and it has gotten to the point that I am afraid to try on my latest muslin for fear of what the latest fitting issue will be. I am going to try it on today, though. This has gotten me to wondering if it would be better if I just learned to draft my own patterns. For instance, in the future I would like to make this dress in the following link:

https://www.jcrew.com/m/shops/up_to_40_off_wear_now/dresses/tiered-rufflesleeve-cotton-poplin-dress/MP691?color_name=sapphire

I haven't found an exact pattern for this, but I have found two that I could frankenpattern together, with some adjustment to the neckline. It seems like it would be less of a hassle to just draft it from scratch. If I invest in something like the Lutterloh system, would I be able to draft a dress like the one in the link. I would love to be able to examine a dress and draft to fit me.

In the wardrobe / Do I need to raise the waistline?

« on: April 03, 2021, 02:59:02 AM »

I know I have some issues that I need to fit on this bodice, but do I need to raise the waistline?
Here is a picture of my muslin: https://www.flickr.com/photos/192120208@N05/51009920962/in/dateposted-public/

In the wardrobe / question about french darts

« on: March 30, 2021, 02:48:21 AM »

I have been working on sewing a knockoff of this Vampire's Wife dress in this link for myself:
https://www.matchesfashion.com/us/products/The-Vampire's-Wife-The-Falconetti-floral-print-ruffled-silk-dress-1374782?epik=dj0yJnU9LUQ3RGV2NmZ3XzFveGxiQTg3TGwxbnVpWlFaY0tsdDMmcD0wJm49eUZXTG1UZWpFdUh0WjZscXFkck1PdyZ0PUFBQUFBR0JpZ1M0

I am using the bodice from McCalls 8032: https://somethingdelightful.com/m8032
and the skirt from McCalls 7994: https://somethingdelightful.com/m7994

I am making changes to both that are needed to copy the dress.

I am on my 4th muslin and just about have the fit correct, and then someone (not on this forum) pointed out to me that the original dress has French darts on each side of the bodice.

I want my dress to be as close a replica as possible. The bodice of M8032 has waist and bust darts. I have never sewn French darts before. Is there a way to change those two sets of darts into a single French dart on each side of the bodice? Thanks.

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