Regarding Comments on White Roses

In response to recent comments...

Laura asked:
>>>Are you sure your sleeve cap height is right? I can't help but think your sleeve looks like it doesn't have enough width in the cap, causing it to pull both in the front and back. The seams at back and front LOOK like they are properly placed, so it must be the sleeve cap right?<<<

Hi Laura! I tried a lower cap height first, which does produce a wider sleeve. That one had pulls 'out the wazoo'...even worse! So I redrafted and recut the sleeve to have a HIGHER cap, even knowing I would get a narrower sleeve. It was better, pull-wise...but narrower! THAT was my dilemna...how to get a cap that was tall enough and still wide enough without increasing the sleeve's cap ease. My solution was to:

• a) MOVE THE SHOULDER POINTS outward, by increasing both FSW and BSW (and ShL) measurements so the sleeve won't have to reach up so high...the garment's shoulder will reach out to the sleeve! This way, I can use a lower cap height which produces a wider sleeve, and
• b) use the ARMHOLE SHAPE TOOL to make the front between this wider shoulder area and the bust more narrow like it was before widening the shoulders, and
• c) increase the bust circumference measurement/reduce the cup size, to move the back armhole point outward a bit, which produces a larger back-half of the sleeve AND widens the back bodice area so the sleeve will not need to reach so far toward the back to meet the bodice. I am hopeful.

I also found that on both the front and the back bodice, reshaping the upper AHs helped. I'm talking about the area between the Shoulder Point and the notch on front and back. Making these arcs a bit more scooped creates a more pleasing 'hang' of the sleeve (on me). Instead of the sleeve seeming like a ^ at the top, it became more rounded when a tiny bit was removed from the bodice ah. This is a manual change...no tool in the STYLE EDITOR will do it for you (although you CAN use PATTERN EDITOR to redraw it)...and the amount was very small, like 1/8 to 1/4 inch.

>>> the only thing that has even made the shirts wearable was to lower the cap height--like to about a -1 or -1.25. I have been less concerned about some wrinkles from the "casual-ness" of the sleeve cap height than having that annoying pull across the back!<<<

Yes...thanks...I hear ya! I am just going to have to be more accepting of wrinkles in back to get mobility!

>>>Say just a thought...have you ever used Nancy Zieman's slide and pivot methods? The diagram you have in your post makes me think of that....and doing it that way. (Then the question is HOW to get PMB to draft it like that!!)<<<

I have toyed with her methods, but have usually done like I am doing here...figure out the effect her alteration would have on the pattern, then adjust the measurements and settings to 'force' PMB to give me that draft/shape.

Debbie wrote:
>>>My oh my you sure are demanding of your wovens at low ease levels!!:)) <<<

Yep, I am! I actually used 3" of bust ease, which I consider totally doable. I think I should be able to adequately move my arms at even 2" ease ...maybe even at 1"!

>>>Turning to Minott's wrinkle charts I noticed that she also says "or move section 2 out on slv. pattern".<<

Yep...section 2 is the underarm point, which DOES move outward (also) with the addition of bust circumference. If I made that change on the sleeve without changing the bodice, it would add more cap ease. I do know that using more cap ease would give me a wider, more comfortable sleeve, but that is not the kinda of sleeve I am after here.

>>> In her illustration the arm is bent, your's are straight out. When you move your arms as in your pic using low ease I consider the slv. wrinkles and the back strain normal. What else can it do with such little fabric during body movement?<<

Sure, I would expect SOME strain. But that degree of strain suggests to me that the fit is not right. As I said, I am adding 1" more bust circumference for the next one and will still use 3" ease...plus, using a smaller bust CUP SIZE will cause that entire 1" extra to be added to the BACK pattern. A few outward clicks on the AH SHAPE TOOL will make the mid-back/blade ah area slightly wider, too. BTW, I still get strain when the arms are postioned as in Minott's example...of course, not nearly as much!

>>>Do you think your armhole seamlines (both frt/bck) are too far out on arm?<<<

I totally do in the front, but not in back. In BACK, the armhole actually seems to need to be even FARTHER out at its lower part! To illustrate, I watched my back view (in mirror) as I moved my arms around. There is a 'valley' that is forming on my body about .5" outside where the ah seam is located, and that valley is probably where my arm really meets my body...where the ah seam SHOULD be! You can see the vertical wrinkle that forms over that valley in this picture, there on the sleeve, just outside the ah seam.>>>>>

However, in the front, the lower F-armhole seems to be too high up/out on my arm, but using the reduced cup size lowers this for next time. Cross your fingers! XXXXX

>>>Where do you start your slv. easing when setting slvs.? From the frontal pic it looks like there's too much in front cap..yes/no?..and that the easing started too low vs. just on either side of shoulder notch.<<<

Very observant! Yes, as a result of some of my recent sleeve tests, I found my sleeve actually hung better when I spread the ease over a longer distance. In front, I can't spread it as much as in back, but yes, I am easing more than just right at the top of the sleeve cap. That sleeve has 1.5" of cap ease, so must have a decent amount of space to put that into! Now, one must consider that I was trying to make the sleeve I was using hang better....but each time I change a measurement or setting, the armhole changes, and so does the sleeve draft. So the changes I make to cause one sleeve to hang better will not necessarily be necessary for subsequent sleeves, as long as I am still making changes. Put another way, I might not need to spread the ease over a longer area on a different sleeve draft...who knows!

>>>At that low bust ease level there is still alot of excess at back bust area, and those darn wrinkles are still there at base of back armholes..darnit! It's almost like I want to make the whole upper back more narrow and then work on the slv.<<<

See, I am wanting to do the opposite!!! I am wanting to make the upper back wider!!! Or, at least, the 'mid-back', the lower-blade area. With movement, there is NOT enough width across the back! I am almost resigned to the fact that I will HAVE to put up with some excess fabric across the back when my arms are at my sides so that I will have enough fabric across the back to allow me to move my arms up and forward!

>>>Maybe using the side/arm pt. negative is doing that along with too wide widths?..yes/no? But if you don't use side/arm neg. then the pmb slv. will be all screwed up because of how it puts too much in the front cap. Why doesn't pmb evenly distribute cap ease...WHY?:)))) <<<

I am finding that PMB puts nearly 2/3 of the ease into the front sleeve cap and only 1/3 into the back sleeve cap...but I hadn't considered that it might be diferent with different sideseam postions. Sure enough, though, moving the SS forward DOES put MORE of the cap ease into the front half of the sleeve than using a more backwardly-placed sideseam does! Who'dda thunk? I wonder if this is a bug in the program or an intentional drafting choice(?)...and if so, why?

>>>nice alteration on that collar. And that is a cute blouse!<<<

Thanks! I drafted with 3" width at CB for the Italian collar, then modified as shown to flatten it some.

>>>Oh and might I introduce you to a wonderful new fabric blend called cotton with lycra!<<<

I know...and I have some in my stash, waiting to be used! But I don't want to rely on Lycra to solve fit issues. I want to get my fit to the 'as good as it gets' point, then use Lycra for increased comfort!

Ya know, I don't watch a lot of QVC...but occasionally, I will linger on that channel for a few minutes. As you say...pushing up sleeves to compensate for them being too short? Are you kidding me? I have had to do that all my life...that is why I sew!!!