Red and Wrong

The sky was looking a bit ominous, so I went outside and picked a small bouquet of daffodils from my yard. I wish your monitor was scratch and sniff...they smell so good! They smell like Spring...especially when you consider that I can also smell rain through the open window beside me.

Rain? Yep. We just had a short rainshower that followed the brief HAIL STORM that just suddenly occurred!!! And this was less than 20 minutes after I picked these flowers!!! I hope it didn't harm the ones I left behind.

Strong wind and hail?
Good grief...in like a lamb, out like a lion?

I gave a bit more thought to HOW to eliminate the excess width that is created when one rotates part of the bust dart to the CF area to create gathers. This is kinda what I was thinking: Using my previous pattern, what if I just 'shifted' the width of the above-bust area medially, until the excess is gone? Here's a picture to show what I mean.

On the left is my pattern with the excess width (little triangle pointing downward at CF/neck). The next image with green lines indicates the original width of that area, before the excess was added. Third, those green lines are 'shifted' to the right until they touch the CF line. Lastly, the pink line indicates the NEW sewing line, which is basically removing the excess at the side of that section...the yoke seam.

I decided I would try this on the next pattern. But I also decided to do a few other things differently, too! I would make an awful scientist, because I introduce too many variables in my experiments!

Ok, on this knock-off of the Jalie 2794 (take three), I again drew guidelines:

• blue = grainline.
• green = future locations of dart rotation (directly opposite BP and toward lower ah).

Plus, I located a point on the side seam...this time, it was 1.5" below the underarm (before it was 2.5"). I also drew an ARC (orange) to connect the new point on the sideseam with the neckline to create the yoke shape.

Then I removed the yoke area.

I selected everything above the bust level (green) and rotated counter-clockwise to close ONE FOURTH of the bust dart (before, I put HALF of the dart into CF). This put less dart into the CF area and created less excess width to remove. Remember, before, I was not thrilled with the amount of gathering at the center front, so I was hoping this would be just right.

Next I selected the area in bold black and rotated CCW to close the remaining bust dart, which opened a dart in the yoke seam. THis one is larger than on the previous one because it is 3/4 of the dart (as opposed to being only half before).


Now it was time to 'shift' the upper section medially to eliminate that excess width at the front. I selected the neck and upper section of the yoke seam (light blue) and moved it toward the middle, such that the length of the seams did not change. Then I redrew the ARC that is the yoke seam, and Voila! a new pattern to try.

Now here is where I messed up. Remember that top I made last fall? The NO DART one from the red textured knit? Well, I hate that top and never wear it. I decided to rip it apart and recut it from this pattern. I dug until I found the remnants of that piece...not much, but enough to cut out the two new yoke pieces and a band for the neckline.

The new pieces were easily cut from the scraps of the first top.

Oh! This time (after this photo was taken) I re-cut the band to be only 1.5" wide, whereas before, it was cut 2" wide. I think I like the narrower band on the top...but wider was ok, too.

Either way, when the top is finished, I have to miter the band at the center of the V...i.e., sew across the folded band at a 45 degree angle to create a 'v'.

I left the very bottom of the sideseams unripped, to leave the hem as is...hoping to avoid one step in completion of the new top.

Then I layed the patterns onto the old top. Below, you can see the relationship of the YOKE pattern to the FRONT pattern...although the yoke WILL NOT be cut from this piece (it was cut from the scraps, remember?). But this clearly shows where the bust dart went.

When I carefully positioned the new patterns onto the previously cut top, I coud see that the old FRONT pieces were a little bit too narrow right where the yoke seam meets the side seam. I decided that I would go ahead and cut it anyway...I had ruined the old top by ripping it apart anyway, so if it turned out too tight, I would just give it away. And FYI, I had drafted this NEW pattern with only ONE inch bust ease this time; the leopard top had 2" bust ease. THis pattern had only 1" bust ease, and the fabric STILL was not wide enough...so I would actually end up with even less! But I proceeded.

Here, you can see the front pattern piece overlayed onto the now-finished top. The end of the ruler is aligned with the side seam of the top...it is a good 1" smaller than the pattern. This means the front of this top is 2" narrower than the pattern calls for! I spread out some of the gathers that should have been the bust dart to make the yoke seam longer to help make up for the lack...that enabled me to sew on the yoke, which was the correct width, but it didn't add any front width BELOW the yoke seam, and THAT is where it was needed!

The old sleeves were used as-is, because I couldn't make them any larger! ("what?" you say!)
I know...I thought the sleeves would be wide enough to reuse, but it turns out the back was at least 3/4" too small...so I just sewed them in as is. This means there was NO ease in the cap seam...and possibly, the cap seam was smaller than the armhole.

Oh! The back neck on the old top was wider than the back neck on the new pattern...one of the very areas I wanted to change! I could narrow it some, but not enough without making the top too short in length...so I decided to use the band to pull it in (by stretching the band in that area when sewing it on). But I probably stretched the band too much in the front neck area, too...the neck is sort of being pulled upward.

So, between the neck pulling the front up, and the sleeves pulling in the bodice, and the front width being inadequate, this thing didn't have a chance!

Lemonade.

Overall, the fit is not as bad as it ought to be, but it is tighter than I desire. The pattern, though, is probably good...if only it had been actually USED correctly!!!

Although the front neck depth was increased this time, it is hard to tell it, because the band is pulling up the front (didn't I learn not to do that on the FIRST top?).

Also, I like that the amount of front gathers is less than before. THIS TIME, I only gathered from bust level UPWARD...but not below the bust (so I didn't use that point that was located on the CF that was below the bust level). I actually think I could have put a full HALF of the bust dart into the CF after all, since I removed the excess width AND since I only gathered ABOVE the bust level.

The back isn't awful...it would be fine if the skimpy front wasn't pulling it out of place! But because the front was too narrow (and I used it anyway!), it pulls the back tighter and shows 'bra bulges' (what? Surely *you* don't have those!? Sigh. Yes I do.).

The shoulders are MUCH better this time. I used the NO BACK DART setting and used the ARMHOLE SHAPE TOOLS to reshape the armhole to be much more of a slant. I have found that drafting WITH a shoulder dart produces a smaller back half of the sleeve than drafting WITHOUT a shoulder dart. I have been trying FOR YEARS to get adequate back width (driving room) in my garments, and the advice given was always 'increase the BACK SHOULDER WIDTH", which increases the size of the bk shoulder dart. My friend, Heidi Jung, assures me that I only need a 3/8" width shoulder dart...and to get that, I just have to use a BSW measurement that is .75" larger than the FRONT SHOULDER WIDTH measurement. It is the ARMHOLE SHAPE TOOLS that enable me to increase the width at the lower back armhole without using a large back shoulder dart. The AH shape tool seems to work better now than when it was first introduced (ten years ago?)...when it created large circles and jinks with only a few clicks.

Oh, I reduced my NECK CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENT to 13", even though it measures more than that. I don't need to make it larger (to control the size of the back shoulder dart) if I am not using a large BSW and NOT getting a large shoulder dart!

I know this works in a knit now...I just have to prove it in a woven!

Here is my STYLE SHEET info:

Garment Type: Blouse
Style: Blouse
Closure: No Closure
Front Neckline: Square
Back Neckline: Jewel
Hemline Sweep: Straight
Hemline Shape: Straight
Front Darts: Side
Back Darts: No Darts
Sideseam Shape: Fitted

Front Waist Darts: 1 ...didnt' sew these!
Back Waist Darts: 1

Front Neckline Depth: 6
Back Neckline Depth: 0.75
Neckline Width: 0.5 ***WIDER than last time...better.
Neckline Point: 0
Front Neckline Shape Up: 2.7 clicks
Front Neckline Shape Right: -2.2 clicks

Armhole Depth: -0.75
Dart Override: 0

Side/Arm Point: -1
Side/Waist Point: 0.75
Side/Hip Point: 0

Cf/Extension: 0
Cb/Extension: 0

Shoulder Pad: 0
Shoulder Point: 0

Finished Cb/Hem Length: 24
Hip Depth: 8

Bust Pt Vertical: 10.5
Bust Pt Horizontal: 5
Upper Front Dart Length: 1.25
Upper Back Dart Length: 0
Lower Front Dart Length: 8
Lower Back Dart Length: 6.5
Back Shoulder Dart Length: 3.5 ***used NO DART option


Sleeve Style: Set In
Sleeve Underarm Seam: Tapered
Sleeve Hemline Shape: Straight
Sleeve Length: Wrist
Sleeve Cap Ease: 0.35**********
Sleeve Underarm Length: 20 ***used sleeves from original top, so these don't apply
Sleeve Overarm Length: 24.755 *****
Sleeve Hem Circumference: 9.5
Sleeve Elbow Depth: 8
Sleeve Elbow Circum.: 13
Sleeve Cap Height Adj: -0.75

Front Armhole Shape Down: -1 clicks
Back Armhole Shape Up: 1 clicks ***this is TEN clicks...and is the key to using NO BACK DART.
Back Armhole Shape Right: 0.2 clicks ***this is outward.

Chest Ease: 1
Waist Ease: 3
Hip Ease: 3.5

Chest Circumference: 41.5
Back Shoulder Width: 17.5 ***used NO DART...This # will be reduced to 15.75" next time.
Neck Circumference: 13
Natural Waist: 34
Hip Circumference: 42
Crotch Length: 29
Height: 66
Weight: 161
Bra Cup Size: D
Center Front Length: 14.875
Front Shoulder Width: 15
Front Shoulder Slope: 18.125
Shoulder Length: 5
Center Back Length: 16.5
Back Shoulder Slope: 18.125
Bicep Circumference: 12