Third Time's the Charm for BurdaStyle's Cap Sleeve Dress

I didn't participate in Tilly's One Week One Pattern challenge, though at the rate I've sewn Burdastyle's Dress With Gathered Skirt and Cap Sleeves, it would have been possible.  I didn't get in on the fun because I didn't know about it until quite late, and I don't have enough items sewn from a single pattern to make wearing it for a whole week possible. (And though I now have three of these dresses, the weather has not been co-operating lately for such summery clothing.)

Anyway, I was still not quite satisfied with the fit of this dress even after a bust dart rotation took out a bunch of ease at the neckline. The back was still big for me (I'm short through the waist) , so I  found a way to remove the excess. I slashed a straight line from the neckline through the armhole, overlapped the two pieces by 7/8 of an inch, then taped it together, and reshaped the neck and armhole using my French curve. It looked like this: 

The fit is pretty darn spot-on now:

I had this lightweight cotton leftover from a peplum blouse I made for Patternmaking class at FIT a couple years ago. I bought it at Mood, and I love it...it's sort of Starry Night-inspired, but Spring-y:

This time around, I went with the simple gathered rectangle skirt, even though i think dirndls generally look straight out of the Von Trapp Family Spring Collection:

So am I satisfied with this pattern now? The bust is a little pointy due to the size of the dart, which makes me just want to create a princess seam for a better fit. But then, you know, it's basically a whole new pattern at that point. I think it's time to move on. So long. Farewell. Auf wiedersehen, goodbye Burdastyle Dress With Gathered Skirt and Cap Sleeves!

Bust Rotation for New and Improved Burdastyle Cap Sleeve Dress

I'm not afraid to admit this dress has issues. I was pretty happy to use the remaining lining from my Minoru jacket in this blue dress here, made with Burdastyle's Cap Sleeve Dress With Gathered Skirt pattern. But unless I stand with perfect posture, shoulders drawn back, lungs fully inflated, it's a little loose around the neckline. 

To be perfectly honest, it gapes:

This is the family friendly photo. In case you can't tell, I can see clear to my naval down the front of Burdastyle's Cap Sleeve Dress With Gathered Skirt

But I like this look, and wanted to try it again. So to figure out how to adjust the bodice pattern to better fit my chest, I began pinching and pinning the fabric until I found a dart on the neckline about 2 inches from center front took up enough ease to make it fit better through the bust.

But, of course, a dart placed like that would look odd. Luckily there's a super easy way to transfer that excess to the existing dart. 

To make that change on the paper pattern, I first marked the point on the neckline where I wanted to take out the excess. I measured 2 1/4 inches from center front and marked a point. Then I used my ruler to mark a straight line from that point to the apex of the dart (that's my red line):

The next step is to cut along the inside dart leg, up to the apex. Then fold the neckline excess (I had about 1/2-inch to take out) and tape it down. That will take the excess out of the bust and transfer it into the dart, which becomes wider as a result:

Then all you need to do is reshape your neckline and waistline slightly using a French curve, and re-trace the whole bodice pattern piece onto a new piece of paper, making sure to transfer all your markings.

I should note that having a single bust dart that is TOO BIG can result in torpedo boobs. If you find that you're increasing your dart by a lot, you should consider adding a second dart, which could open into the armhole. My alteration resulted in a slightly pointed bust, but I still really like the results.

I sewed my second version of this dress using a remnant of printed cotton I got at Metro Textile for $5, plus some orange denim (leftover from my Minoru jacket) for the waistband, and really lovely black cotton for the kurt (leftover from my sailor shorts I made last summer). That's some serious stash-busting. The skirt is an A-line pattern I drafted myself. As I was sewing, I thought the black and white print with the bright orange was a little Mondo-ish. (I was totally Team Mondo.)

I centered my print perfectly this time:

Of course, Mondo would have added another color. Or another print. Or both. I was only bold enough to add this orange waistband. 

But I'm happy with it. See how happy? Even my hair was happy.

Does this dress remind you of something? Is it a little '80s Lady Footlocker? I can't quite put my finger on it.

There you have it. Burdastyle's Dress with Gathered Skirt A-Line Skirt With Cap Sleeves adjusted to fit the concave chest of a weakling petite-busted pear-shaped lady. No more gape, and if I need to check the status of my belly button, I guess I'll have to pull up my skirt like every one else.

Blogger jealousy and making up for missed opportunities

I don't consider myself a jealous person but now and then my magnanimous appreciation for the superior work of others is tested.

Take the other day when Cynthia at DapperDuds posted on my blog to say she had made a dress from the same Marc Jacobs bow print cotton I had sadly wasted on a poorly designed Misses Vogue pattern that constricted my upper body movements (and I like moving my upper body, so that was a problem).

So like a sucker, I follow the link to her blog only to discover that her dress (sewn from Simplicity 2444) is 10 times cuter than the hack job I eventually cobbled together from that same fabric last summer.

My husband was walking by the computer and he said, "Is that you? I don't remember taking that picture." To which I replied, "NO, that's NOT me. She's younger and cuter and has better legs and more blog followers, and she made better use of that precious bow print fabric than I did....and she lives in Portland!! $%&$!!!"

And that's when I ripped our iMac out of the wall and hurled it across the room. Then I went and ate an entire bag of Mini Eggs to get myself together.

Following that heated incident, I decided to give myself a challenge. No, not to outdo Ms. Cynthia. That would be petty. My challenge was to make good use of the remaining yard and a half I had of this printed cotton I had used to line my Minoru jacket. Like that Marc Jacobs bow-print cotton, I bought it at Metro Textiles Corp. on 37th St. for just $5/yard. I quite like the geometric gray and blue design. I think they look a little like pencils, neatly arranged:

I thought the pattern Cynthia chose for her dress was a smart one because it was simple enough to showcase the lovely print. So I opted for something similar: Burdastyle's Dress with Gathered Skirt and Cap Sleeves.  I didn't have a huge amount of fabric left, so I knew sleeves were out of the question (hence, no need to buy Simplicity 2444) and the dirndl skirt would be a good way to make what I had work.

I made a muslin and made one adjustment to the front bodice pattern piece, but after sewing I realize I need to do a bust dart rotation to take out the ease that unfortunately lets me check on the status of my cleavage just by glancing downward. You can see from the photos, it fits beautifully through the waist and bust but my upper chest and shoulders aren't really filling this out so well:

Where's the anti-wrinkle filter in PhotoShop?

The fit issues won't be enough to keep me from wearing this dress, though when I make this pattern again, I will manipulate the dart to remove excess from the gaping neckline. And when I do, I will share it with you, because it's an important trick to have in your arsenal if you want to make well-fitting clothes (and are a lady with a bosom). I am most proud of how I laid the pattern pieces on this print. (The way the pencil/spears come together I feared that with the wrong placement I could end up accentuating my nipples in an egregious way. But look at how beautifully symmetrical it is! Suck it, Cynthia! (Only kidding).