Soooo...do you remember the lofty goal I had of sewing my way through my huge stash of patterns as part of my Thrifty Year? The Thrifty Year that started in 2010 and has now made it's way to 2011 with a renewed vigor?
Yeah...that one. Well, it's been going well. I haven't bought anything new that wasn't on the list, other than a cheap, poorly made set of wooden spoons (it was an emergency...really.) I've repaired my 1945 Singer for a whopping $7.00 and I've been slowly working my way through a huge pile of patterns (keep, sell, keep, keepkeepkeepkeep, sigh...okay...sellsellsell!)
Anyway, I'll begin documenting this stash-busting exercise with a doozie. Yes, a doozie. I was very excited by this pattern when I found it in a lot of vintage patterns that I bought about a year ago:
Adorable isn't it? The wonderful Erin had blogged about it almost three years ago and I was just itching to give it a try. Itching to give it a try without stopping for a moment to consider whether it would work for my figure. The short answer is nope. Ah well. Here's how the process went:
Step One: Hooray! Snip snip, cut cut, iron iron. Who needs a muslin? Certainly not moi!
Step Two: Sew sew, buttonhole buttonhole, sew sew (this will be awesome!)
Step Three: Hmmmm...
Step Four: Perhaps I will draft a little Peter Pan collar to add a little bit of interest?
Step Five: Innnnteresting...I think I'll hold off hemming for a wee bit...
Step Six: It looks waaaay better on my Judy...(obviously I didn't get as far as hemming. I was trying to see if it looked any less frumpy at knee length rather than ballerina length. Nope.)
Step Seven: Let's see what happens when I chop off the sleeves and back and make it a sundress (the desperate act of a desperate woman.)
Step Eight: Well that's a revealing bodice isn't it?
Step Nine: UFEFO Pile...(Unfinished Extremely Frustrating Object Pile) (I think it will make a nice circle skirt...stay tuned...)
While in the middle of this process, I realized that part of the problem I ALWAYS have is that while my measurements are a textbook 36 bust, my ribcage is very narrow and I have a short back. All of the patterns I've made end up having baggy bodices, yet still require an FBA (Full Bust Adjustment.) I read a post that recommended going down a size in a pattern and then adding the FBA, due to the fact that all patterns are a standard B cup. Apparently this ensures that the shoulders, chest, back AND bust all fit. Hooray! My next pattern experiment will include this adjustment. It was too late for the 6655, however.
I've listed the pattern in the store. After my amazingly persuasive sales pitch, I'm not sure anyone will want to give it a try, but rest assured that the problem was with it being a poor match for my shape, not with the pattern being a dud. The pattern's actually great and very versatile and the little triangle pockets (which I didn't get around to adding) are adorable! If you're interested in giving it a try, just add WASPWAIST into the message area and I'll refund you 25% of the pattern price for your bravery.
Happy sewing!
xox
Elle
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