(no subject)

[theladyrebecca]

I'm starting to think maybe this Butterick dress is not meant to be. Because of the strange way it wraps, it is unfortunately impossible to try on until it's fully assembled. Well, it's fully assembled now, with the full bodice linings and hand-stitching and all, and the fit is laughable. For one thing, the front neckline is way too wide (like, minimum 2" too wide, but I could probably take 4" out and still have a decent neckline). The shoulders are also far too long in the back, to the point where they make the whole back of the bodice pouf out. I'm thinking about 2" too long towards the center back. Also, the front section is longer than the back section, so it needs to be hemmed at least 1-1.5" shorter.

I could actually fix these problems without terribly too much trouble. I can make an ugly dart between the bust and neckline, joining it up with one of the darts coming up from the waist. Of course, it would have to be through the outer and lining fabric together, because ripping them apart is way too much work. The dart is actually fully hidden under the part where the back portion wraps around and goes up in points over the bust. I can also undo my handsewing and machine sewing at the shoulders, and take them up, and sew it back together.

But of course, those aren't the only problems. The sleeves are basically dolman cap sleeves, which means that once I do the above alterations, I get weird wrinkles heading toward the armpit. Now, I usually avoid dolman sleeves like the plague, so I don't know - maybe this is normal? Also, the back section that comes around and goes over the bust has a dart in the side, but it is way too high, so instead of fixing anything, it actually just makes the bust pouf weirdly.

So I don't know, should I just give it up? It's a really cute dress beyond all those issues, and I don't think I've ever given up on a project, but I don't honestly see a way that I could turn this into something I love because of all the fit issues... And this was supposed to be a quick project... *Sigh*

Comments

[hharris.livejournal.com]

Uug. 'quick projects' are the worst!
Just one thing to add: those types sleeves will have underarm wrinkles - it's just their nature. The yellow/ white dress illustrated on the cover is what I'd expect them to look like.

[marianme.livejournal.com]

It's the curse of quickie no mockup. When it works, quick outfit. When it doesn't, it takes almost more time to alter the garment then it would have been to make a mockup. I try to make most things without mockups and often have disappointing results even when making the most common adjustments in advance.

[chocolatepot.livejournal.com]

~*~That's the magic of Butterick!~*~

In all seriousness, it might be best to treat this as a mockup/rough draft. I think dolman sleeve wrinkles are just how those work, but the rest is not as intended. It sounds like it needs a full bust adjustment at the very least (but I have no idea how you would do thaton that pattern).