New Projects

First of all, thank you everyone for your lovely and kind compliments on my outfit posts. It just goes to show that we're our own worst critics, right? I love y'all, and that's a fact.

So! New project!  I'm turning the raglan sleeve dress from Vogue 8701 into a TNT dress.  Its marked as "easy", which I guess it  is, once you get past the million and one modifications needed for proper fit. These are all common for me modifications: rounded shoulders, large arms, lengthened waist, full bust adjustment... The problems is I've never done it for this type of bodice.

I decided to go with the advice from a class I took at the Sewing Expo some times ago and make all the modifications to the back and shoulders first.  I have found this to be good advice, actually, since once that fits the FBA becomes much easier.  Here is a somewhat fuzzy photo of all those pieces:

I will be taking higher quality photos with details on how the changes worked later, probably next week.  I tried doing some searches for tutorials on how to make these changes and um... didn't find much. I had to turn to my text book on fitting, which had nothing for rounded shoulder adjustments on raglan sleeves.  I kinda made it up as I went.

This was my next big puzzle.  I needed an FBA of a total of about two inches after I made my modifications to the back and sleeves. I decided to start with the basic y-bust alteration and then use the "law of dart rotation".  I'm not sure either of these things are actual THINGS,  I know that many a book and blog have talked about them, though I think I may take my own crack at it here. In any case, I tried to make sure that the dart tips were at least 1.5 inches away from the bust point* so that I'm not sporting Madonna Bra Cones.

Next up I traced the pattern pieces for the "Roxy Royal" hoodie in the Autumn 2012 Ottobre' magazine. I'm pretty sold on this magazine so far and think I'm going to get a year's subscription. They have the best selection for boys anywhere that I've found. So.. YAY!  The hoodie is actually for a friend's daughter.  She loves pink and My Little Ponies, and I have some polar fleece of the original ponies kicking around in my stash. In fact, its been kicking there for about a decade now. Originally it was intended for Felicity but she is currently anti-pink.

But back to this magazine, its got that crazy migraine-inducing pattern sheets you trace. I've taken to highlighting the one I want with a similar colored highlighter. Makes a huge difference.  Also, those huge wax sheets save my life when it comes to this. Best haberdashery purchase ever!

In conclusion, here's Wanderer (aka Monkey Butt,  cause that's what Felicity started calling him after he got 'fixed' and came home with his butt shaved) helping me with my projects.

What are you working on?

* Another nice tip I read recently is to think of the bust as the tip of a cone in relation to the garment you are wearing.  You have to shape the fabric to mold around your bust in a pleasing manner.