My quest for the perfect fit…or at least properly fitting armscye and sleeves has been taking longer than expected.

After taking the full Craftsy class with Lynda Maynard and working on several muslin iterations…I still had some issues

So, in April I took a class at Raystitch with Alice Prier to get a professional help me with fit. During the class we finalised the pattern…and then I had to park my project until now. Finally I found some time to test my pattern with real fabric…problem was I didn’t have enough to make the sleeves nor for my preferred length!

 

And it turns out I still have some work to do:

1. The bodice and skirt front darts don’t match. It’s minimal and you can’t really see it on the photos…but the issue is there. As you may notice the skirt has two darts. Alice suggested those as they make the dress fit better.

2. We added a shoulder dart and it’s slightly peeking out. I think I need to move it.

3. The waist dart has some issues in the bust area…though it’s exactly the same shape I used for my Peony dress, I want to try shaping it as a regular triangle. Or maybe it’s just the lighter fabric (it’s some sort of suiting brand that should probably have been lined). What do you think?

4. Though the dress looks wrinkly it feels very comfy. So I should try making it in a different fabric before changing too much.

Just for the sake of comparison, have a look at the Mad Men dress I made some years ago. It’s exactly the same pattern. I used it as a starting point for Sew the Perfect Fit class. That dress was linen with a polyester lining.

 

Some funny things happened in the construction process…the cotton sleeves got wider. That’s why I have to wear them pulled up as in the left-hand picture above. I had already cut the cuffs using the paper pattern as reference. When I pinned them together I saw there was over 2 inch difference (6 cm). I created a pleat at the front and back. The drawback is that they are too tight at the elbow. I am still puzzled.

To add some fun and use bias binding in my stash, I chose orange around the neckline…little would I know that you can see it peeking at the center front. Thankfully I have a necklace to cover it up!

Last but not least…the sleeve area feels very good! I am so pleased that I finally have no restriction in that area. So after I am done with all my summer projects I will make another dress!

If you have any tips or see anything I may have missed please let me know. I really feel your feedback will help.

Disclaimer: I took all pictures by myself with the self-timer as I wanted to become more independent. I have to admit it’s much harder to pose when you are on your own and get a good shot. Ah…I was also trying out some lipstick. I won’t do that again!