Ta-dah! I finished my Christmas dress and it has mother-flippin' SLEEVES! Check out those bad boys.
So.... I have weird shoulders/shoulder blades and a straight back. I suppose I've always known that, but it has become increasingly obvious since I started delving into fitting issues. Dressmaking sure does make you super observant of your own body quirks.
As you've probably noticed it's another By Hand London Elisalex dress. I was determined to attach some well fitting sleeves to this bodice by the end of the year and I think I've cracked it. I've listed my fitting alterations as bullet points below, mostly so I can remember what I've done but also for anyone else who may have similar fitting problems.
I cut out a size 12 based on the pattern's finished waist measurement and adjusted the following:
- 1 1/2" (overall) full bust adjustment following BHL's tutorial
- lengthened the bodice by 5/8"
- removed 1/2" from the front shoulder and added 1/2" to the back shoulder - a forward shoulder adjustment to correct the problem I had with the shoulder seams slipping backwards.
- removed 1/2" from the back bodice, tapering out to 0 just above the armhole - an erect upper back adjustment. This solved the problem I had with my bodice tilting/dipping towards the back. I have a fairly straight back and a very curvy front (thanks chest!) so obviously my back bodice piece doesn't need as much length as the front. A bit of a "duuuuh" moment for me. This blog post helped loads as did Jo's posts on her own muslin fitting.
- altered the sleeve head to match the new shoulder seam placement following Heather B's tutorial.
- lowered the armhole by 1/2" and added 1/4" to each side of the sleeve (to match the amount added to the armhole) to accommodate my larger "guns".
- attached a simple gathered skirt instead of the box pleat tulip skirt and added a skirt lining. Sadly I didn't have enough fabric to add pockets. A sleeved dress out of 2 metres of fabric is pretty good though!
The shoulder and sleeve alteration was a light bulb moment for me. I noticed that if I hunched my shoulders forward the seams sat correctly, so of course it made sense to remove fabric from the front of the shoulder and add it to the back where my (larger than average?) shoulder blades need more space. I have no idea whether my shoulders are just genetically designed this way (perhaps I might sprout wings like Angel in X-Men:The Last Stand...) or I just have very good posture.
But yay for the wonders of the internet and kick-ass sewing bloggers! There's no way I would have figured out any of these fitting problems by myself.
Mmmmm, nice and tidy insides. I did quite a lot of blindstitching as usual to finish things off neatly - skirt hem, sleeve hems (turned up with bias binding) and attaching the lining at the armholes, waistband and zip. I love an invisible finish and really enjoy handsewing. It's a nice little job to do whilst watching tv.
The turquoise bodice lining is a silk cotton mix which I thought I'd try out. It was a bit of a shit to work as it moved around a lot, but it feels lovely to wear. I like the fun colour contrast too.
Hey, look... my pattern matching at the back almost works. Just a couple of millimetres out vertically. Close enough for me! The scooped neckline at the back is my favourite feature of this dress pattern. There's something very elegant and 1950s about it.
Although little silver shoes look pretty my dress is far more likely to be worn like this on a day to day basis - with a chunky, wooly cardigan and big, cosy boots - appropriate for Scottish winter.
Throughout university people never believed I came from Scotland. Apparently I look like I come from Norway, Sweden, Germany or Iceland. A tutor even came up to me once and said rather loudly and slowly, "ARE.YOU.FROM.HERE?" thinking I was the Icelandic exchange student. Nope - just a tall, pale skinned, dark blonde with a love for big, wooly jumpers. My long, plaited hair at the time completed the look. I suppose this Scandinavian looking red and white snowflake dress has the potential to confuse people again. Yeah, I could be Norwegian....
So that's my Christmas dress. I'm going to try and get as much wear out of it as possible over the next couple of weeks before it's tucked away for 11 months. I don't have any other red dresses in my wardrobe so this is a fun addition. Has anyone else completed any festive sewing projects recently?