A Bust-Fit Tutorial (Of Sorts)

I considered entitling this post "My Short Waist Is the Best Thing That Ever Happened to My Big Boobs (When It Comes to Wearing Clothes)" but I sensed it was a bit cumbersome. Mind you, this post isn't exactly a light read.

I don't know what's more questionable: that I'm about to recommend a sewing FBA (of sorts) or that I'm doing any sort of tutorial on fit at all (given my level of experience) - and this without so much as a photo series to accompany it.

Let's start with the requisite proviso: Reader beware. I am not expert on: sewing, fitting, alterations or tutorials. Hell, until recently I hadn't sewn much in 2 months. I am an expert on certain other things in my universe - let's not be all down on me - but you see where I'm coming from. Furthermore, as I learn more about alterations as my skills improve, I reserve the right to advise you all that this was a crude and/or crazy idea.

I'm calling the alteration, for want of a better term (please tell me if there's one that already exists): The Narrow Frame / Deep Bust Adjustment (NFDBA "for short"). In fact, if you can tell me anything about this method - someone else already made it up, you've tried it and it works on you (or doesn't), you think it's stupid etc., I'm happy to hear your feedback. In large measure, I've written this post in the interests of discovering someone else who may know more, different or better. And, natch, I'd love if it were to have some actual merit or to help someone.

Background: You know that S and I have worked on bodice fitting for quite some time (though we have been on a bit of a hiatus due to life responsibilities of late). It sounds trite to say that I have learned a vast amount from S and the experience. Truly, it's changed my perspective on practically everything three-dimensional. Additionally, I have read a number of useful fit resources, amongst them (and just to name a few):

• Fit For Real People (FFRP)
• The Complete Guide to Perfect Fitting
• The Singer Fashion Tailoring Book

We know, from many a sewing post on this blog, that I have struggled with the standard (FFRP) version of the FBA, generally applied to a darted top. I've struggled with all kinds of FBAs but let's focus primarily on this one. Every time I've given it a go, though I've been quite restrained, I get a baggy garment under the breasts and a weird one over and above them.

I did work out a very useful FBA method on princess seam garments (in which Taran and the Singer book were instrumental).  But what about all those other tops in the world I want to make and wear??

Who's the NFDBA For?

• A woman with a proportionately large bust on a proportionately narrow, small- to medium-boned frame
• The size you'd make to fit your full bust should probably not be more than one size larger than that which you'd make to fit your high bust i.e. if you're a 12 in full bust but a 10 in high bust, that's fine. If you're a 12 in full bust but an 8 in high bust, that might be problematic. I can't say with certainty - I've only had the chance to try this on my own body.
• The bust should be DEEP, not wide, and breasts should not splay excessively to sides (see why below)
• A short waist is preferable
• An hourglass shape is also preferable i.e. a waist that indents, though it doesn't need to indent a tremendous amount

As you can see, it's a bit of a niche market - but I'm sure there are enoug of you out there who fit this description.

What Kind of Garment Does this Work On?

• A bodice with bust darts in a woven.
• A bodice with bust darts (or without them i.e. T shirt) in a knit 
• In addition to the above, it's best to work with a pattern that highlights the waist
• It's easier (as are all things) on a pattern that has no sleeves, but you can do it with sleeves, you just have to note if the shape or size of the armscye changes
• It's also easier to work this on a knit

This isn't, as far as I can tell, a useful "method" for princess seams or other sorts of bodice shaping.

What Else Do I Need to Know?

You'll start by making your muslin in the size that fits your full bust. Oh, I know - this is HERESY. You're supposed to fit the upper chest and then FBA and make other required alterations. But seriously peeps (and I'm having a blog-writing deja vu!) I'd rather make everything else smaller, if that's what it takes, and get a garment that fits in the end, than do an FBA that ends up wrecking the line of the garment.

Pls. note: I suspect that many of you are feeling queasy right now. I respect that. I, too, feel queasy. But stay the course. I'm going somewhere with this and, really, in the end, it all comes down to whether this will work for you, if other FBAs have not.

I'm positing that, for the small framed-large busted woman, it's actually easier to adjust from the larger size than the smaller. Of course, I could be out of my mind.

OK, What The Hell Is This Adjustment And How Do You Make It Happen?

The adjustment is a way to allow for extra room in the bust  without adding extra width in the bodice. The reason you need a narrow frame, deep breasts and short waist is that the depth of your breasts will be compensated for by the length of the front bodice. If your torso is not narrow, you won't be able to maximize length in the front bodice. If your torso is long, you can still do this (I suppose) but it may be more complicated.

What's the salient construct of the alteration? You shorten the back bodice above the waist and below the bust.

I'll use my latest project as an example: When I constructed muslin 1 (unaltered bodice) in the size that fits my full bust (apparently, 38" when measured recently), I found the following:

• It fit nicely in the bust BUT
• The shoulders were a bit too wide
• I needed a symmetrically wider seam allowance in the side seams (it's slightly to big around the true waist to high hip) - this means I'll need to take about 1/2" symmetrically out of each side seam, pretty easy and the line of the top is retained...
• This it the thing I noticed most of all - a scant inch of fabric pooled at my lower back!

That fabric is the excess (given my short waist) that's taken up by the profile of my breasts on the front bodice. It's like I get a free pass in the boob area because my waist is short. But there's nothing to uptake that length on the back.

Seems pretty reasonable that I should simply hack out that amount of fabric from the back bodice and go. But, it's not entirely that simple. 

When one removes length on one side of the pattern only, it screws with the alignment of the side seam. Now, there are various ways one can deal with this, I imagine. But since this seems to work for me, I'll suggest that you add back the length just below the armscye. Walking your pattern will tell you how much you need to add (or at least act as a guide); there's a certain amount of intuition in this alteration - which is to say, at this point, I don't know how to explain why I go off-road when I do.

What's walking the pattern? This is simply aligning the edges of the seam allowances (on the paper pattern) of adjoining pattern pieces. For example, your side seams on your actual garment, will need to line up when you sew that seam. Perhaps you take it for granted that this should automatically occur. You did pay for your pattern, after all. However, some patterns are inaccurately drafted. Also remember, once you start to make alterations on a bodice, those alterations are likely to impact the length of one or both side seams, rendering them unequal. 

So, I walk the pattern from the hem, see where it stops at the underarm, note the discrepancy between the lengths of front and back, and add on to the back piece / sometimes take away a bit from the front piece. It's 2 parts engineering, 1 part intuition. Sometimes it doesn't work on the first try.

Big Time Note: Once you start screwing with the armscye, if your garment has sleeves, you're going to have to factor this in and adjust them to fit. Also: For good fit, most sleeves and armscyes already, and independently of other alterations, need to be adjusted - so I see this as part of the process, not an extra alteration. And I promise not to write a tutorial on that!

Other Big Time Note: Before you walk the side seams, always close your dart. Darts impact the length of the side and they're closed in the garment, so you'll need to close them for measuring the pattern length.

Order of Operations Recap:

• Walk side seams on unaltered pattern to make sure they align (optional). If they don't, alter the pattern so that they do.

• Make an unaltered muslin in the size that correlates with full bust - as long as it's not more than 1 size larger than your high bust size would be. (You might still try this if these ratios are more extreme, I just don't know what the outcome will be.)

• Try on the garment and review. You probably need to make a small shoulder adjustment, take in the side seams a bit, and symmetrically i.e. just increase the width of your side seam allowance, and remove pooling from the back waist. If this isn't the case, email me. I really want to talk about it.

• Reflect the required adjustments on paper (as indicated above). Note that I haven't talked about marking up the muslin and pulling it apart in the interests of altering the paper pattern. That's cuz you might want to wear your existing "muslin" i.e. that top you've been making for a while. This allows you to make an altered new version without deconstructing the original one. According to whom you ask, it's a good plan or a less good plan. I vacillate between the two perspectives. Right now I'm into wearing things for a while till I have a better fitted version. Unless, of course, the muslin is a disaster.

• Try it on again. If the alterations didn't quite get you there, refine them.

So, I'm putting this out there for your consideration. I would welcome any feedback - positive or negative (but friendly, of course!). Have you ever tried this? Did it work?

Pattern designers and Experienced Pattern Alterers: Are there flaws in this reasoning we should discuss? I mean, does it just work on me - or should it work on others?

Let's talk!

Gauge The Situation: Interpreting Instructions

I had a challenging weekend on the knitting front. Y'all know I'm not an expert on cables. Well, the cables on the Chuck, they are plentiful. Don't misunderstand. They're not plentiful in the scheme of a cable knit sweater you'd find at a village shop in Scotland. But for a veritable knitting novice, well, let's just say I spent a few hours ripping out the same 10 rows. 

To clarify, I think that (designer) Andi's instructions are very good. Lord, by comparison with the slim paragraph provided for the McCardell Convertible, they're the substance of a freakin' PhD thesis. But, like many of you who've commented as much, I am frequently perplexed by the language that is "knitting instruction". 

When first I started to sew, I didn't think anything could ever be more challenging than deciphering a sewing pattern. Now that I knit, I realize that sewing patterns function, as technical documents, on a totally different plane than their knitting counterparts. I'm not suggesting that one is superior than the other. A good knitting pattern is aligned with a good sewing pattern. But knitters are the souls of brevity. I mean, they don't even use full words to explain things most of the time. :-)

Andi's pattern comes with 8 pages of directions and they are very clear. Thing is, I still managed to completely misinterpret something big.*

Today's post is about what you do when you've got a) good (or less good) instructions and b) no fucking idea about what to do next.

• You go to Knitting Help and TechKnitting and Knitty. I find videos (mainly on Knitting Help) to be insanely useful because I'm a visual learner.

• You email your knitting friends and learn how incredibly knowledgeable and selfless they are. (Note: What are you waiting for? Make some online knitting friends.)

• You find an LYS (local knitting shop) - even if you live in Iqaluit, find one - and then fall at the feet of a helpful sales assistant (often knit shop SAs are expert knitters and part of the job experience is to help freaked out novices like you). Make sure to buy something if you're not charged for his or her time or, better yet, offer to pay for his or her time (in the form of hourly private lessons you can use 15 minutes at a time when you're flat out stuck). I've learned more from watching an expert fix my "massive, traumatic" problem (in 2 minutes) than any book has ever taught me.

• Have some books on hand but recognize that reading them when you're beside yourself with stress may not be as helpful as one of the more interactive approaches.

• Email the pattern designer, if info is available. (Knitting designers are often incredibly generous with their time and, after all, who understands a pattern better than the designer.) It goes without saying, don't ask said designer about how to knit. Use this valuable resource to assist you with more interpretive elements of the pattern.

• Find someone on Ravelry who's had a similar problem and check out, in the notes, what (s)he did to resolve it. You might even email him or her to ask for help. That's how I met Gail. 

•  Be prepared to work very diligently - some might even say "brain-smokingly" - to overcome challenges that perplex you in every way. I don't like problems but, man, I love solving them. I can't tell you how many times, in any given project (and this goes for sewing too, fyi), that I am utterly convinced that all is for nought. I keep notes. I cross-reference documentation. I review photos of the garment in question. I rip back and start again. I yell at my knitting. I drink a lot of wine. Occasionally, I start to cry. But I don't admit defeat easily, if ever. DO NOT GIVE UP. If I can do this, you can too. (See all the bullets above.)

But now I'll turn it over to you. What do you hate about knitting instructions (or love)? What resources do you make use of to help you through the rough patches? Please, share a new one with me! Let's chat...

Update: I don't fucking believe this. Just spent all night knitting and ripping out the same 20 rows yet again. (I think that's 6 times now or 120 freakin' rows.) I really hope I've learned my lesson about how to read a cable pattern at this point. The thing that astounds me is that every single time I've had to unknit, I've figured out something new. Guess I'm really going to appreciate this sweater in the end.

*FYI, what I did wrong was to assume that the cable pattern instructions (a subset of the main instructions and labeled Rows 1 through 6) were aligned with the Front Neckline main instructions (which intermittently refer to the cable pattern instructions). So, on row 4 of the pattern at the neckline, I inserted row 4 of the cable pattern. In fact, I was supposed to insert row 1 of the cable pattern (as this was its first instance in the pattern overall). Seriously, how was I supposed to know this? I think that advanced knitters understand because they've seen it so many times before. 

Oh, and the other thing I did wrong was to mess up the cables in 8000 unique ways till I finally found a groove. Interpretation is a bitch.

Housekeeping

Maybe it's crossed your mind, lately, that my craft output (if not my creative planning) isn't at its usual volume. I, for one, am blaming this on my home renovation. You know, the home reno that was supposed to be done by Labour Day? Well, now we're aiming for Canadian Thanksgiving. Because, natch, everyone ties the wishful completion of renovations to the major holidays.

Since I'm sure this is a topic of major interest to you (cue clearing of throat), here's a little update:

• My expectations are beaten down so I can scarcely care anymore that we're behind schedule, over budget, unable to see through our windows, living under the shadow of scaffolding, cramped and without a useable back yard. 

• This is despite the fact that my husband has taken on a second career (though his original one is going through an extremely busy phase) managing the contractor who's managing the trades. Scott is to be commended as the work is being excellently completed, if at the pace of restoration. The truth is, I don't understand how anyone can do any renovations for an affordable price. It takes so much labour, so many resources and SO MUCH TIME. We did go through a phase of trades-absenteeism (boring story), which affected our end-date, but we've more than made up the time and there's still an endless roster of things to complete.

• It's pretty freakin' gorgeous up there. You know I was not in favour of this reno, since it comes at the expense of the new kitchen I desperately wanted (and arguably need). But I have to say, it's a beautifully balanced addition to the home I love so much.

• Can't blame trades for everything... When we learned that the original floor would take far too much money to restore, based on its condition - we would have needed to remove all the boards, re-mill and re-lay them to fit and this wouldn't have addressed our sound-insulation concern adequately - we had to choose an alternative. Just call me that really annoying homeowner (a la Property Brothers) who says, at the last minute, I simply MUST have this special floor I just found - the one that needs to come in from Quebec takes an extra two weeks.

• More to come on the floor but it's engineered wood, specifically reclaimed oak (i.e. barn board in a previous life). Plank lengths are 6 feet and plank width is 7.5 inches. No new trees were harmed in the making of this project and the reclaimed wood is exceedingly beautiful. Furthermore, it'll be laid on a sound insulating underlay (important as this room will act as my husband's music studio). Finally, nothing has been glued onto the existing hardwood so it will still be restorable in the future, should the next owners choose to go that route. Mind you, they'd be stupid to do that cuz the new floor is FINE.

• In the words of my mother - who, on an impressive side note, is currently walking 500 miles in 6 weeks on the Camino de Santiago - Pay a lot, cry once. Pay a little, cry forever. (I think she's paraphrased the French saying: Bon marché tire agent de bourse. i.e. What is cheap is the most costly.) I'm working this philosophy, apparently, as the engineered wood we've ordered costs about 50 per cent more than your average nice hardwood. Mind you, to find hardwood in the length and width dimensions of this engineered wood, you'd be looking at about 100 bucks a board foot (that's smaller than a square foot, fyi). We're paying much less than that because the beautiful reclaimed oak you'll see sits on a bed of engineered wood. Point is, you won't be able to tell that our new floor isn't hardwood through all of its thicknesses. It will look like a million bucks (which is practically what it would have cost if it were pure hardwood).

• IMO, the two things you notice first in any home are a) the height of the ceilings / light ratio and b) the quality of the floors. I'm just going to say it - I'm a total floor snob. One of the things I love most about old homes is the beauty of the wooden floors. I don't particularly like skinny planks. I don't like parquet, I don't like hardwood laid along the horizontal grain of the room. Laminate just makes me angry.

• Having said all this, I'm at the "crying once" moment, for sure. I'm vaguely afraid of my line of credit.

Ah, home ownership. It's rich. For real, like.

Gauge the Situation: Pre-Knit Planning

When you knit, and you have narrow shoulders, and a not large waist, and large breasts, you have some options available to you in obtaining the "perfect size":

• You can short row bust darts into the sweater.

• You can alter the finished size of the sweater by knitting different sizes at different points in the project (kind of like grading from one size to another in a sewing pattern). Effectively your sweater becomes a mash up of 2 or more sizes. 

• You can alter your gauge to gain inches in bust circumference (but it will increase the circumference by the same proportion everywhere else in the garment too). I have a whole theory about this (see below).

• You can do some combination of all of the above but, man, that's complicated.

Each of these solutions requires math. On the plus side, the math is extremely pragmatic and is limited to division, multiplication, addition and subtraction. If you can understand what you're trying to accomplish conceptually, I'm almost certain you have the math skills to work out the specifics. On the down side, you really do have to understand what you're trying to accomplish conceptually. 

 

My point is, don't fear the math. If you want to be afraid, I recommend fearing the required three-dimensional thinking skills and the need to understand the properties of your yarn (and your knitting relationship with it). The math is just the grunt mechanism you use to sort those things out. (Did I just diss math?)

You'll recall this series is not about teaching knitting because a) I'm not skilled enough at this point and b) so many people have done it so well in so many ways that are entirely available and free that it's crazy for me to try to add to that pantheon. However, this series is about directing one to the appropriate resources. It is also about guiding the knitter (new or rusty) in creating garments that optimally a) suit and then b) fit her frame. I sense, and this is where you're in luck if you have a shape that resembles mine in some way, my focus will be on creating garments that fit me well . Don't misunderstand, the principles are universal so the theory is that you will benefit regardless of how our bodies differ (if I do a good job, that is).

Apropos of this:

A) Re: Short Rows for shaping - There's awesome info on how to do this via Fit Your Knits and the free Short Rows mini-class, both offered on Craftsy. Short rows are a complex topic not only because of the technique(s) you use to make them, but because of the myriad sorts of shaping they produce and their many potential applications. I suggest that you pay and sign up for Fit Your Knits (taught by the talented Stefanie Japel) because it is almost certain to improve your ability to knit sweaters that fit your shape well (whatever shape that is) but also because the application of short rows - as they pertain to bust darts in a sweater - is discussed in some detail. This includes the conceptual work you need to understand and the math that accompanies it.

B) Re: Mashing up sizes: This "technique" is very specific to whatever pattern you choose but, for someone of my shape, a small in shoulders, neck, arms and waist - grading to the medium in bust (starting under the armhole i.e. at the upper chest) - can often do the trick. The thing you need to figure out is where, specifically, to make the increases and how to make them without screwing up the design if, for example, there are things like cables or other stitch patterns to consider. I've learned most about this by discussing potential mash up options with the designers of the sweaters I've knit or by reading the feedback of others on Ravelry / asking my awesome knitting friends for help. 

C) Re: Altering size with gauge: Do read these posts about gauge, in case you want to know the probable impact of knitting out of gauge by accident, or more to the point ON PURPOSE. It's super easy to add 3 or even 6 inches to the circumference of a sweater, even without trying and by following all of the pattern instructions - except for matching the instructed gauge. 

Last night I knit a gauge swatch using 2 different needle sizes (lots of info on this out there) and blocked it (lots of info on this too) to determine that: Yes indeed, I knit loosely. 

Moreover, I finally get why my gauge swatches haven't been so useful, to date. I suspect it's because I start off knitting (relatively) tightly till I find my groove and then things start to relax. This time, I swatched in the suggested needle size US8, seemed to get gauge, then moved on to a US7, in which I also seemed to get gauge, went back to the US8 - and my gauge was a whole stitch per inch looser than the first US8 swatch. It's because I found a rhythm, on that second US8 swatch, that I just hadn't found on the first. 

 

As it happens, my US7 swatch is still very slightly looser than the proposed pattern horizontal gauge of 4.5 stitches per inch. I'm getting 4.3 stitches to the inch. (Note that vertical gauge is less concerning to me in this pattern because I can add rows to add length as necessary.) What this means, and I did spend a lot of time working this out with math, is that I'm likely going to find a bit more give in my version of this sweater, on a  US7 needle, than the pattern dimensions suggest, but not enough to make the requisite difference in the bust.

For the most part, I'm a size small in the Chuck. In the bust, not quite.

The thing about this pattern is that the bust dimension between each size is 4" - that's not a small span. Add this to my aim for 3" of negative ease and I've got some sorting to do.

 

The Knitty-Gritty

Let's not delve into the boring mathy details, but if I knit the whole thing in a size small, it's going to be too tight in the bust by 1.25" (and that's after it stretches by 3 inches of negative ease). The extra 1.25" is the difference between a sexy-style, tight sweater and one that's simply too small / pulls in the cables.  Alas, if I knit the small everywhere but the bust, and then the medium in the bust, the finished size (once I've factored in the negative ease) will be 3" larger than I'd like.

To recap - in case you're zoning on the general principles (and who can blame you): 

•  My gauge swatch told me that I need to size down a needle to get almost, but not quite, the pattern dimensions. 
• It also told me that my sweater, knit in US7 needles, will still be a bit bigger than the pattern dimensions suggest. 
• The pattern told me the actual size of each circumference dimension. 
• My preference (based on my shape, my attitude, and what I know of the design/designer) determined the amount of ease I will aim for and the type of yarn I will choose to encourage that ease to drape optimally on my body. 

Based on these factors, I know that neither size small nor medium, without further alteration of the pattern, will work in the bust.

In case you're curious, it took me about 3 hours to figure all of this out. (And about 2 hours to write this post.)

But don't despair! I sorted it relatively easily by a) carefully reviewing the pattern instructions and then b) emailing the pattern designer to confirm the following:

• Short rows (A) are not a good idea if I want to retain the symmetry of the cables.
• Size mash up (B) is probably my best bet - as long as I can achieve the desired size by knitting the medium in the bust. (See above for why I can't.)
• The alteration of size, very slightly, given my gauge (C) isn't germane. This won't influence sizing enough to warrant either striving for perfect pattern gauge, or avoiding it. Note: I have deliberately avoided going down to a US6 to get pattern gauge (potentially) because that may screw with the kind of ease I can achieve and the nature of the stitch. I have talked about this in more detail here.

Andi did say that she thinks I'll be able to add some stitches onto the small under the armholes (but not as many as I'd need to knit the bust as a size M) so that I can achieve a 38" bust after 3" of negative ease. 

 

BTW, what's the number of stitches I'll require (according to my math and gauge) to do this?: 6.

 

Yup. 6 extra stitches, added at the armholes, should give me that 1.25" in bust circumference I'm looking for.

 

Now only time will tell if I've done my figuring correctly.

 

I bring you this tome of a post to hit the point home: I suggest you spend 4 hours figuring out the stitch numbers that accord with your actual dimensions so that you don't have to spend 20 hours ripping out stitches or (worse still) so that you don't knit an entire garment that's not quite right for your body.

 

I wonder if there's anyone still reading at this point. I sure hope so.

 

Thoughts or feelings? 

Gauge The Situation: No Justifying My Love

You know I got sick, stayed home and bought yarn from America. Well, that yarn is STILL not here (stupid postal service) and my hands cannot remain idle any longer, not that I can possibly come up with another justification for yarn purchase.

Except I can, kind of.

I had to go and buy new yarn because I've decided to make not one, but two worsted weight sweaters as part of my Gauge the Situation series. C'mon. Two is better than 1, right?

Worsted Gauge, Project 1: Chuck Sweater in Cascade 220 Heather series 4001

Photo from Yarnzilla

(Yeah, I know, I know, I don't like variegated yarn, but this stuff is very muted. You can't see striations of different colours in it. Yeah, it's kind of blue - that colour I can't stay away from - but it's also kind of grey. Shark colour! I do believe that it's a wearable, beautiful neutral. And you'll recall this thing is all about wearability.)

I'm making this sweater first cuz the freakin' yarn is in my hands. Note that I could (sort of) get with this additional purchase because Cascade 220 is very affordable (though not cheap-seeming) yarn. It's also the stuff that Andi used to make her version.

Let me also say that it gave me an opportunity to visit Ewe Knit which is seriously, the loveliest yarn store I've ever gone to. It is so delightfully NOT CRUNCHY GRANOLA. People, there's a chic espresso bar in the front (run by the same couple that owns the yarn shop, but completely distinct). I will concede that the boutique is sort of hard to find because it really doesn't look like a yarn store (and I can't complain about that).

It's got a very good selection of yarn, very well curated, at a variety of price points. The service is terrific. I will return.

FYI, if you're in TO, there's knit night every Thursday and it comes with little food goodies.

Worsted Gauge, Project 2: Inaugural Sweater in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, 1170 (Dark Grey).

Y'all have really helped me to make up my mind with your excellent feedback. I was briefly on the fence about this sweater. I felt it might be a bit "chunky", but you almost unanimously agree that it's a good choice. The more I've considered it, the more I agree. Win, win!

In the wise words of Katy: We can buy practical things. With the amount of time we spend on knitting, it should be spent on projects we feel passionate about.

And just cuz I like to up the ante, I'll aim to be both practical and passionate.

Yabba Dabba Doo

I feel like someone's about to scream "Wilma!" while I'm wearing this top, which isn't to say I don't like it :-):

I still have to apply the button and thread chain...

This is strangely wrinkly in the pic, though not in real life. How does that happen?

OK, you know it's on the dress form, which had a different body than mine, but with the 10" zip I can actually get it over the immoveable shoulders of this thing. All in all, I support the longer zip, which sits well on the side seam as long as it's interfaced (I used organza).

Dare I say it looks better on me? (At which point you might malign me for not having the decency to show a pic. Note: I hope to wear it tomorrow and, if I do, I'll get Scott to snap it on my way out the door...)

My alterations worked very well, all things considered. I did have a small challenge with the angle and height of the back shoulder, but it was easy to cut down in the correct way (fortunately I'd cut the fabric too big). This is likely my pattern alteration error though, in truth, I looked many times at the original pattern and can't see where I went wrong. It's weird.

I could probably take a bit more length out of the lower back (but then it might start to screw with the front length) and I could probably change the positioning of the shoulder seam by putting a bit more on the front and taking a bit off the back (to adjust for computer-shoulders).

But it's extremely wearable. One might even say it fits well.

And we wonder why ladies can't make (much less buy) clothing that fits beautifully.

People - I'm wearing 3 graded sizes in this one simple shell. Plus, I've screwed with front length above the breasts. And back length below the waist. That's crazy complicated, relatively speaking, and this thing doesn't even have sleeves.

Note: Next up, I'll post about my secret alteration technique. Yeah, it's hardly secret and just about as much technique, but I have to keep you guessing!

Some things about the fabric: I'm starting to wonder if it's really silk. It's definitely not charmeuse because it's matte on both sides. While it was silk-like challenging to stitch, it feels a bit stiff to me. Maybe it's china silk? Thing is, it's not sheer. I should burn some of it and see what happens...

It did all the regular silk things: got easily pin-marked, required a shorter stitch with less pressure on the presser foot and it benefitted from sewing with a sharp. But it wasn't quite as slippery as charmeuse. Are there silk-synthetic blends, I wonder?

Some (more) things about the pattern: I still haven't used the instructions so I haven't got any more for you on that, but I can say unreservedly that this pattern is FABULOUS. At least my altered, unlined version is, IMO :-) I would recommend its purchase if you are of the general shape that (I suspect) it flatters: buxom(ish), not long in the waist and not full in the high-hip / derriere.

Let's talk about pepulms for a moment, yes? They're not the most flattering look out there. Very "trendy", kind of dated (if you lived through the 80s). And they really don't work well on lots of shapes which are otherwise gorgeous. In the same way that I will never be able to incorporate the strapless dress into my wardrobe (tiny sob), I suggest that women who are "pear shaped" (and I do know that this is more-or-less a meaningless term in light of the complexity of body-shapes) proceed with caution.

I'd recommend that you stay away from this pattern (and peplums in general) if you are not very experienced in sewing for your shape AND:

• You have a shelf-like high hip
• You have a prominent, high or wide derriere
• You have proportionately thick upper legs
• You have a long, proportionately thick, waist
• You have relatively small breasts compared to relatively wide hips/derriere

I have fairly slim legs and proportionate hips and bum and I still feel kind of wide in that area while wearing this top. The thing it has going for me is that the full peplum really balances my bust. So take that under advisement and, ladies of the "pear-shaped" ilk, please speak up if you think I'm wrong!

If you can believe it, tonight I'm going to rip apart muslin 1 (bias tape and all), save the peplum and attempt to cut down the bodice to the dimensions of muslin 2. I'm usually not inclined to revisit the past, but I really love the drape and fabric of that muslin and there's no size increasing required. Worst case scenario, I have enough of the fabric to make a new bodice.

I'm Pretty Sure This Just Made Up My Mind...

A good, long while ago, I was reading Andi's blog and saw this. I knew I wanted to make it (admittedly slightly longer than the version she models - that's not my best length); I love it's fitted shoulders, 3/4 sleeves and the simple cabling. Also love the colour of the top shown below.

Alas, the pattern wasn't for sale.

Sometimes, though, the knitting goddess throws you a great pattern at the perfect time. To wit:

Chuck Sweater by Andi Satterlund - You can buy it on Ravelry at this link...

This just came out today and I'm pretty certain it's what I'm going to be compelled to make with my worsted merino blend.

Mind you, this is a democratic process (sort of :-)) so I must know what you think.

It's down to the Chuck (photo above) or the Inaugural Sweater.

Do weigh in! Which one do you prefer for me, at this time, in this series?