Bodice completed

Here is the completed bodice top with piping set in neck and sleeves. The sleeves were very good to me and set in right away...lots of pins, basting and sewing slowly.  Now I'm debating on doing hook and eye closure or go to the buttons as the pattern suggests.  I'm thinking I can always do the buttons, if I don't like the hook and eye. I know the button band will lay flatter with the h&e.

(The sripped dress is a costume my gramie made back in the 1970's I think it was. So interesting to look inside and see how she finished things.)

On to the skirt now!

Bodice redux

Documenting the process as I go, for later reference and learning.  Here's the bodice with the back on top to show the shoulder seams.

Here is the bodice front...ready for side and shoulder seams to be sewn together. I've stitched the lining and fashion fabric layers together all around.  The lining was about 1/2" longer in the pleat/dart area (visible at the lower left waistline) so I eased that extra from the lining into the waistline by pulling gently on the FF. I read that a lining should be actually a bit larger than your shell. Whodathunkit?

Underlining aka flatlining a garment seemed excessive to me...now that I've worn a bodice with an underlining, I really like the structure it gives to the garment. I picked up some great tips on flatlining over at Historical Sewing . Especially the "Best Flatlining Tip Ever" which I used on this version.  This pattern doesn't underline the sleeves, which is nice. It seems I'm never wearing costuming in cool weather...why is that? ;)

Here's a shot showing the easing of the curves of the front bodice into the straight lines of the back bodice. I think that I'm used to seeing this curve in the back seam if memory serves, but since this seamline sits to the back of the shoulder it makes sense that you'd make the curve on the bodice front.

Fiber includes clothing yardage too!

I love costumes, don't have that many opportunities to wear them, but sometimes wearing a vintage outfit to do my wool spinning demonstrations is fun. So I found this pattern called Isabella's Workdress, and thought I'd try my hand at sewing it together.

The pattern taken straight from a vintage dress. My muslin mock up has a few fitting issues, that more than likely weren't an issue for a work dress, but I have the idea that I can get it to fit me a bit better than it does...but I need help...help from people who understand pattern design.

The following pictures are made with the muslin lining and the fashion fabric as a finished top...the muslin fit me so I went ahead and put the fashion fabric onto the muslin lining,

front view

 but it wasn't until I did this that I saw a big problem, the front neckline has major neck gaping.

1.5" gap

I've taken up the front shoulder seam of the front of the bodice at the neckline about 1/4" but it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference. I might try to take it up a bit more in that area to see if it will help to pull in that extra inches. The other thought is to actually change the straight line of the button band into something more serpentine...in at the top, out at the bust and back in at the waistline.

Here is a look at the shoulder seams..the back is a bit longer than the front much like contempo patterns are, but there is quite a curve to the front shoulder seam...wondering if that has something to do with the excess neck front fabric, or if it can be changed here somehow?

shoulder 

The seams on the dress also sit differently than contempo patterns, as the shoulder seam drops off the shoulder, and the side seam sits to the back of the center line:

drop shoulder-side seams set back

You can also see that the back of the neck seems very high and tight against the neckline. Maybe some adjustment here would change the front neck gaping?  

back neck

And the waistline on the back is much lower than that in the front....the waist line is marked with the large pearl headed pins:

The back waist is 1.25" longer than the front.

So there you have it...I appreciate any suggestions.  :)

armscye-front facing left

Great thanks go out to Lindy, at Timeless Calico for all her tips and help with this dress as well. She's been a great source of help and information for the fit and style of this dress, without her input I think I may have not tried as hard as I am to get this to fit me in a contemporary stylish way :).

example of serpentine center front line 

Note the center front line on this bodice diagram. I'm thinking of changing the original straight front center line of the original pattern to something more serpentine like this.