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.

Seeking sunshine...

Heading out to find some sunshine so we can catalog this quilt before it is mailed out to my dear Cousin Gracie.  Too much shade from the oak trees this time of year.

What an excellent pattern. Such a fun and joyful knit. Not only because of the well written design  Lullaby Rain pattern, by Paula , but also this luscious yarn by Quince & Co., "Chickadee" in the Malbec colorway.

I did add a few more repeats for a bit more length. Thank you Paula for another excellent pattern.

and the front...

Fractal Spinning

My first attempt at fractal spinning was quite a treat

Flying Crow top completed 10-5-2024 . Eleven years.

The top is completed. Pics to follow.

Starting this quilt for 2013. It's a Flying Crow Block that I discovered via an article by Betty Neff in Quilters Newsletter Dec/Jan 2013 issue. She mentiones that the block is from the 1850's and that she has only found seven or eight quilts using the block. She first discovered it in the book Lest I Shall Be Forgotten (Goschenhoppen Historians, 1993).

Here's my first block:

I plan to make 20-12" blocks for a full sized quilt using my 1800's reproduction fabrics. The original quilt design by Betty Neff was titled Cinnamon and Cider and was made using 6" blocks with a 9 block setting for a wallhanging. Lovely quilt, lovely inspiration.

5th Place Ribbon

This year I competed in a whole new category...not amateur anymore. Lots of competition, so I'm very happy to have garnered a 5th place ribbon...and the yellow looks so nice on her too! This is the quilt I made for my good friend, Jeannie using Australian Aboriginal fabric. It measures 99 x 102".

My champion reserve ribbon!

This is a little collage of the fiber and fiber sample that took the first place in the fleece to fiber category of the Fiber Show at Black Sheep Gathering this year. This same skein took the Champion Reserve for the Fiber Division. Judge was Judith MacKenzie. I'm tickled pink!

Strippy Maze

This is a strip quilt I've been working on for a few months. All of the strips are scraps from my quilting at Quilted Cottage. The little plastic things in the middle are row markers :)