How To Deal With Neckline Gap

One of the biggest problems we home seamsters face is unintended gapping at the neckline of a garment. Luckily for the readers of the Feb/Mar 2017 issue of Sew News magazine, columnist and sewing maven Joi Mahon wrote a fabulous article, including drawings, on dealing with gapping on the neckline of a garment without adding a new seam down the center front of the garment entitled ‘Closing the Gap.’

Unfortunately for people who were not able to get this issue before it was taken off newsstands and still want to read it, Sew News did not see fit to include the article on their website. So I will do my best to not plagiarize the whole article, though I will have to for some bits. I will also be including the drawings included in the article for clarification.

How often have you worn a dress or a blouse that gapped. It probably wasn't too bad if it was a jewel neckline and close to the neck. But anything lower and you risk overexposing the Girls. While some might not mind a little cleavage showing, others among us are more modest and would be mortified showing anything more than the upper chest. The only choice in Ready-to-wear (RTW) is to not buy the garment.

But we're all seamsters here so we can make garments that don't gap! Right? Well, most of the time. There are some women who can pick up a pattern, chose their size, and stitch up a garment that fits perfectly without any adjustments. I know these women exist. I just haven't met any. The rest of us have to muddle through making a mock-up, otherwise known as a muslin or toile, of the pattern and fitting it to our bodies. This fitting process is the hardest when you don't have a friend to help, but I digress.

 

So why do you have gapping at the neckline? Part of the problem is our breasts. Those two lumps of flesh on our chest that distinguish us from the male of the species. Depending on genetics they range from barely discernible mounds to way bigger than should be possible, yet there they are and how are you able to stand. Because of them the garment needs a wider width between the breasts to accommodate them as apposed to the narrower width need at the neckline and waist. Most people looking at the problem believe it to be a complicated change to the pattern. Fortunately, it's quite an easy fix.

The main area of fit in any bodice pattern is the bust. So first you need to make sure this part fits the body well. Once you've done that the gapping will make itself known and it will be easily corrected once the rest of the pattern fits the body.

Before starting this pattern change, trace out the pattern. I use Pellon®  830. It's similar to to Swedish Tracing Paper, but you can purchase it at your local fabric store and it comes in 45” widths. However the price is about the same period square foot. Both are easily marked with ball point pen or pencil. However, I don't recommend using a Sharpie. It will bleed onto whatever surface you're working on.

First: Make a muslin fitting sample being sure to mark the center front of the sample. A sample is made from a pattern to refine it's fit before cutting into your more expensive fashion fabric. You don't want to fit from the pattern tissue because it won't drape like fabric, it has no give like fabric, and it's subject to tearing. Professionals always make a fit sample of their design because it better reflects the actual finished product. Fit samples are often cut from a fabric similar in drape to the fabric you will use as your final garment.

Second: Try on the fit sample. A gapping neckline will look like it's straight across the front. It's not. It needs to be pinned out. To do that you gently pull the fabric away and pin a wedge going down the center front that should take out the excess and gradually taper it down to the waist or slightly above the waist (1). It will look like a long dart down the front, but it's not. Nor is it a seam. The pins are just a marking that will be removed. If, however, there is a center seam down the front, the seam can be contoured to remove the gap.

Three: Remove the fit sample and mark both sides of the wedge at the pins. Then remove the pins. Make sure you've marked the original center front. Take apart the sample, including any darts, and, using a ruler, draw a new center line connecting the markings from the pins (2). Cut away the wedge shape (3). The new center front line needs to be straight, so be sure the line from neckline to waist is straight.

Be sure to transfer these changes to your pattern pieces. If the garment is cut on the fold there's no need for a seam allowance. The new line is now the center front. If there is a center seam. be sure to add seam allowance. And you'll need additional space at the center front for any button-closure overlap and/or a collar.  

 

Remember, any changes to the neckline also necessitates changes to facings, collars, and neckline markings. 

One thing about removing the wedge. After you do it will look like the pattern piece is now off kilter. Don't worry, it's not. It's fine. The center front is now the straight of grain. Yeah, there will be some shifting of the grain at other points of the pattern but remember, no pattern is 100% on grain over the whole pattern. You're fitting a flat piece of fabric onto a three dimensional body. What is important is that the center front is still on grain.

In some cases it will be necessary to take out a much larger amount of fabric at the center front if the bust and torso have been fitted correctly. And then sometimes the gapping is caused by the shoulders sloping and rolling forward. In these cases another solution is to look at the shoulders. It's possible to open the shoulder seam and reposition the front shoulder seam fabric higher onto shoulder. If there is still too much fabric to take out, explore decorative darts and seams to absorb the excess (4). Whatever it takes to get the look the designer intended.

How to make a A-line skirt without a pattern

I was thinking back and remembered a skirt I made. I might even still have it, but it's in a box..... in storage...... with a friend...... so I'm not sure. But I got to thinking about the process I went through, so I thought I'd share.

Several years ago my ex and I participated in an organization that held Live Action Role Playing, or LARPs every summer. Well, they still do, but I'm not part of the group anymore. It's not an SCA group, it's strictly fantasy role playing. And as part of the game one wore costumes. 

The first year my ex and I participated a friend who made my wedding gown made me a bodice based on the bodice of my gown. I just needed to come up with a skirt. I managed to find a nice bit of cotton in a white and pink thin stripe. Problem was, I had no decent skirt patterns.

As I was contemplating what to do, my mum-in-law suggested cutting the fabric diagonally to get the flare I'd need to go over my hips. So I sat down at my cutting table and tried to work it out. I knew she was on the right track but I only had one shot at getting it right so this was going to take a good long think. This skirt needed to be long, and it needed to go over my hips and fit my waist. So I took some measurements. I took my waist to floor measurement, then my waist and hips measurements.

I'll demonstrate using a bit of paper. And remember that all this is being done on fabric that has been folded in half lengthwise.

First measure the length of the fabric and mark the waist-to-floor measurement plus about 5 inches to accommodate a hem, truing up the hem and waist lines, and either a seam for a waistband or a casing for elastic.

 Then cut off the extra fabric. That extra fabric can be used for a waistband if so desired.

 

 Now to actually shape the skirt. I divided both my waist and hip measurements by 4. Then measuring from the fold at one end I marked the waist measurement calculation. From that mark I measured the distance down from my waist to my hips and then marked my hip measurement calculation. I repeated the steps along the selvage edge at the other end of the fabric. The marks should be diagonally at opposite ends of the fabric. It's kind of hard to see the marks I made on the paper so I circled them. I probably should have used a marker instead of just a ballpoint pen so you could see them better.


I then folded the fabric in half diagonally from the waist marks making sure the hip marking was inside the width of the narrow end of each fabric triangle. You can sort of see the one hip mark to the left of the dark smudge on on the narrow end of the fold. As you can see it is on the narrow side of the fold, so all is good.

TThen I cut along the fold. In order to keep the fold properly aligned I pinned the fabric down to itself to be sure it didn't shift while I was cutting. I didn't think to show that on the demonstration paper.

So this is what the fabric should look like after cutting. One side is two layers of fabric with the selvage edge, the other side is one piece on the fold.

Now to shape the waist. First, I just folded each fabric triangle in half lengthwise.




Second, I trimmed the top at an angle to the two long edges. The amount trimmed off  depends on whether or not you plan to make a casing for elastic or if you are planing to have a waistband with a zip. And if you plan to have an elastic waist the the opening needs to be larger that your waist to accommodate going around other larger body parts.

To shape the hemline I did the same thing.
If you're worried about the straight lines, don't be. The fullness will disguise them all.

This is what the single pieces will look like after they've been trimmed. You'll end up with 3 skirt pieces, a front and 2 back.











Remember earlier I mentioned that the fabric I had was a stripe? Well I had decided that I wanted the stripes to form a chevron at the front and back seam. So I took the skirt piece that had been cut on the fold and cut it down the fold making it 2 pieces. And because it was a small enough stripe it didn't matter if I was off a bit when I stitched up the seams. The chevron was pointed up and it made me look a bit thinner.

Now you have a basic A-line skirt. If you want you can add pockets. You could either side seam or patch pocket. And you can make the as long or as short as you need it to be. And you did it all without the need of a pattern.

Butterick Pattern #6359, Fun Jumper Wrap Dress, a Review

It's been a while since I made myself a new dress, and now since I joined any online group called the Curvy Sewing Collective I've really been feeling the need for some new dresses.

I've made some things in the past from the Connie Crawford collection available through Butterick patterns and I really like her designs. And there's the added bonus of all her patterns are designed for curvy girls like me. Her patterns range in size XS to 6X. And trust me, I've made the 6X in a few things.

My latest project is a dress that Connie Crawford has had on her own website for years. It's # B6359. She released it to Butterick this summer and I jumped at the chance. Plus, it helped that the Butterick website had all their patterns on sale for $1.99. So I got several hundred dollars worth of patterns for just over $100. Sweet!

<---- This is the pattern. It's a wrap dress that is really simple. In their description they call this a "Loose-fitting, flared wrap dress has neck binding, front overlay, tie closures, shaped hemline, and narrow hem. [View] A: Sleeveless and armhole binding. [View] B: Short sleeves."

These are the fabrics for the dress. The flower print is the main colour. It was labeled a "shirting" fabric but I think it's actually a poplin with a little bit of Lycra because there is a slight stretch to the fabric. That's good because it allows my large backside a little extra room.  The "Grasshopper Green" is the contrast. That name, Grasshopper Green, was the name given it by Fashion Fabrics Club, which is where I got both fabrics. You can check out their website here. While neither fabric is available anymore, they do have plenty of other fabrics to chose from.

First I traced out the pattern pieces. This is something that I do to preserve the original pattern. Because I am losing weight, if I needed to change sizes I can just trace out another pattern. The layout calls for opening up the fabric because the four front pieces are all Cut 1. The back is placed on the fold and it is this piece that proved to me that you can't scrimp on the fabric, at least not the 4X through 6X sizes. It calls for 60" wide fabric and you really do need it that wide. My fabric was only 58" wide and the pattern piece went over the selvedge by an inch at the corner of the hem and the side seam. I ended up adding a piece about an inch and a half wide. Though after the seam allowances and the hem it's really hard to see. I sewed it and I can't tell.

I added the sleeves to View A with the contrasting colour because I decided I really needed to have sleeves. Though I may do it again as a sleeveless version.

I also added pockets because I Must Have POCKETS!! Really, I absolutely Must have pockets in all my dresses and skirts so I added side seam pockets. I just traced out a pocket from another Connie Crawford pattern and added extra width to the side seam allowances at the waistline mark. This proved interesting with the left front pieces. The contrast piece at the bottom comes almost to the waist and I had to make sure to add enough to the side seam of both pieces and allow for the seam joining the contrast piece to the main piece. I actually didn't add enough to the contrast pocket seam so I'll have to fix that for the next dress.

Among the pattern pieces is one for cutting out bias strips for the neck and armhole binding, and the ties. I saw that and was confused. But then I realized it's probably a good idea for those who don't know how to cut out bias binding. Me, I just ignored it and cut my own binding. I found it much simpler. After all when the pieces are cut out there is certainly plenty of fabric left. But if you're one of those who need a pattern piece like that, by all means, use it.

If you do decide to make the contrast version with sleeves be sure to get a half a yard extra fabric to make sure you have enough. It helped that I already had 2 yards of the green. I had gotten it for a shirt for my Gent, but he didn't like the feel of the fabric.

Size range: All Connie Crawford patterns for Butterick have 2 size ranges - Misses: XS-XL and Womens: XXL-6X. The 6X is 66"-68" bust, 56"-58" waist, 74"-76" hip, and 24" biceps. The biceps measurement is on the Women's size range mostly because a lot of us curvy girls need to take that into consideration with our sleeves.

What size did you make? 5X for the whole pattern. Sometimes I have to grade out to a 6X for the hips even though my hip measurement is in the 5X range. Thankfully I didn't have to with this pattern.

What are your measurements, height, and body type? 
Bust: 62" Waist 54" Hips: 70"
Height: 5' 4" Body type: pearish

What adjustments did you make?
I didn't make any adjustments. I just did some add-ons, though I can't really call the sleeves an add-on because the pattern already calls for them in a different view. I did add side seam pockets and they worked fine. They just need a little adjustment to make them just right. 

What was the construction process like? Did the instructions make sense to you?
The construction process was pretty straightforward and the instructions made sense. Though you need to pay attention to seam allowances. While most of the seams are 5/8", there are some seams are marked for 3/8". For those seams and for the depth of the hems I wrote on the differences next to the drawings in the instructions so I wouldn't forget.

How do you like the pattern's fit? Do you think the design works well for your particular body shape?
The fit is great. The wrap design isn't tight at all. It's a good design for pretty much any shape.   

Will you make the pattern again? If so, what design changes will you make?
I already have plans for the next dress. I've gotten lots of complements on it. The ease of getting in and out of the dress is perfect for me. Though the top overlay can make one overheated in hot weather (something we've been having a lot of lately here in Upstate New York). So I may leave it off in another version. And I do need to add some length to the back. A longer skirt in the back means my legs don't get burned or stuck on vinyl or leather car seats.

Do you have any advice on this pattern for other curvy sewers? Are there any resources (blog posts, fitting books, tutorials) that helped you sew this piece up?
The only advice I can give is this. If you don't know how to make bias binding, learn. Because the pattern piece for the bias binding is easily moved no matter how well it's placed and pinned. Any good sewing book has instructions.

Pattern Rating (1-5, with 5 being the highest rating)

Size Range: 5 Connie Crawford's patterns have the largest selection of sizes for larger curvy girls.

Instructions: 4.5 Mostly because I had to add the different seam allowance amounts to the instructions. On some of the older patterns they did have the different seam allowance amounts in the instructions.

Construction Process: 5 It actually sewed up fairly quickly. I only took me 2 afternoons over a weekend.

Final Fit: 5 It fits so well and is so very comfortable. I've even used as a cover-up for going to the pool. Maybe a French terry version next time. Humm.

Overall Rating: 4.8 I think this wrap dress is great. It was really easy to cut out and sew, and it's so versatile.  And I really think Connie needs to officially add pockets to the pattern.

In search of the perfect wedding gown

My friends Julie and Phil got engaged and Julie wants a one-of-a-kind wedding dress. So in early May, after a lot of questions as to what she wanted, it was decided we should take her to a bridal shop to see what looks good on her.

We went to David's Bridal and received some fabulous help from Christina, a very nice young lady who is very knowledgeable about getting preferences from brides who have no real idea what they want, or what really looks good on them. She was awesome at helping Julie.

So the first dress she tried was a lovely ivory colour Grecian style gown with a pleated wrap style bodice, a flowing A-line skirt, and  spaghetti straps with shoulder draping in the cold shoulder style. We forgot to take a picture of it, but that's okay because Julie didn't really like it. The shoulder drapes made her feel like the straps had fallen. 

The second dress was a lovely ivory lace over a champagne coloured under dress. The style was a fit and flare that was fitted to the hips and then flared out. It's a dress that really showed off Julie's fabulous figure.  She liked the colour combination. It's ivory lace over champagne. But she said the armholes felt like they were cutting in.

The third was a nice gown with a fitted bodice that had a sleeveless yoke made of illusion and a gathered skirt with a waistband. While the gown looked nice on her, the waistband made her look shorter.  So this one was definitely a no-go. Though she did like the armhole shaping. 

Fourth gown had the shoulder straps she liked and an interesting back, tied at the neck with a big diamond shaped cutout exposing her back. She was wearing a bra, but because of the back the bodice had a built-in bra. And the back waist shaping was a bit low cut as you can see the waistband of the slip she was using. Not sure what kind of slip she'd use for that style of dress. I'm not sure if the back cutout was right for Julie. It really didn't seem her style. And the front seemed a bit plain. Though the shape of the gown worked for her figure.

The fifth gown had a corset bodice and looked absolutely stunning. It was chiffon over peau de soie. It had a lovely beaded, yet understated, applique across the top edge of the bodice and trailed down the left side down to the hip. The chiffon swept across the front of the bodice and skirt, and gathered into soft pleats up to and under the applique. At the end of the applique at the hip the chiffon of the skirt splits. If the skirt were opaque and had no under skirt we'd be seeing a bit of leg. Speaking of the skirt, it's a full skirt but not quite to the ball gown width. Deb and I got a lot of ideas from Julie's reaction to this gown and from the gown itself. Especially from the applique. And seeing how the back was designed helped my understanding of gowns with a corset bodice. 

The sixth gown also had a corset bodice. This time it was lace and chiffon over satin. It, too, had an applique, but it had more beading and glitz, and looked a little too much like it needed batteries. It went around the edge of the bodice and down both sides of the corset lacing. There was another bit of applique at the left hip where the lace split but the chiffon did not. Honestly, I thought it looked a bit chintzy and did not flatter Julie at all.

All in all, a very informative excursion. We now have a better idea of what looks good on Julie and what she likes and dislikes. I've already taken her measurements and I've finished making up a bodice sloper for her from which I will be making the pattern for the gown and I've fitted to her. I am also working on a design for the gown. Can't make the pattern without a design.

Customizing Matilda; Part 1

I have needed a dress form for a long time. Years ago I made one of those duct tape forms, but I had no way to actually use it. I had no stand to put it on so it hung on a hanger for years, unused, before it was eventually thrown out when my mother sold her house.

I had been hoping and saying someday for my own dress form since I started making my own clothes again, especially after taking some classes in Apparel Construction and Tailoring at Johnson County Community College. They have a fabulous Fashion Design and Merchandising Dept. So then this year for my birthday my fiancé got me one. It's an adjustable form. Fine. Only problem is, it doesn't go up large enough for me. *sigh* So I need to pad it to fit me. 

Before I get to far, I need to name my dress form. She came with a sticker which had the name Celine, but I think that was just a brand name. I've decided to name her Matilda because I like the name. It seems to fit.

So how do I make Matilda a second me. I kind of had an idea, but couldn't quite figure out something that would work.  Luckily for me the crafting class website, Craftsy.com (I'm a member, it's a free site and they have some free classes) has a class on making a dress form fit you called "Customize Your Dress Form." It's a great resource. 

To start I opened all the dials on Matilda to their maximum and then I measured and compared them to my measurements. One thing I need to figure out is how to lengthen her torso. Her center back measurement is 1 inch shorter than me, and her center front is 3 inches shorter. Hummm, this is going to take some figuring. More on that later.

So I watched the classes and went to work. I covered the openings with craft paper. The video recommends using oak tag or cut up file folders (same.thing). But I didn't have any and, being the impatient type when I want to start something, I went with what I had to hand, craft paper, the kind used for scrapbooking. I had it so I used it. The video also recommends using duct tape to attach the paper, something I can totally recommend. I used painters tape. Mistake! Painters tape is meant to be peeled off of the surface to which it is attached. Every time I brushed against it with my hand it kept wanting to peel off. I had already planned to put a knit fabric cover over Matilda before covering with padding, and now it turns out the cover was a good idea. It helps keep the tape from peeling off while I cover Matilda with the padding. The picture on the right of Matilda covered with the knit fabric was taken before I put the craft paper over the open spaces.

Now to make the outer cover for Matilda. It's recommend in the video that you use poplin for a cover. I like to go inexpensive and you can't get any more inexpensive than muslin. I suggest a middleweight quality muslin, not too flimsy yet not too stiff. You also don't want to pick a fabric color that will be too different. You want one that will look nice when the form is just standing in your workroom but won't clash with whatever fabric you might work on. That's another reason to use the muslin, specifically unbleached muslin. The natural ecru color is a nice neutral color.  If you wanted another type of fabric, broadcloth would be good, too. Most broadcloth comes in solid colors so you could go with a nice light gray or another color in a pale tone. Prints are not advised.

And then there's the pattern to use. It's suggested that you use a pattern with princess seams that go up to the shoulders both front and back. The video recommends a Vogue pattern, V8828, and three McCall's patterns, M6076, M6887, and M5847. Though the last one is out of print and may not be available at your fabric store. It is, however, still available on the McCall's website. I'm using a Connie Crawford design sold by Butterick, B5538. It's a blouse, but it fits me, I know because I've made it before, and it has the proper princess seams. Connie Crawford designs mostly for curvy, plus size ladies, however she does have sizes for Misses sizes, 3 to 20w. The pattern would have to be lengthened, but it's workable.

Among the other pattern companies, the only other pattern I found that has the correct princess seams is from New Look patterns. They are part of the Simplicity pattern company. The pattern is New Look 6299. It has a flared skirt which isn't necessary for the form cover. But that will be taken care of in the fitting process. 

Okay, so now what! Cut out the pattern. Because I'm using a pattern I've used before I didn't have to do any adjusting to my pattern other than adding to the seam allowances. All commercial patterns produced for home use have a 5/8" seam allowance already added to them. The video tells to add another 3/8" around each pattern piece so that you have a full inch of seam allowance. This is to make fitting easier. I didn't really pay attention to that part and added a full inch to the 5/8" and ended up with 1 5/8" seam allowance. OOPS!!! Oh well, at least I know I have enough room.

So now to sew it together. Using a basting stitch, which for me is the longest stitch on my machine, and a 1" seam, I sewed the cover together. Since it was late at night and I needed to get a zipper because the one I had was way too short. You'd think a 30 inch zipper would be long enough. Nope. So I just draped it on Matilda. Oh Boy, was she going to need padding out. So when I want and got the correct size zipper (a 36" upholstery zipper that was the last they had in stock) I also picked up another roll of high-loft quilt batting, just in case I needed more. If not, then I can use it on a future quilting project.

This is a work in progress, and as such will be a multi-part blog. Next time I will tell of the zipper installation, my darling fiancé helping me with fitting process, and possibly the padding of Matilda. Stay tuned for all the riveting details. Or as my favorite news commentator Rachel Maddow says with some of her stories, Watch this space. Ta-ta for now.

Cela

I've been neglectful!

I have been terribly neglectful of my blog over the years and it's high time I rectify that. Sporadic posts to not a faithful following make. Part of the problem is that we have moved 3 times in less than a year and trying to get any continuity in my life, let alone my writing has been difficult.

Add to that the fact I have had little to no room to adequately sew. I went from having a good sized sewing room to a sewing corner in our living room while still in Kansas, to a corner of a dining room when we were staying with a friend after moving back to NY State, to a 21 square foot walk-in closet in the apartment we had, to a nice sized sewing room again that I will share with my girlfriend. She spins yarn, knits, and crochets. And she does her spinning in the living room. So for now, at least, the room will be mostly mine.

I'm still trying to organize everything, but I will probably be ready to start sewing sometime next week, fingers crossed.

So what will this blog be about? My sewing, of course. Anything and everything I sew I will post. And if I remember I will post progress pictures, not just pictures of the finished products.

So stay tuned.
Cela

I'm Sewing Again!!

It's about freaking time!! It may be January, there may still be snow on the ground, but every fiber of my being knows that Spring is coming. And with Spring come new projects.

I've already made 6 little change purses and posted them in my Etsy shop. Check them out.

I've been trying to figure out what to do next. I have plenty of patterns to choose from, it's just making a decision and running with it. I also have a bunch of fabric and scraps so finding the right color combination.

So I guess it's time to stop procrastinating and just go sew, so off I go!