Then I saw the Upton by Cashmerette. I was under the impression that Cashmerette patterns might be drafted for shapes closer to mine, which, I learned after lots of muslin-making,  turned out to be not true. But with the expansion pack, you get a lot of options for darts or princess seams, sleeves, and skirt. Plus, different cup sizes!

So I decided to sew up the Upton.
​
Sidenote

• The first major problem was printing the PDF. I have been going to Office Max/Depot a block away and they were doing a nice job for an affordable price. No more. They won't use their blueprint printer on patterns, only their poster printer. $30 a page. C'mon. Just say you won't do it anymore. Don't put customers through that bullshit.
  
  So I tried FedEx. They have a DIY blueprint printer, and I used it. It was much cheaper than Office Max/Depot, but still expensive. I don't want to admit how much I paid, but it was a LOT for 6 or 7 sheets.
  
  From now on it's PDF Plotting.com. I just ordered the Kitty pattern printed--$2.45 a page. Now we're talking.

​Back to the dress

I knew I'd have to close up the back and cut the front open to add plackets and buttons, but I didn't think that would be too big a deal. 

I don't know what my problem is, but fuck, 5 muslins and I'm still not ready to cut into good fabric. 

One thing is I have not been super careful keeping track of things. The first muslin was pretty close, so I guess I was sure if I made a couple tweaks, I'd be there. But no, 5 muslins later and I'm not 100% which mockups are which versions, especially what size sleeves I stuck in each one. Ooopsie. 

I lowered the bust point 1 inch and also lengthened the torso 3/4 inch.

Fit: Princess curve better fits breast shape, but it is still too far out on the outside. Shoulders are tight. Neckline is loose. Back waistline is too high.

In addition to lowering the bust point, I increased the length on the torso to 1 full inch. The major change here was that I took out width from center front seam. I think it was 2 full inches. It might have been 1. To add back in the missing width at the waist and hips, I added it to the side seams so the CF stayed on grain. The point of this change was to remove all the neckline gaping and bring the bust curve closer to the bust. It worked! Unfortunately, it also screwed up everything else. The armholes are way too tight and the back is too tight (how?)

Fit: The princess seam goes mostly where it should along breast. It is too tight across the back, shoulders, armscye, and now chest again. The back waistline still too high.

On Review of the Fit

I think I will go back to the C/D cup, size 4. The changes I will start with are:

1. Grade to a 6 at the waist and hips
2. Lower BP 1 inch
3. Lengthen torso 1 inch and maybe add another 1/2 to 1 inch length on back torso at the shoulder blade level. No, I had better wait until I make the forward shoulder adustment
4. Make a forward shoulder adjustment

I saw a video where someone explained how princess seams are darts. So I decided to sew the darted version to see exactly how the darts were designed and I figured they'd be easier to adjust.

So I sewed a C/D bust, size 4 grading to 6 at the waist.  I sewed size 6 sleeves into the size 4 armholes. I did lengthen the bodice 1" but I didn't lower the bust point yet. I did move the shoulder seam at the shoulder 1/2" forward.

Fit: I don't know. Feels more comfortable, but doesn't look very fitted! The bust dart is too low and needs to move an inch toward the center front. (I only sewed one bust dart up.) The back still hikes up. The armpits are too tight. Also, the front waist darts need to be moved an inch toward the center front. I think the front shoulder adjustment helped.

Also, don't know what the fuck is happening in the back. The back waistband is smaller than the back so I "eased" it in on this mockup.

Next:

1. Move the front bodice darts (bust darts down 1/2" and toward CF 3/4"; waist darts 3/4" to 1" toward center)
2. Adjust sleeve head for the front shoulder adjustment (forgot and did on fly while sewing)
3. Lower armhole and adjust sleeve as necessary (can't remember)
4. Add 1" length to CB and taper to side seams. Or maybe wait until I have the bodice fitting okay (maybe tightness somewhere is pulling everything toward front and lifting up back?)

This isn't how I planned it.

​I went looking for "performance jersey" to make more tennis tee shirts and tanks. I found this stuff called "moisture wicking." Looks a little like pique on one side and PVC on the other. Bought 2 yards of three different colors, but didn't notice that the PVC side is supposed to be worn on the outside or else "the moisture wicking won't work." So in the end, they look a little shiny and not as I had imagined or hoped.

And even though I had planned to make 3 tee shirts and 3 tank tops, which would not have been that nuts, I ended up zoning out while cutting, thinking "oh, I have enough for sleeves for all the shirts." 

So now I have 6 new tennis tees. I have worn a couple and they are not all that cool. I don't know how long into the heat of summer I'll be able to wear them. Oh well.

Sadly, I don't know where I saw this idea, so I can't credit the person who came up with it. It's pretty cool, no? So today I decided to make it. 

​I thought it would take me a couple hours. It took me all day.

​Fortunately, I made a pattern out of paper. As simple as it looks, my set of rulers is a little different and I had to work out a couple things and the sequencing of sewing it all together. 

It's not bad, and I hope it doesn't fall off the wall once I hang it.

So I made jeans. I surprise myself sometimes. It took me about a week or two to complete these once I cut out the denim. But the Saga of the Jeans is a much longer story.

About 15 years ago, I wanted to recreate pair of Gap jeans I loved. I drafted a pattern and then I proceeded to mock it up repeatedly over the years. I've made at least 3 pairs, two in muslin and one in a hideous red and white denim I got from a Mood sale. I got so close with the hideous red pair; they fit nicely, but before I could make the final tweaks and make them in a nice fabric, I gained weight, lost weight, gained weight, lost weight, and ultimately lost track of what I was doing (where were the most recent pattern pieces?) and generally got stuck. ​

A month or so ago I thought screw it: Morgan jeans is the closest pattern I know to what I want (mid-rise, nonstretch, relaxed leg), so I will just get it and make it. I made a muslin (size 10) in a week, and it fit really well. It was difficult to figure out the zipper, but it seemed to be okay in the muslin once done. Of course, Morgan comes with a button fly, and you have to look elsewhere for the zipper fly instructions. 

So I went ahead with the denim. And I had trouble with the damned zipper. Even though I had already done the muslin, I still needed to watch tutorials over and over, and still I screwed it up three times. The zipper was never in the right place once it was sewn in on both sides (and topstiched, mind you). 

I watched 3 main sewalongs: one for Ginger jeans, which shows a zipper fly construction that can be essentially "copy pasted" into the Morgan construction in place of the button fly. But it was not super clear, and it didn't work for me. There's another really nicely explained tutorial for a cut-on fly, and that should have worked, but it didn't. The third tutorial was a sewalong for the Morgans, which covers only the button fly but it was extremely well done and helpful on everything but the fly; I wish she would add an addendum with zipper fly instructions!

Finally, I just eyeballed where it should be once sewn in and winged it from there. A royal PIA. Why is it so fucking hard to explain?

Aside from wonky topstitching, especially along the fly, these turned out pretty well, and I'm pleased. They are very comfortable though a smidge tight in the knees of all places.  

Topstitching is okay in most places. Really a pain to have just one sewing machine. So midproject I went and got a used Pfaff. But it didn't end up helping on this project. It either doesn't handle topstitching thread or I haven't found the magic combination of tension settings.

Oh, and I handstitched that button hole. My machine wasn't having it. At all.

Anywho, I never wear belts ever, so why add belt loops? Of course, I don't carry coins around in my pockets either, so. Hypocrisy!