Saturday, February 04, 2012

Best Laid Plans

If I always listened to that little voice in the back of my head questioning my fabric and pattern choices, then nothing would get done. But this time I listened. I was working on the PussyBow Blouse. The fit was perfected  and I was ready to go. Then I looked at my Pinterest sewing inspiration board and something else took shape.

I used the pattern as a sloper and made the adjustments I envisioned. Now there's a back yoke, an inverted box pleat, a lengthened front, short sleeves and I'm contemplating pockets. If all goes well it's going to be fabulous. I'm going to fit one more muslin, then cut into this: a voile from Gorgeous Fabrics.



I dyed it last summer and absolutely love the color. I can't rave enough about Dharma's Procion dyes.

The bodice was really close to a perfect fit, but I noticed excess fabric above the bust near the armhole. I get the same issue with ready-to-wear. So I pinched out 3/4" from the shoulder and tapered it to the bust, then slash and spread the pattern to move the fullness to the side dart. That adjustment caused a ripple effect and I had to lengthen the collar pieces as well. In hindsight, I should have cut a size smaller and done an FBA for a similar fit. I also moved the dart down 1/4."

I'm trying not to get antsy. I get really impatient because there are thousands of things I want to sew right now. But it's going to be worth it.

6 comments:

  1. I'm really looking forward to seeing your version! This color is gorgeous!

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  2. I've never thought about dying fabrics, but that's a great idea! How colorfast is the dye? Do you wash things separately afterwards?

    I like the sound of the changes you're making to the Pussybow Blouse! It's always so cool to see how sewists make patterns their own (especially for me, as I don't have a ton of confidence and don't usually make too many changes to patterns)!

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    1. Oh my goodness, it is really, really fun. That particular dye, the procion, is completely colorfast and [I think] the highest quality dye for plant-derived fibers. I use a special detergent to pre-wash the fabric and then use the same detergent after once or twice to seal the color. I wash things in like colors, but I don't have to wash the dyed pieces separately. Maybe the first few times. I know there are easier dyes out there like iDye that you just throw into the washing machine.

      I like it because sometimes I make questionable fabric purchases. Like, I have white and butter yellow crepe de chine that I'll never wear as is, so I'll dye both of those pieces.

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  3. Your new version sounds awesome and I love the fabric color you dyed. Can't wait to see!

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  4. I'm glad to hear you rave about this dye... been considering getting it from Dharma, as Rit dye pretty much blows. The color is fantastic!

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  5. Hey hey! I sent you a little Liebster award love :) Feel free to join in, or just keep up your amazing, drapey chic sewing!!!

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