totchipanda

I guess I did all of this on Friday evening/weekend? Full steam ahead on the Scout dress! OK so I started with making the skirt pieces, which I did as I suggested by printing the waist lines and just extending the lines out and making the hem. It worked really well! I then went on to trace off the bodice pattern pieces and shortened them right from the get-go. It was tricky with the darts and it was all kind of weird. My brain understood the assignment but didn't quite understand the HOW. Decided to cut a mock up too, JUST IN CASE, and I'm glad I did because it needed further adjustment.

The armscye was too wide and pulled at the front of my arm, and the back and side was great, but the front ended up like, really short. There was a significant rise towards center front and that would have been really really really obvious once a skirt was attached. What the heck? I noodled on it overnight and in the AM I pieced in some paper, redrew the waistline which ended up extending the darts (confused shrug) and now my pattern doesn't look all THAT much like the original. I also moved my pattern piece into the corner of the size 12 marking and traced the 8 armscye again, even though it was set at 8 to start with, and that removed a quarter of an inch. That was all I needed to change and then it was full steam ahead,

Y'all, don't be like me, press your fabric before you cut it when it's super wrinkly. I did my best but there was a lot of trimming later lol. I cut the bodice, sleeves and pockets and stitched what I could. I had only the smallest scrap of interfacing left, with which I got the back neck facing and collar (pieced) out of. Still need to do the front facing, sleeve bands and skirt front and really can't finish the project without it. Quick try on to check the armscye and waist length, and I am happy with it.

Sunday I brought out the ironing board and pressed the rest of the fabric. I know it was prewashed, hence all the wrinkles, and any time it was pressed and got the slightest bit damp I could smell the detergent I'd used? I think it was Gain in apple mango tango. Took most of the afternoon to get it laid out and cut, just because of being really unmotivated and spending time on the couch with the kittens. All pieces are now cut, I still have probably half a yard leftover (and I started with a little over 5 yards), and the skirt pleats are all basted into place. I just wanted to measure how far down the pockets should start since that was not included on the parts I printed before stitching it all together. Also I need interfacing to do the front of the skirt!

It is going to be SO CUTE and I'm excited to wear it. I can make a self-fabric belt but I also want to do one styled after my Brownies belt, which is a woven braid of tan with an orange center and a hook-and-ring closure. The possibilities are almost endless!

Cut a mock up of the Madeleine dress last night, out of the offcuts from a different mockup 2 years ago, and part of the skirt. It's a very busy print, but that is OK.

First impression: too long, as always, and the waist (cut at size 8) was too tight, although it did close. I pinned up the shoulders by the seam allowance, taking effectively 1.25" out of the bodice length. I even put on a real bra to make sure the bust fit properly. I had some gapping over my right (smaller) boob, and the armscye's were quite high now, I'll have to lower them...

Waitaminute. What if I tried shortening the waistline area of the bodice instead?

Pulled the pins out of the shoulder and tugged it down, tucking in and pinning about 2" around the front waist. The back was pinned to the zipper so I didn't test it there, but it was also too tall. I had my back length measured by a pro several years ago, around my belly button it is 16.5", but if you go with the oft-quoted "smallest part of your waist", it is 2" HIGHER than my belly button. I still had some minor gapping over the right boob which could be solved by stitching it 1/8" narrower, and I think I'd like to take the shoulder in 1/4" too. I tucked in the seam allowance for the sleeve but it still felt just a titch too wide.

Sadly, this dress pattern does not have a lengthen/shorten area marked, so I pulled out the Scout dress pattern (TY again danabren!) and lined up whatever marks I could (dart lines to princess seams, etc) to mark that line. Hmm perhaps I should try the less fitted shirt dress bodice first lol.

In around all that I was making and eating dinner, declined to do any laundry, dealing with my stupid uterus, and cuddling the kittens while attempting not to doomscroll about the LA fires. Haven't made a plan yet about what to do this evening but I'm sure something will come to me by the time I get home :)