First Post - Need help fitting toile, pulling around armscye

[Gillian H]

This is my very first post!

I have been reading all the posts in the Women's clothing section for almost the last year (and by that I mean that I have read all the posts  ). I started on my chemise and petticoats last fall, and ordered a corset from Kay. I am now starting on my first dress.

I guess I should give a little bit of information about the dress. I am planning on this being a work dress out of a cotton plaid, and I am aiming for an early '60s silhouette, although I am just doing this for fun, and do not have anywhere to wear it at the moment.

I started out with Past Patterns 701, and even though I had seen many good reviews it was a complete disaster. I had my Mom (who is a fairly experience sewer) help me (I had only sewn one modern skirt when I started on my underpinnings). It was WAY too large in circumference (I don't remember exactly, but we cut off at least a couple inches on each side), and we essentially ended up draping the bodice instead using the DMG. I don't have any pictures but after a lot of fiddling with the first toile, it seemed to fit really good. We drew the corrected shoulder and side seams on the toile, and cut it apart using those new seam lines, then we used the pieces to draw out a new pattern.

Then I cut out the new pattern pieces in my lining fabric (good white muslin), I basted together the shoulder and side seams, and basted in the test sleeve (a bishop sleeve) from the first toile. I thought everything would be great, just like the toile, but now there seems to be some pulling from the front of the armscye to my neck, and we aren't sure how to fix it.

I have tried to link to some pictures below (I hope it works!) to show the problem. It feels okay when I have my hand on my hip, but when I put my arm down, it seems to be tight over my shoulder, and you can see the stress lines from the front of the armscye to my neck.

https://picasaweb.google.com/105259129371828841537/DressToileFittingIssues?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMeT44r0gpyaKA&feat=directlink

Note: I know that it is way too long, but I don't want to cut off the extra length until everything else fits right. I also know that the darts are completely wrong, but I'm planning on gathering the fabric in the front, so I just wanted to pull the extra fabric out of the way so I could take the pictures.

I appreciate any help I can get! I know you ladies on here always have fantastic comments

Gillian

[Elizabeth]

From the images, I'm seeing it as still a bit too large in the bust/upper bust, which is creating excess that pooches and folds through the shoulder when standing. How does the armscye feel?

If you can pin a wedge out of the upper chest fabric, all the way from the armscye to the neckline, I'd do it. Then lay the pieces flat on fresh test fabric, and keep that wedge pinned out; cut the new shape, keeping the center front as on-grain as you can. Give that new shape a try.

If the wedge pointed toward the bust, you could swing it out in the waist darts, but I think changing the shape of the upper chest/shoulder angle will be helpful here, as will re-evaluating how much overall width there is above the corseted area. Also, when you're laced and supported, reach into the corset and arrange "the girls" a bit, then see if you're getting a shelf and hollow above the bosom. Many of us need a bit of padding to fill that hollow, which also uses up some of the excess fabric above the bust.

You're doing a great job! It's totally normal to have to walk through these sorts of alterations on a mid-century bodice. You're very wise to have tested the pattern in your lining fabric first, so the kinks get worked out before the good fabric is cut. You can do this.

[Gillian H]

The main problem that I'm having with this version, is that the front of the armscye is really pulling, and I don't have free movement of my arm. It is worse when I put my arm down, and it pulls the fabric over my shoulder to my neck. I'm not sure if I should cut the armscye a little deeper (effectively leaving more seam allowance) at that point, or if I should do the opposite and move the seem out (make the seam allowance smaller). It felt fine on the first toile, but we played around with that one a lot, so I think maybe the armscye got stretched a bit.

I'm sure you are right about the bust pads to fill the hollow above my bust, because I have very soft flesh, but can I still fit and finish the dress without them?

Thanks!

[Trish B]

My daughter has one shoulder much higher and fuller than the other and I see the same diagonal wrinkle on her if I use the same size pattern on left and right sides of the bodice. When I drape patterns for her  I have two separate front pieces (one left side, one right side) and a back piece (full width) for each pattern. Try pinning out the excess and cutting a new front for that side  like Elizabeth suggested and I bet it will make the shoulder area  smooth out like magic. Looking at the right side photos, it does look like there may be a bit too much width in the bodice under the arm, and that may need a bit taken in. After that,  I would say that swinging a bit more to the dart would smooth that out nicely also.
 As for the armscye, are you  restricted in reaching forward?  You may need to clip  it a bit more at the front if you are. l  I usually snip a tiny bit deeper (like the curve would normally be clipped) where the dropped shoulder meets the armscye curve. Sometimes even 1/4 inch makes a big difference.
Keep us posted on your progress!  trish B.

[Jehanne H]

Just a suggestion----have you got the armscye set into the sleeve at the right position?  The reason that I ask is that you said that you are a beginner with it, and it is not always obvious to those who are unaccustomed to sewing these vintage bodices.  And, some of these patterns have such poorly written instructions.  I dont' know about the one that you are using.  The sleeve seam should sit towards the front of the bodice, and not meet the side seam of the bodice.  I expect that is the way your pattern was drafted, orginally.
Does your sleeve pattern have one side scooped and the other at a longer slope?  I expect it does. 
Take a look at this entry from the Fashion Incubator.  It explains why this fit works.

http://fashion-incubator.com/archive/sleeve_cap_ease_is_bogus/

If you do, indeed , have the sleeve set in at the proper positon, at about 2 and 8, then I think that you might want to consider raising the sleeve height to fit higher under the arm, not lowering it.

[Elizabeth]

It's absolutely okay to alter that front curve. If you make tiny snips from the armscye edge toward the wrinkles, about 1/4" deep, and 1/4" apart, you'll see it start to settle down. Keep deepening the snips in tiny increments (1/16" is great!) until the stress is relieved. Connecting the bases of the snips gives you a new curve that sits where your body needs it. You then add a seam allowance, and it works out.

The diagrams from FI are awesome for modern sleeves, and apply somewhat to period sleeves; they are definitely more curvy than not. But, period diagrams don't give the specific curve; they're often just an arc, with zero to little recurve, because it's assumed the sewist will adjust and fit the sleeve to the individual, and everyone's recurve areas are unique.

[Gillian H]

Thanks for the helpful replies! I'm planning to start by trimming into the armscye a little more, where it pinches when I lower my arm to see if that fixes the problem. It is a bishop sleeve, so the single seam is placed at around the 4 o'clock position when someone else looks at my right arm, which I think is correct. The seam is lined up with my thumb on the inside of my arm.

I'm currently on vacation, and away from my sewing, but I will let you know how it turns out once I get the chance to work on it again. I've been working on this toile off and on (on when my Mom is visiting) for the last few months, so it will feel great to make some progress.

And my husband got me a brand new sewing machine (Janome 2030 QDC) for my birthday, which I am excited to try out on my project!