alter it beyond recognition...
I'd forgotten that awhile back I modified a bodice pattern piece into a bodice sloper. So I dug it out and laid it on top of the Advance pattern and went to work. It was a lot of work and the blouse doesn't look a whole lot like the original pattern, but it fits damnit. It still needs sleeves but I don't know if I'll bother. This blouse won't ever see the light of day in public because the fabric is ruined from all the stitching and restitching.
Before and After
And I was able to confirm a previous suspicion about my dressform with this project. The shoulders on my dressform are broader than mine. I noticed this before with the Simplicity 1538 pattern. It took a lot of adjusting to get these blouses closed/buttoned on the dressform. As a result there's some pulling and gapping of the fabric when it's on the form that isn't there when I'm wearing it. The form is good for the initial pin-fit but I put it on me for fine tuning.
A word about the collar. I do not like sewing collars. Especially notched collars. Because if you don't get all the folding, sewing and turning back out perfectly measured on both sides, or even if you do but for reasons unknown you end up with a big flappy notch on the left side and a perfectly fine notch on the right side, it's totally obvious.
Probably the best part of this exercise is that I really got to know the Juki F600 and she just keeps getting better. I tested out the automatic buttonholer--
You stick the button in the back part and slide it closed. The buttonholer automatically determines the size of the buttonhole.
I basted some facings for the buttonholes first
And then sat back and watched the machine make these keyhole buttonholes
Muy fancy.
