Drafting Sleeves.

Ugh.

I knew there was a reason I'd been avoiding drafting sleeves. What a pain in the ass. But since my bodice sloper is close to being completed, it was time to deal with the sleeves.

I did everything you're supposed to do with measurements, ease calculations, squaring lines, using the french curve, etc. and I produced a very nice looking self-drafted custom sleeve pattern:



that produced a sad, sad, ill-fitting sleeve. And that's putting it mildly. Even the wrist didn't fit.





If I ever manage to recover from my disgust, I think what I'll do next is find a manufactured sleeve pattern that fits reasonably well and then try to alter it.

The only encouraging thing about this project is that I decided to try hand basting the sleeves into the bodice and I think it was a lot easier doing it that way because you have more control.

So there's that.

Bodice fitting progress: Advance 4328

I re-drafted the pattern pieces again, using what I learned from the previous version of this blouse. I decided to get rid of the double tucks on the lower edges of the front and back and replace them with diamond darts from my bodice sloper pattern.

The bust might be a little too big but I'm not going to alter it right now because I'm pretty happy with the results so far. I'll be sewing yet another one of these so that I can fine tune and make it more close-fitting.

I reversed a couple of the pattern instructions for sewing the notched collar, so it was a lot easier to deal with this time. I also decided to put the gathers back into the back yoke. Just a few to make it more feminine.

If you can't fix Advance 4328...

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

OH COME ON.

Here it is basted together for the first fitting



WTH? There are so many issues I don't even know where to start. And the pattern is my size!

For the hell of it, I ripped out the basting on the right side and made these quickie pin-fit alterations:

Advance 4328.

Transferred the pattern to white paper and got everything cut out and marked.