vogue couturier 2771- chapter 2

is it done? who knows.

in this installment of vogue pattern 2771, i added the sleeves, finished the neckline, and hemmed the bottom. then started second guessing every seam. if you'll recall, the pattern looks like this:

the sleeves:

muslin had 3/4 length sleeves, which was the original intention. but then the topic of a jacket was also discussed, so the short sleeves seemed like the way to go. the shoulder distance had to be increased a bit at the apex of the curve, and the interior seam had to be adjusted to match where the bodice had been taken in. before it was attached, the sleeve was hemmed.

attaching the sleeves was exactly the same as the muslin- press the bodice, pin it to the sleeves, baste by hand, stitch with machine, and press.

viola- all four seams turned out great (sorry for the retina burning background- it was all i had to recover the ironing board).

neckline:

the muslin had indicated that the neckline needed to be opened a bit from the pattern. i waited until all the pieces of the neckline were assembled before cutting this 5/8" out. before sewing the facing pieces together, each was adjusted to match where the top sleeve seam had been let out. once sewn, the inner curve was cut out to match the exterior. but this is where i messed up- and forgot to add a backing to the facing. that should've happened, but it did not. the neckline would lay much better if it had.

gripes:

once it was finished, an executive decision was made to forego the heavy topstitching. it's nice and clean. of course this means that there's no need for the 3/4" seam allowances on the princess seams- leading to my first gripe:

• waviness at the bust seams. also the pockets are somewhat visible (no solutions for that one at the moment. suggestions welcomed).
• the neckline keeps flipping out due to the lack of reinforcement in the facing.
• i kind of wish it was lined.
• the sleeve length.

ugh. a whole week's endeavor to draft a matching short jacket failed miserably. at least 6 muslins to date, and nothing that doesn't give a "quarterback" shoulder line. covering up the scallop details- the best part of the dress- is a shame. after careful consideration (desperation), another executive decision has been made. go back to longer sleeves. of course this means that the facing has to come off, which will give me a second chance to correct it. and the seam allowance that's providing unwanted waviness at the bust can be trimmed and press open. and, possibly, it's not too late to add a lining. it's not the end- but only the beginning!