[DW] mockups are occasionally a good thing
Okay, that title should really read "always," not "occasionally"... but hey. I'm ADHD and I don't have the patience for mockups all the time.
As I write this, I'm sitting surrounded by calico and pattern paper, with my hair in disarray and I'm pretty sure I've got crazy-eyes. I have sworn at this pattern...more than I usually swear at patterns. There is so much wrong with this pattern. I don't know where to start. I haven't even tried to mock up the skirt yet, just the bodice! I'm not expecting much with the skirt to be fucky, but oh man, This collar. I just... HOW.
First, the most egregious offense, in my opinion: there is both a collar AND a facing. My notes from costume school (oh my lord do I love this program, but that's another post in its entirety) say to use facings when not adding sleeves, collar, or yoke. There is a collar, therefore, a facing is entirely unnecessary. (It is for the button band, but it is not necessary to have a facing going around the ENTIRE NECKLINE.)
Next, there are shoulder seams. In the collar. Which meet up with the shoulder seams of the bodice. There are two layers of fabric for the collar, one of which is interfaced. There is the facing, and its interfacing. And then there is the bodice. If you're counting, that's six layers of fabric, and we've not even gotten to the seams yet. Double that, because EVERY SINGLE PIECE has a seam at the shoulder in this garment for some godforsaken reason. So there's a point where I'm trying to sew through twelve layers of fabric. My industrial machine at school would have zero problems. But my mother-in-law's trusty Pfaff Synchrotronic 1229? She struggles a bit.
There's a weird little dogleg between the end of the collar and the far button band edge. The angle of the neckline changes for some unnecessary reason, then there's another angle change to bump out for the button band. It's honestly kind of terrible and I feel like if I submitted this as a pattern piece I'd get scolded. It's astonishing. What the hell was this designer thinking?
I'll have to scan in my adjustments or something so someone else making this dress can have less stress over this godforsaken collar. I'm going to redo it as I learned in school, but I'm gonna have to put tape or something over the edges I think. In any case, here's what I'm fixing:
Here goes nothin', I guess.
As I write this, I'm sitting surrounded by calico and pattern paper, with my hair in disarray and I'm pretty sure I've got crazy-eyes. I have sworn at this pattern...more than I usually swear at patterns. There is so much wrong with this pattern. I don't know where to start. I haven't even tried to mock up the skirt yet, just the bodice! I'm not expecting much with the skirt to be fucky, but oh man, This collar. I just... HOW.
First, the most egregious offense, in my opinion: there is both a collar AND a facing. My notes from costume school (oh my lord do I love this program, but that's another post in its entirety) say to use facings when not adding sleeves, collar, or yoke. There is a collar, therefore, a facing is entirely unnecessary. (It is for the button band, but it is not necessary to have a facing going around the ENTIRE NECKLINE.)
Next, there are shoulder seams. In the collar. Which meet up with the shoulder seams of the bodice. There are two layers of fabric for the collar, one of which is interfaced. There is the facing, and its interfacing. And then there is the bodice. If you're counting, that's six layers of fabric, and we've not even gotten to the seams yet. Double that, because EVERY SINGLE PIECE has a seam at the shoulder in this garment for some godforsaken reason. So there's a point where I'm trying to sew through twelve layers of fabric. My industrial machine at school would have zero problems. But my mother-in-law's trusty Pfaff Synchrotronic 1229? She struggles a bit.
There's a weird little dogleg between the end of the collar and the far button band edge. The angle of the neckline changes for some unnecessary reason, then there's another angle change to bump out for the button band. It's honestly kind of terrible and I feel like if I submitted this as a pattern piece I'd get scolded. It's astonishing. What the hell was this designer thinking?
I'll have to scan in my adjustments or something so someone else making this dress can have less stress over this godforsaken collar. I'm going to redo it as I learned in school, but I'm gonna have to put tape or something over the edges I think. In any case, here's what I'm fixing:
- The weird dogleggy bit where the button band turns into the neckline. No weird angles here.
- The collar is now being drafted in one piece, as it should have been from the start.
- I might also widen the collar a little. Couldn't hurt, really. And I need to add another 6mm or so to the inside neck edge so I can tack it down properly.
- I'm going to figure out a better way to do the facing. There's gotta be a better way. Right?
- Might also put in a yoke, cuz I can.
- Stuff in the skirt as it arises. Pray for me.
Here goes nothin', I guess.
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