Monday 2 August 2010

Toil and trouble

So, having spent a happy, if frustrating, day yesterday trying to get my mockup of my dress (butterick b5209) bodice to fit, I'm ready to start the dress proper tonight. I'll try to get some snaps of each part of the process to review the pattern and show off my ability to complicate even the most simple of processes!

As expected, I had trouble getting the gathers to fit under the bust yesterday. My underbust measurement is 28", and on bust is 38", meaning that anything shaped around the bust usually ends up sitting several inches too high. Not for me the empire line! Yesterday, I made up the bodice in muslin with the measurements for a 38" bust and tried it on.

Since it was too big in the waist I took about 2" out of the back and re stitched it. Then, because the gathers were, predictably, far too high, I drew where my underbust line came onto the muslin. I then used those lines recut the two front sections, about an inch longer in the centre as it turned out. Finally I resewed it and took a little bit of fullness out of the centre front, so it's more fitted around the bust. Since I unpicked by toile before bed last night, I don't have any pictures, but it wasn't exciting and hopefully the real thing will be worth looking at!

All of this was done while watching Gone with the Wind (I think I'm developing an unhealthy crush on Clark Gable) and Andrew Marr's Making of Modern Britain. The latter is something I'm watching not just for enjoyment, but as part of my newest project - an A-Level in History! I'm taking the 4 modules over the next 2 years and the 2 I'm doing this year are Britain: 1906-1951 and Life in Nazi Germany. I'll be taking the Britain module in January, so I've started studying for it already. Fortunately, it's a time period I know a fair bit about already, so there shouldn't be too many surprises! Andrew Marr's series, while short and high level is a very good starting point and I'd definitely recommend it. I've used it to get an overview of the first half of the 20th Century and I think it's been a good introduction. I'm really looking forwards to looking deeper into such a fascinating time!

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