I've got my muslin put together for McCalls Jacket 5478. I'm just not sure about this one. Have you ever had a pattern where the flat pattern mesaurements are all correct, but it just doesn't fit you right? That's what is happening here. The amount of ease on the jacket should be fine. I have about 3" of ease through the torso, and the shoulders are perfect, so I know that the size is correct. But it pulls funny and it's not comfortable, and I am pretty sure I don't want to make it up with my silk taffeta brocade that I was thinking about. I think the problems lie partly in the fact that this jacket is cut on the bias. I've always had problems with bias cuts on me. The other part of the problem is that I am an inverted triangle, and I'm not sure that this style will work for my figure type, especially cut on the bias.
Sorry, you're not going to get any pictures of me in it - it makes me look fat and I'll be damned if I present myself to the Internet that way. But I may draw back and punt on this one. I'm going to do a couple of mods to the pattern and try another muslin, but I suspect that the taffeta will have to wait for another pattern. I think it would look good in this jacket pattern:
It's in my stash, and it is cut on the straight grain for the front and back, with the sides cut on the bias.
Well, the consolation is that it did give me fodder for a tutorial on BeSewStylish
Happy sewing!
9 comments:
No-o-o-o--o-o! I was waiting for you to get all the kinks out of this one before I tackled it. Let me ask: have you had fitting problems with any other McCalls bodices? There is something about the bust or the armhole or *something* that I can't put my finger on...but I have trouble getting these to fit the way I want them to. I'm very glad you didn't cut into your brocade yet.
I hope you work the kinks out, I've been looking for your review.
Ann, it looks to me like you may be right. That jacket style seems to be better suited for a less busty (in your own admission) type of gal. It also looks like it would pull uncomfortably across the shoulders, particularly with the bias cut, as you mentioned. It also looks to me like it would add far too much emphasis to the upper part (wider) of the triangle of your body. What do you think?
The second jacket would be TDF in the taffeta. A perfect match.
I hereby give you permission to punt - not that you needed my permission. Hahaha.
It's refreshing to hear others decide to toss aside a pattern if it won't work no matter what adjustments are made.
If you don't like it, then dump it! Personally I like the second pattern much better anyway. He he.
I still haven't got around to listening to your singing... It's been too busy at my parents' and I want to be able to listen to it quietly. Next week when I'm back in Paris!
I never realized you were also an inverted triangle. I'd punt the pattern, I personally thought it would over-emphasis my broader shoulders with the lay of the lapel. But the 2nd pattern I too have had my eye on! Think it would look nice on our body type! I'm paying more attention to the patterns that work for you - now for more personal reasons - lol !!
There's no shame in ditching it if doesn't work for you. Too many people wear things that are ill fitting and not suited for their body type just because it is in style. I wouldn't waste the silk on something that doesn't suit, me, either!
I made a mock-up of this pattern last week, and at first didn't like the fit. Especially in the back. But then I started pinching out fabric, and discovered I had to do different alterations in the back than I usually do. I ended up pinching out a fairly big fold horizontally across the back waist, which then magically produced a smooth fit across the shoulders, too. The fit was looking good, but I didn't like the feel of the bias cut across my back shoulders. Still, I really like the design of this jacket (I love big collars!), and decided to cut into my striped linen.
The alteration I made to the back side pattern piece (to take that tuck along the back waist) threw off the grainline and the angle of the side seam. When I cut into my linen, I had a devil of a time getting the side seams to line up properly. Thank goodness I had plenty of fabric; it took me three tries to get it right (I was cutting and sewing sequentially: first the front center, then the front side, then the back side... you get the idea). By the time I got to the center back piece, I could tell there was no way I was going to be able to match the stripes between the center back and side back. So I made a quick decision to cut the center back on the straight of grain, and sewed the seams between the center back at 1/2" instead of 5/8. I hoped that would partly compensate for the loss of stretch across the bias.
It worked, and the bonus is that when I tried on the partially-completed jacket the back fit and was comfortable. Today I hope to set in the sleeves and attach the lining.
For those who like the look of this collar and the overall cut of the jacket, you might try a mock-up with at least the center back cut on the straight of grain. Maybe also the center front. If you look closely at the illustration for view A, it shows the center front cut on the straight of grain. But there's no optional layout for view A that places the center front on the straight of grain. That bugged me... they should give directions that correspond to their illustrations!
Hope this helps. I think I’m going to like this jacket.
Pam
I'm not sucked in by the Potter-mania, instead got sucked in reading Fashion Incubator's horror stories on DE's using home sewing patterns.
Could it be that McCall's 5478 is just a horribly drafted pattern to begin with?
Last year, I was sewing a Simplicity's pattern cut on the bias. Everything was hunky dory, even the key hole neckline, then I got to hemming it: the finishing touches no less! To cut this comment short, the pattern's instructions were c*@@@@@p! That was my first lesson in keeping a healthy distance between me and a pattern's instructions.
I finished my version of McCall 5478, and I must say that I'm very pleased with the result! It took only a few adjustments over and above my usual alterations to get a good fit. I found the pattern to be very well drafted -- complete with separate pattern pieces for upper and under collar. Other than the bigger-than-usual sway-back adjustment I noted in my earlier post, the only other changes I made were to eliminate the back vent (it pooched out too much on me), eliminate the back belt, and straighten out the back hem on me. (I don't want to think about what this says about my body shape....) You can see pictures at http://new.photos.yahoo.com/pameladesigns/album/576460762375859531
Pam
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