MMMay Day 12: Stylish Dress N

I had this sunny, warm, lovely spring day off and got to wear the only thing I have ever made from a Japanese pattern book (even though I own several). This was the dress I wore two summers ago, Dress N from the first Stylish Dress Book. I always used to wear it with a pair of lightweight pants underneath, but those pants are no longer wearable (stained beyond humility), but I am hoping to replicate those pants this summer. Last year I added side seam pockets to this dress and this year I am going to add shirring to the back, which was always a tad saggy.

 

Today's making was all about adjusting patterns. I tried to get rid of the excess fabric on the back of my Simplicity 1358 by making a center back dart and moving it out to the side seams. It didn't work, and, in fact, it made it worse. With the side seams changed I tried then to do a swayback adjustment, but the amount I was pinching out (2") made it impossible to bring the lines together and it just did not seem right.I found this amazing post from Patterns Scissors Cloth that said if you are adjusting more than a half inch there is probably more at play than a swayback adjustment can fix. So for the muslin I am going to take out the seams 1/4" (total 1") in hopes that a less snug hip area will alleviate some some of the bunching. I will then translate that alteration and add a diamond shaped dart to the back center seam for a wearable muslin for view E, which has a seam in both the front and back. I also might make a couple of tank tops from this pattern by shortening the pattern to hip length.

 

All of the alterations from my muslin are now on the pattern pieces for Vogue 8815 and the fabric is cut for what will be a wearable muslin. I have a feeling I might encounter some back bunching since I extended the length of the bodice by 5/8th of an inch. Changing the pattern pieces was fun (like a puzzle) and I inadvertently followed the conventional wisdom in altering patterns by progressing top to bottom. The hardest part was getting all (four) of the pattern pieces to fit on a yard and a quarter piece of fabric, but I did it! I almost blew it by cutting the back pieces with two separate pieces of fabric both face up. Thankfully the pattern piece was symmetrical so it worked both ways. I am hoping to sew it together for a fitting tomorrow!