u/furiana

I made a ton of changes to the last muslin. This one (#12) feels much better, especially in the shoulder and bust.

I plan to shorten the back bodice by 1" and to move the right bust apex as marked on the muslin.

Are there any other changes I should make before testing sleeve shapes?

I'm on my ninth muslin for this dress, and it feels like nothing is working.

Bust: I've tried slashing tight areas around the armpit and upper bust. I've tried a small bust adjustment to get rid of the excess fabric over the apex and under the bust. I've pinched out wedges of fabric under the bust. I've slashed through the front shoulder and pinned it flat. The changes seem to work while the muslin is pinned, but the problems come back after I transfer them to the pattern and make the next muslin.

Back waist/ tilted skirt side seam: I've tried removing wedges of fabric from the back bodice and the back skirt. This corrected the problem on the muslin where I pinned it, but when I transferred the wedges to the pattern, the problems came back.

I only have enough fabric left for one more attempt at the bodice. What changes do I make?!?

1. What do I do about the waist seam? From the side view, it looks like the waist seam is longer in front and back, and too high at the sides. But from the front view, it looks like the waist seam is too short in the front. Which picture do I listen to? Do I leave the seam alone?

2. I can tell that the skirt as a whole is tilted. My instinct is to simply add a wedge to the front of the skirt along the waist, and remove a wedge from the back of the skirt along the waist. Or, do I do a full abdomen adjustment?

3. I'm pretty sure I need a sloped shoulder adjustment to address the wrinkles around the armpits. Does it look like the shoulders need any other adjustments?

4. Where the heck is the bust apex? As you can tell from the muslin, I'm really struggling to locate it. In person / in the mirror, it looks like it's higher. In photographs, it looks like it's lower. I'm going insane.

5. Do I shorten the other darts? Abdomen, back, butt...?

Thanks in advance! :)

How can I make this dress more flattering?

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Details: I'm designing a red wrap maternity dress with a ruffled hem for myself. It's for casual daily wear.

These are the ideas I've explored so far (images 1-3) and my original inspiration (images 4-5).

Because I'm pregnant, the waist line can be raised but not lowered. I can change almost anything else: hem length, neckline, skirt shape, number of ruffles, etc. I can add embroidery/lace/decoration, too. I can also choose any fabric as long as it has drape: charmeuse, velvet, crepe de chine, cotton gauze...

I successfully color matched embroidery thread that had the color red I wanted!

Details: Procion MX Brilliant Orange : Fuschia, 7:1, 1% dye bath on 100% cotton. Used salt and soda ash. 40 minute dye bath total.

I'd like to get a bright poppy red on 100% cotton fabric. Which Procion dye is the closest? Fire Engine Red?

Details

* The planned fabric is unbleached, so the starting color is off-white (image 2). I can switch to a bleached cotton (image 3) if need be.

* No need to exactly color match the thread in the image, although something similar would be nice

* I've used Procion dyes before. Fuschia and lemon yellow create a decent red, but it's not as bright as I'm hoping for. (It's the correct hue but not the correct saturation.) I'm going to use that mixture if there's no red that matches more closely.

I followed the instructions for the wrap top in Helen Joseph-Armstrong's book. I can't say it came out well. Somehow the bust apex is way off (and asymmetrical? How?!), the darts are too long, there's excess fabric everywhere, and there's wrinkling at the armholes. I also cut the back side seams too short compared to the pattern ffs.

Where do I even begin? Do i troubleshoot the armholes before I move on to the bust?

Pattern: Self-drafted using instructions from Helen Joseph-Armstrong's "Patternmaking for Fashion Design." (See v-neck halter top p. 177 and full circle skirt p. 291) The bodice block that I modified was also based on this book's instructions.

Fabric: Woven undyed cotton, very light weight (almost gauze)

I'm making a dress out of a very light weight cotton, almost gauze. The skirt is a full circle.

On the left, I've basted a 5/8" ribbon to the hem of the dress. The right is without the ribbon.

I'm surprised at how much body the ribbon gives. It's relatively stiff, and it's straight grain rather than on the bias. Still. It looks like I have half a petticoat on!

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Project details

Pattern: Self-drafted using instructions from Helen Joseph-Armstrong's Patternmaking for Fashion Design (see v-neck halter top p. 177 and full circle skirt p. 291). The bodice block that I modified was also based on this book's instructions.

Fabric: Woven undyed cotton, very light weight (almost gauze)

Took 1-2 years, but i got them! :)

I would use a darker brown thread for the line work on the bottom. Otherwise, which style would better suit a dress?

After shortening the straps on this muslin, I'll need to lower the darts slightly. However, even at the lower position, they still bubbled.

I pressed them over a ham; ended the darts 1.5" before the apex; and slightly curved the ends as they approach the point.

Is it because of the size of the dart intake (easily 3" or more)? Is it a design problem, construction problem, or both?