"Three weeks and it couldn't be worse..."

[ladyofthethread]

I really wish all my posts lately weren’t about sewing fiascos. I know I can sew decently but I just feel like a failure these days since I’ve had such problems with everything I’ve tried to work on for about the past month.

After my last post, I continued on the skirt but then sewed one of the pocket slits shut by mistake and decided it was just time to put it aside for a while. Sunday, my father agreed to drive me to JoAnn’s so I picked up some patterns to alter for Ekaterina’s jacket, a bolt of muslin, supplies to work on my samples for the Anime Boston workshop, and some other little things.

Feeling more optimistic, I started altering patterns for Ekaterina’s jacket. I began with a Butterick men’s costume pattern since it was the only jacket pattern I could find with both a standing collar and huge lapels. Plus, I figured it might work better than some women’s patterns because of the way the corset flattens out my figure. Started from the small size and changed the front to be single breasted and have the right lapel shape. Did a mockup and found the back seemed baggy although the front looked good so I took it apart and cut the back pieces down to extra small. Seemed better after that and I added in sleeves from this pattern since they had the shape I needed. The sleeves went in okay and the front looked perfect.

However, the sleeves would pull and cause wrinkles across the back around bust level if I extended my arms in front of me. None of the alterations in the Vogue sewing book seemed to fit this problem and I wasn’t sure what would be the best way to fix it so I asked my mother what she thought. (She worked as a seamstress before I was born but she’s not that fond of my cosplay hobby so I try to avoid bringing costume stuff up with her normally.) She thought I should let it out at the princess seams in the back. I tried that but it still wrinkles in that spot. Next, she suggested enlarging the armhole in the back. I did that and it’s a bit better but the wrinkles still aren’t gone. Then, she thought I should drop the bottom of the armhole and enlarge it some more. I tried it on one side of the mockup and the damn thing still pulls and wrinkles in the back. -_- My mother is still trying to help fix it but I’m really frustrated at this point because it fits everywhere else and it’s just this one issue that keeps me from finishing up the patterning and getting started on the real jacket.

Bah, at this point, I’m not sure if Ekaterina is going to be done for Costume Con. It would be disappointing if it’s not since I wanted to get it judged there versus a regular anime con. Workmanship judging for the historical masquerade works a little differently; they recommend that people bring their costumes to pre-judging rather than wearing them. I’m pretty pleased with my corset and panniers and that would give me a chance to show them off to the judges which I wouldn’t be able to do if I entered it at an anime con. Plus, I actually have an idea for fitting music to use for a walk-on and I think it would be more appreciated at Costume Con.

I don’t really feel like it but I probably have to go fabric shopping in the morning so I can work on stuff over the weekend. I still need a bunch of things and don’t know if places will close this weekend since it’s Easter. Maybe, I’ll jump to working on the phoenix prop to go with 19th Century D for a bit. At least, I can’t really have fitting issues with that. >_>

Comments

[tiatsuchi.livejournal.com]

*hugs* I hope everything works out. Sorry you are having such sleeve issues, I always have trouble with sleeves too.

[selphie84.livejournal.com]

Heh I've got that Butterick pattern too. There's this pattern though that I have -- cant seem to remember if it was Vogue (it might have been a period costume from McCalls or Butterick tho...) or what that might be better suited for her jacket - I cant remember it entirely, but from what I remember of it, might be a lot easier to alter for the jacket as opposed to the Christmas Carol one.

*hah* read more into your post and the 2nd pattern of the women's period dress/coat is the one I was talking about. I think part of your wrinkle problem stems from the fact you used a men's pattern for the body and women's for the sleeve. Men's coat patterns account for significantly broader shoulders/shoulder blades even at the smaller sizes and their sleeve caps are shaped a little different and fuller that fitting the sleeve onto it would involve adding to and altering the women's sleeve to have it fit properly. Both might be fitted jackets, but are fitting completely different structures.

What you might want to try instead is use the women's pattern entirely and just use your knowlege and the men's pattern as a reference to create lapels & collar for it; I think you might have much better luck doing that instead.

Sorry to hear your frustrations. I was there when I was making my double-breasted lapel vest with a front panel of evil for my Capt. Varrot costume from Valkyria Chronicles. The things this hobby makes us go thru, heh. Hope my reply helps tho! Good luck! (and btw your corset & panniers looked really awesome and clean)

[leisemelody.livejournal.com]

Maybe adjusting the shoulder seams would help.

When you set in the sleeve, does it set slightly forward or straight down???

[skdarkdragon.livejournal.com]

:( Aww, I'm sure everything will work out! You sound like you just need a break.