First stab at alterations

[pinksonia]

Over the last couple of months I've developed a bit of a reputation around the office for wearing cute dresses.  Okay, so it may only be a reputation with Gina from Accounting, but she does comment on weather or not I'm wearing a dress every morning.  I have to admit that I like dresses (I refused to wear pants until I was around 10), but I tend to have a hard time finding things that fit well, particularly in the sun dress category. 

Long story short: I've got big boobs and a healthy desire for them not to be on display to all and sundry.  If that's a problem with ready made clothes, then it is just as much a problem with commercial patterns which are made with a B-cup in mind.  I am in no way a B-cup as evidenced by the Halloween costume of Donna's Fire's of Pompeii dress I tried to make - way more risque than what you remember from the episode I guarantee you.  So, I'm trying to teach myself pattern alteration.

Today I started trying to make this dress (the one in yellow) in a spring green color.  I've cut out the pattern pieces and am in the processes of cutting them all to shreds, pulling this way and that, attempting to add darts in the correct places.  I am of course using some tutorials for the process, not just randomly placing darts and hoping they come out correctly.  I'm starting to worry that I may have over compensated in the base size and that the whole garment will be too small.  I do plan to make a muslin - by bastardizing the fore mentioned Fires of Pompeii dress - so hopefully I'll be able to fix it if I did cut out the pattern too small.  Not that I know how to do that. 

Comments

[zooropababy.livejournal.com]

Before you bastardize the Fires of Pompeii dress you MUST take a picture of it!!!!
And I must see this!

[pinksonia.livejournal.com]

Here's a picture from Halloween. It's less revealing than I remember, at least in the head on picture.

(http://s261.photobucket.com/albums/ii73/AlliKathrynflanagan/?action=view&current=n5204680_47499904_764.jpg)

[zooropababy.livejournal.com]

That is Brilliant!
And, no, not terribly revealing.
Wish I had done something for Halloween, but I was too depressed from life going Ker-Splody!

Maybe this year :-)

[pinksonia.livejournal.com]

You'll just have to do an extra special costume this year - It can be another phase in the journey from depression - or something.

[zooropababy.livejournal.com]

It's quite a journey, I'll say that much.

Have realised that it would be hella difficult to get a job acting is I not only have a half sleeve and most of my calves tattooed *AND* have stretched ears, and multiple piercings, and so... Took the cartilage piercing out last night, and started downsizing my ears last week. There's no way in hell I'm getting rid of my art, but the piercings? If this craziness doesn't work out I can always stretch them back up.

Makes me wonder if my subconscious was already plugging away at this a year and a half ago when I started growing out my hair...

[zooropababy.livejournal.com]

Also - where have you found tutorials? I'm running into problems finding help for adapting one of my 1940s patterns. I'm a 6 on the top and bottom, but a 10 in the middle because I don't have a grdle.
Am debating obtaining one, and just making the dress as is, except I don't know if a girdle will take 2 inches off my waist...

[pinksonia.livejournal.com]

http://www.cedesign.com/familyphotos/sewing/info/index.html

Seems to have a lot of different tutorials. Mostly I just searched for "alterations bust," so I don't really know about any other tutorials.

[pinksonia.livejournal.com]

I'll keep that in mind for winter if this version works out. I usually have the problem with black dresses that no matter what material or style they are they always look really formal. I never end up wearing them because I don't have an appropriate occasion.

Saw this and thought of you

[(Anonymous)]

Oliver sent this to me, so I send it to you.

http://beatonna.livejournal.com/100875.html

-Adams