Am I the only one that is plagued by garments that are
simultaneously too big and too small?
As a recap, when I last updated you on my cami muslin, it was a bit snug across the bust and hips. In hindsight, it was also too big thru the midriff. So, when I added some fabric to the center, to widen it across the bust and hips and make the straps a bit further apart, it had the unintended consequence of making the fitting issues in the middle worse. Also, when I played around with the length of the straps, I realized that this cami is supposed to be worn quite a bit higher than I care for. This somewhat explains why the armscye was giving me problems - they were in the wrong place.
So, I contemplated redrawing the neckline/armscye area more to my liking. To help figure out where I should redraw things I turned to an aging but trusty cami that I already own. Sure enough, when I lined up my trusty old cami with the KS pattern piece, I realized that I'm going to have to redraw the side seams too, if I am to make this work. That is when it hit me: I am just not shaped like this:
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A square with curved edges. |
So, where does this leave me? Well, first, my confession: I went on a $200 "Cyber Monday" lingerie shopping spree rather than Christmas shopping. Bras, panties, a cami and pj's should start arriving in the next week. (Repeat after me: Ahhh... catharsis!) But this was not enough. And so I made the very rash - possibly brilliant - decision to dismantle my trusty old cami and use it as a template for new camis. It is now in pieces.
I guess this post is a bit of a cautionary tale and a learning experience. First, I should learn to look at the line drawing and not just the cover art of a pattern envelope when deciding what will and won't work for me. Sigh. Second, I shouldn't leave my seam ripper in such an easily accessible place when I am in a mood. It seems that my seam ripper is involved in a high proportion of my stranger sewing... um... mishaps and adventures. Third, I am avoiding working on my Lady Grey muslin because the armpit is too high/tight. (Just thought I'd throw that out there in case you were wondering why I'm misdirecting my sewing angst onto a defenseless cami.)
Anyhooo, wish me luck. This time, I think I really do need it... on all fronts.