i started work on my dress today. from dreams of a beautiful summer dress this morning.. to feeling fat, ugly, and totally useless tonight. This is not what i wanted when i started doing this.. its supposed to support me, not let me down like this..
I just.. JUST had enough material to make the pattern. i laboriously cut everything out, excitedly got to work. in doing the test run i noted that the material does not take well to unpicking, and frays like crazy. so i even more laboriously overlocked every single seam, even the hidden ones, to help strengthen the dress.
the instructions tell you to start with the bodice, then the midriff, then the skirt. I’ve gotten as far as the bodice and midriff. It doesn’t fit.
it doesn’t fit because pattern makers, regardless of what size you are, don’t take into account if you have large breasts or not. I do. mine are a DD. the bodice looks awful. I can’t wear it. I either pull the midriff part down under my bustline where it should be and expose half my bra – and worse – or hoist the bodice up and have the midriff sitting on my nipples. its indecent.. and worse still.. there’s no way to rescue it. i’ve run out of the material, so in order to finish it i have to go and get some more of the same material.. in fact, hope they HAVE more of the same material, and even then i have absolutely no idea where to start to adjust the bloody pattern so that it will fit me.
I’m looking at a blog on “full bust pattern adjustment” and it means nothing to me.
I feel fat, frumpy. useless.
and damnit.. i don’t want to feel this way. i shouldn’t feel this way. This was not supposed to happen…
EDIT: one hour later…
after throwing a hissy fit worthy of Naomi Campbell, dumping the material and all the other gorgeous material i bought in the bin, all the patterns and packing away all my sewing stuff, saying i was never going to sew again, then throwing myself on the sofa in floods of tears.. Michiel made me a cup of tea (yes i know, so English) cuddled me till the tears dried up a bit, and then kicked my backside in fairly short order (something along the lines of.. “just because the pattern is so badly designed you’re going to give up sewing?”) … i got all the stuff out of the bin (fortunately not damaged/dirtied) and he lent me the money to go into town tomorrow to get some more of that fabric. I just hope and pray they have some left.
[Mum… I’m probably not gonna get it done in time for you to hem it on friday, i’m going to have to make up a dummy run to get the bodice working as i want it to, so that i can then pull THAT one apart to use as a pattern for the dress and the other tops. Quite how i am going to make a larger bodice, i don’t know… i forsee a large learning curve ahead of me!]
I’ve also done a search online and discovered that i am not the only person to have had these problems with this pattern. Apparently just about all patterns, regardless of size, are designed for a “B” cup, and if you are anything other than that, you have to make the adjustments. Someone aptly described it as “a troll in the measuring department pulling figures out of thin air”. heh. which also makes me feel somewhat better (*mental note: next time you consider buying a pattern, do a search online first for reviews on it*). At the same time i’ve been warned that because the skirt is cut as a rectangle, then gathered into the bodice, it can give a rather dangerous “pregnant lady” look, so there may well be further adjustments apart from the bodice. It’d be worth it though as once i have a pattern that fits me, i’ll reuse it a lot – and i suspect this won’t be the last time i come up against this problem.
photos of the bodice as it is now are behind the cut…
this is with the bodice sitting more or less where its supposed to. It looks okay, but what you can't see is that the bodice doesn't "cup" underneath the bust as it should do, so if i made it up, the effect would make me look like.. well.. the side of a barn. its also rather lower cut than i feel comfortable with - the black vest i'm wearing underneath is about as low as i care to get, and this is lower than that - when i tried it without the vest, i could see quite a lot of my bra. Although the bodice isn't completely made up (there's no zip at the back to pull it taut) you can also tell that there's going to be quite a lot of extra material hanging loose at the side underneath the arm. Its beautiful material and it deserves better than this, it really does.
this is with the midriff/bodice seam pulled down to where it *should* be, underneath the bust, and you can see how ridiculous it looks. The triangles that are supposed to cover the bust simply are not large enough - there is no allowance made if you are larger than a "B" cup that you need a bigger cup cos you got more to fill it with! I find this quite disgraceful, personally, i don't mind making minor adjustments but for something like this, there should at least be a warning on the pattern, and instructions for making smaller/larger cup sizes.
August 7, 2008 at 3:19 am
Lots of sympathy for you, try doing anything attractive & nursing friendly. Dowdy or risque are not good choices. It will be a lovely summer dress, you can do it! (I picture a soft, soft shawl for cool evenings.)
August 7, 2008 at 3:29 am
I’m so glad you didn’t give up. And being bigger than average doesn’t automatically make a girl frumpy.
I agree that the bodice is a little too low cut. I don’t know why so many women have to have half their boobs on display these days – sexy isn’t about showing what you’ve got, it’s about attitude 🙂
Good luck. I’m sure it’ll look lovely once it’s finished. And just think how proud you’ll feel when you wear it 🙂
August 7, 2008 at 3:29 am
PS: I may be dense here but what does “photos of the bodice as it is now are behind the cut…” mean?
August 7, 2008 at 3:56 am
Got your message on my blog. I always try to give a thorough review in the hopes that people will stumble upon them before the tears happen :O( I have to admit that I still have a stoney place in my heart for this pattern for all the trouble, but I have learned that patterns cannot really account for everything, but just like clothing brands you have to find the company that works best for you. I mean fitting is key, but it is much easier if you get closer on the first try, hence my love affair with Burda patterns.
However, adjustments will happen. I have to make petite adjustments on everything and then do a swayback for the big bootyitis that I seem to have. So in the end it is about trial and error through muslins until your learn about your body. LOL…sounds like something you would hear in health class.
All in all, I give you props for continuing on, but also make sure you love this pattern and there is not another similiar one that got better reviews as Big Four pattern companies all seem to make similar items. I would check patternreview.com with pattern numbers to see everyones review.
Ok…enough blabbering. Good LUCK!
August 7, 2008 at 8:09 am
Have been following your dressmaking with interest. I’m a bit older than you, and was also taught to sew and make things generally – so handy. I haven’t made clothes for years though, mainly becuase I have a large bust and small back.
A few months ago I was looking for an outfit for my nephew’s wedding and I fell in love with a blouse from Hobbs (I know, but hubby offered to pay!). When I had tried on three different sizes and styles of their tops I realised that the range, which I had hanckered after for years, was never going to fit me – ever. I was close to tears for the rest of the day.
My style, if I have one, is trousers and T, with an open shirt over the top to hide my bust. I just don’t have the mentality for it!!!
With your dressmaking skills and the right pattern you stand a much better chance of getting the style you want in the fabric you like. Keep at it – you’ll get there.
August 7, 2008 at 10:27 am
psht, silly girl *hug* it’s their damn fault for making a pattern without options for different bust sizes (I really just don’t get that, given the patterns come in diff sizes…).
Just be glad you don’t have smaller boobs. Just about all clothing for bigger sizes is made for larger chested people than myself 🙂 (even bras – 40c is a right PITA size – too big for the majority of normal shops, too small for most ‘big’ shops).
At the end of the day, sewing/crafts/any other hobby is generally a learning curve. That’s what makes it interesting and fun. Not every single item is going to be perfect – however irritating that is 🙂
August 7, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Having big bosoms is one of my motivations for making my own clothes (anything of a fitted from a shop is hopeless – except from Bravissimo), but it does take a lot of adjustment and I still haven’t worked out a technique beyond tireless trial and error.
It also bugs me that this stuff can bring you down. The number of times I have tried to buy clothes that haven’t fit because of my bust and felt miserable, yet why? We could lose or gain weight, but our shape is exactly as nature intended. And big breasts are great really. It is only certain economic factors of mass-manufacturing that wishes to standardise our bodies.
August 8, 2008 at 1:22 am
Stephanie – i’ve never had children so i’ve no direct experience of “nursing friendly clothes”, but i can well imagine. Must be quite difficult.. makes me feel ashamed to be complaining! I have a couple of lovely pashminas in different colours and thicknesses, which will do for evening, so i’m not worried about that. And i think that’s why i got so upset about it.. i know what a lovely dress it’d be. Anyway. I WILL get there! thanks for the support!
Sharon – I don’t think the bodice is meant to be this lowcut. You know how a size B bra uses less material than a size D? same problem. Having said that, a size B i think can actually wear a lower cut top in general before it starts to look, well, indecent. And damn straight size doesn’t equal frumpy! (and Mom liked your message, by the way.. 🙂 )
the “behind the cut” thing just means.. you know where you click on the “(more…)” thing? thats the cut. it just means that the page takes a bit less time to load for those that are on dialup/slow connection, if i don’t fill it with pictures, and also people will only click the “more” if its a subject they’re really interested in. 🙂
Peacockchic – thanks for the tips.. I’m going to persevere with this pattern, mostly because i really can’t afford to go and buy another, *but* i will make sure that in future i check the reviews for the pattern i want and make sure that it’s not got any obvious problems.. its all a learning curve, really, isn’t it? i also want to make some tops from the same pattern, identical to the dress but much shorter, so it really is worth persevering with it. Thanks for the help and encouragement though, i do appreciate that. Sometimes knowing you’re not alone in wanting to throw the pattern at the wall just helps, yanno?
And while, yes, patterns can’t account for anything, i do feel strongly that in a design where the size of bust will so strongly affect the fit of the item being made, that it should, at the very *least*, say “this pattern will fit a B Bust, other sizes will have to make adjustments”, if not give the actual instructions for it. i mean.. if you’re going on the rationale of the pattern makers for a standardised bust size, then they may as well just give out the pattern in a size 12 or 14 or something, and to anyone else, say.. tough luck, you know?
Linda – ohhhh.. I do feel for you, i know exactly how you feel.. its so demoralising, it really is, i used to hate clothes shopping when i was younger for this reason, because i could never find anything to fit me, and would often “settle” for clothes i didn’t really like, just for the sake of having something i could wear. (is it any wonder my self-confidence is in tatters?). thanks for the support though – i appreciate that! *huggssss*
Sez – you know, i never even thought about it that way. The smaller breast size problems, i mean. I have to say though, from a dressmakers point of view, i’d almost prefer the smaller bust. I mean.. you can make something smaller easily enough. Its much harder to make something *bigger*.. and no. I don’t get it either. Silly pattern companies.
and whaddya mean it won’t be perfect! NOOOOO! don’t say that!!! it must be perfect! must beeee!
Goldfish – yeah. i know exactly what you mean. Apparently the average size of bust in the UK is no longer a B – its a 36 C. And as much of a QUARTER of all bra sales are for a size D.. some manufacturers are making their bras into the K range now. so why are pattern makers sticking stubbornly to the B sizing? its crazy – i reckon someone should sue em under the trades description act, “not fit for purpose”. I mean.. imagine being sold a set of instructions to build a computer where the hard drive isn’t big enough to do what you want it to do, but it doesn’t say how big the hard drive it will build is on the instructions, so you have to go out and learn about how to build a bigger hard drive – something that wasn’t included in the instructions… people would be up in arms, wouldn’t they?
anyway. thankyou, all of you, for your support – it really does mean the world to me.. 🙂 and when i pull the dress on, and my new tops, and everything else i make, it’ll be you guys i’m thinking of and saying “thankyou!”
keth
xx
July 22, 2009 at 1:38 pm
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