Pin Fit Report

I finally got the Flute Player's Fancy Dress pattern (Simplicity 5561) traced and pin fitted yesterday.

Interesting, to say the least.

By way of a SBA (small bust adjustment), I shaved just enough of the curve off the side front bust so that the notches matched the center front piece w/no easing. That worked pretty well (Couldn't believe they drafted it such that it needed to be eased - in a shiny formal wear fabric, that'd look AWFUL. Just MHO).

The front fit fairly well. She needed just a pinch more in the waist; I think I let the side front seam out about 3/8 on either side.

I had to take in the top of the side seam a bit...about 1/2" on either side.

But the back...omigosh, the back was WAAAYYY too small. It was 1 1/2" short of reaching to her spine at the top, and a full 4" too tight at the waist. That's for just one side.

I need to go back and compare the measurements and see if it really measures what it says it's supposed to; that was unbelievably small. Or...maybe the pattern isn't nested as I expected; that is, perhaps the smallest size isn't necessarily the innermost lines? That might make sense, although...the front was reasonable. But I was watching the Olympics (first time we'd turned them on all week!) and I might've been just a teeny bit distracted.

Anyway, my plan for tonight is to alter the pattern to match the pin-fit, then cut out the lining and sew that up quickly for a fit check. If the lack of ease in the tissue paper is what caused the strange fitting issues, that'll show up and I can tweak it however I need to before I actually cut the dress out.

We don't have choir practice this week because there is an audition for prospective choir folks (um, believe it or not I started choir before they started auditioning folks, so I'm grandfathered in. Whew.), so I'll have all Thursday evening for sewing.

Hopefully by then I'll be well into construction. If not...I'm in trouble ;)