Mini Wardrobe

So I started with this blouse from Ottobre Woman 5/2007. I like this issue a lot.

Having made Ottobre tops before, I've come up hard against the truth: they are drafted for a taller woman than I am. It says so right in the magazine: she is 5ft. 6in give or take. I'm 5ft.4in. I used my recently re-done sloper to figure out where the differences were with a simple pattern.



The personal sloper lines are shown in black. The two places I lined up the patterns are the neck/shoulder point and the waistline. The distance between the shoulder and underarms are far apart. It was the same with the back pattern piece. I began to see what made the previous garments so uncomfortable once they were made up… after I'd checked the circumferences and matched them up. As drafted, this extra length in the upper chest made the blouses restrict arm movement. The collar bands and collars were also strangely too long! It was frustrating.



You can see the difference in the Ottobre sleeve outline (Orange) and the sleeve cap I drafted from the front and back sloper armholes as is done in the Mrs. Stylebook pattern magazines. After this step, I slashed the sleeve up the middle and spread it to give me 2in. more room in the bicep.

You can see the blouse on me at Pattern Review Back to the sewing machine.

Mini Wardrobe

I've been vicariously sewing through the blogs because too busy with work (a good thing!)

Another blogger's plan to coordinate with an orange jacket reminded me of this jacket, the top part of a suit that came with black pants. I wore the pants out so I'll be replacing them and making a skirt both black.

I'll make two blouses and be done with it, three pieces of fabric used and now I can use this jacket. All fabrics from the stash but don't think I didn't get online and …almost…click…that…button!