Pattern altering

I have had a couple of patterns in the works, including a reprint of a vintage simplicity pattern, and an over bust corset. Unfortunately, I, like many people are not a regular hourglass shape with perfectly proportioned legs and torso. I’m a pear, with very narrow shoulders, a relatively small, high bust, and bigger hips. So I have spent much of the past week altering these patterns and tracing them into tracing paper.

The dress is the simplicity 8050 pattern. Found here: https://www.simplicity.com/simplicity-storefront-catalog/patterns/brands/simplicity/simplicity-pattern-8050-vintage-1940s-dress-pattern/ . According to the pack, my bust is a 10, but my hips and waist are a 14. Not only that but my neck to waist measurement that I took is only 14.5 inches. The smallest size on the pack (6) is still a full inch longer than that. A size 14 is two inches longer.

So, I followed the size 6 lines across the shoulders, but took them out to the size 10 lines below the arm-pits, and graduated from there to the size 14 lines at the waist. Dress patterns sometimes have a line to shorten or lengthen the torso, but I usually find it’s between the bust and waist, which puts the bust too low. This is a problem I also have in buying dresses from commercial stores. So, I took half an inch out between the top of the bust dart and the bottom of the armscye, and half an inch out from between the bust and waist, on all the bust panel pieces.

The corset was a different issue. I like corsets, and would probably wear one consistently if my job allowed it, but alas the nature of it does not. I got through my exams at uni with one on, because the constant hugging helped when my stress was through the roof, and made things easier to handle. I have made an underbust corset before, but lost the pattern when I moved. I enjoyed making it, and have some design ideas, but I need to get some good solid patterns sorted first. The pattern I got was based on the corset pattern compendium that came with the corset making course I first bought three or four years ago. I was directed to the course by a video by Lucy of Lucy’s Corsetry on YouTube. Unfortunately, I cannot longer seem to find the site I got it off, and wonder if it is no longer in operation. It is sad as it was a wonderful course. The pattern I picked was the sweetheart overbust. However, I had to resize it tremendously (I found the overbust to be around 40”. I am barely 34”.), shorten the torso and I wanted to alter a few things about the shape of the panels and the bottom edge.

My job for next week is to make a start of some mock-ups, and pick out fabric. I really want the dress to be linen, but linen can be slightly see-through at times, which lining can fix, but could make it too warm for summer (I’m rather heat intolerant). I thought about a cotton voile lining, but no fabric shop here stocks pure cotton voile, which is a shame as I like to support local shops - they struggle so much these days, and I like to feel the fabric before I buy it. I may try the next city over, but if not, I may need to resort to online. I’m considering a single-layer corset of a patterned coutil, and save the expensive silks until further on in my corset-making journey.