Vtg Dubarry 6043 - pt 2

This is turning into one of "those" projects.  You know the ones?

For reference, here's the pattern, a 1940s Dubarry:

I'm doing the Sewing through the Decades challenge (linky on the left sidebar), and this is my 1940s entry.  Here's a snapshot of where I am right now:

Soo...the front bodice fits wonderful.  I've really got that nailed it would seem.  The back was a hot mess.  I had used my vintage McCalls 4115 back bodice and drafted a new back bodice piece for this Dubarry.  It ended up being about 6 inches too big!!  I have NO idea what happened, nor do I want to think about it too much becuase it makes my head hurt.  It would be SO much easier if I could just fit my back by sight.

Then my iron quit.  Dad to the rescue, who ran my mom's iron over to my house on his way to church!

Next, I went back and redrafted the back bodice, making it the requisite 6 inches smaller and using the pinned-to-fit bodice in progress and the original Dubarry pattern to draft off of.  Restitched the bodice, tried it on and voila.  Looked like a pretty good fit (if slightly snug this time.  sigh.)

That left me with skirt front & back.  I had compared the skirt front & back pieces from the original pattern and they appeared to be nearly an exact match shape-wise to one of my favorite New Look skirt patterns.  Which already fits.  So I subbed out my NL skirt piece (It uses the same piece for front/back) for the Dubarry.

I did trace off a copy and reshape the waistline to match the Dubarry though.  For two reasons...one, I won't have to dig around for the NL pattern next time I make this sundress and two, I was afraid the slightly different curve of the waistline would make a huge difference in fitting the bodice and skirt together.

That brings us to the next problem.  When I went to stitch the skirt on, I discovered the back skirt was about 4-6" too big for the back bodice, while the front skirt fit the front bodice perfectly. Which  makes sense I guess, since the original back bodice "should" have fit, given I made it to measurements.  And the skirt pattern was cut the same.   See, that's where the headache about this back fit thing comes into play.  HOW can that be possible??

Anyway.  What to do now?  Add darts in back?  Gathering?   It was clearly too much to ease in.  So I just went "easy" and made little pleats:

Which would be fine except now the dang thing is TOO TIGHT through my midsection/high hip!  UGH!!!  If this was a fitted dress, I think it would be fine (not in this fabric though).  Since I was going for a more flowy skirt sundress, and not a fitted midsection/hip, I'm disappointed.

I'm setting this project aside for now until I can come up with a suitable solution (bear in mind I do not have any more of this cute yellow print, so my solution has to be some sort of witchcraftery).

Before I go though, here's a close up of the cute bodice with RED RICKRACK.  I might cry if I can't fix this. Yellow daisy print with red rickrack!

I might have to find a new pattern to use my cheery pink and grey cherry fabric for...maybe a cute flowy skirt?

Don't forget to enter the Shabby Apple Dress giveaway!  Enter to win this cute wrap dress:

One more shout-out to Hell's Belle.  I really want to award this lovely blogiversary package!  If I don't hear from you by midnight Monday night, I'll be redrawing to give my vintage patterns and goodies to the next lucky winner!

Vtg Dubarry 6043 - pt 1

I know I was just posting about something else a few days ago, but while I was pulling out some batiste (to use for mulsins) I ran across this wonderful vintage cherry print I bought off of etsy last summer:

Isn't it awesome?  The cherries are the perfect coral-ly pink and the stems/leaves are grey.  I tried to ignore it or put in the "queue" and tell myself I'd get to it after the turquoise seersucker, but it kept after me.  So...change of plans!  I have 3 yards and it is 35" wide, so pattern consideration was a bit tricky.

I didn't have quite enough to do a circle skirt (so close though!  About 5" short!!)  I decided on this Dubarry, since I had planned to make it anyway, and the yardage factor is right:

A simple sundress, and I actually bought some red and white small print floral to make it later this spring anyway.   Today I altered the bodice pattern.  I used plain old pivot/slide to add 1.5" to the front & back, and after a tissue fit, went back and had to do another pivot/slide for an additional 1". 

 Well. Technically, the width is perfect and the bust dart is in the correct position, and the bust fullness was perfect too.  That's where perfect ends.  The V was OK, and the point where the straps attach fine, but under the arm it was a hot mess!  I almost needed another side dart to take up about 1.5", and from the strap point to the armsceye, another 1" of fullness could be pinned out.

I pinned away all the extra and carefully wiggled out of my muslin, planning to adjust the pattern piece.  That dart is a new one for me (is it a French dart?)  I think it has promise, but on laying my pinned muslin over my pattern piece I was at a loss as to how to proceed.  I checked it against the first pivot/slide piece too, to see if I just over-graded (which I tend to do), but nope.  It was clearly too narrow through the waist & bust.

To be honest, I was getting tired at that point (with no garment yet started and such a long way to next weekend).  So...I cheated. I traced off my last pattern (the wonderful yellow gingham McCalls 4115) and altered the neckline by overlaying my Dubarry pattern.  Here's the new pattern piece:

I had to guess at how low to make the center V, so another muslin is in my future! To be honest, I don't think (once the garment is constructed) that the finished bodice will look all that different than the original pattern.  Maybe my body just needs the additional darts in this bodice to achieve a good fit.  I'm ok with that, I already know it fits!

Coming soon...a 1940s Pink Cherry Sundress.  I can't wait!