Guest Post: Sewing Princess' Peony

I am delighted to welcome Silvia of Sewing Princess!  Silvia created beautiful garments and her blog is full of gorgeous photos of life in Rome.  *sigh* Perfection!    She has shared with us the adjustments she made to her Peony to obtain her ideal fit.  I really enjoyed reading this post - the photos are fabulous - and I know you will, too. 

On her blog you will find a link to a petition for Burda Style  requesting various improvements in their designs, instructions, and overall output.  I applaud Silvia for her efforts and I have already signed the petition.  As BurdaStyle is a heavyweight in the sewing world, it is high time that their products complimented their image and clout much more effectively.

Thanks so much, Silvia!

* * * * *

 

I have been following Sarah’s blog for three years now and when I read that she was looking for readers to post about their Colette Peony, I was thrilled. Peony has been one of my favorite patterns since it came out.

My post today is about fitting Peony. When I first started sewing I thought I could just choose my size, sew up the pattern and magically I would have a perfectly fitting garment.

How wrong! Though I am sure there are some lucky ladies out there, pattern adjustments are very much the norm to achieve a better fit.

So…a few years later here I am taking careful measurements and patiently making one (or several) muslin.

On Peony most adjustments I needed where on the bodice. I started off with a size 2. Though the measurements chart tells me I am a size 4, previous experiences showed me I get a better fit with a size 2…then I don’t even need a small bust adjustment!

First off, the front darts were too far in and the bust dart was too low.  I also reshaped the dart for a more flattering bust look as I learned on Gertie’s blog.

Then, I tackled my forward shoulders. This required adjusting both the front and the back…and then the sleeve (not shown) by far this was the most time consuming adjustment. I used this tutorial:  How to alter the sleeve for a forward shoulder

 

Finally the armholes! They felt too low and were impairing my movement. So I raised them a bit. Also in this case I had to adjust the sleeve by the same amount

By now you may be wondering…was it worth it?  Here is a sneak peak of the final dress. Maybe I’ll shorten the darts on my next version, but for now I am happy with the result. What about you? Do you normally make all these adjustments to your patterns?

I’d like to thank Sarah for organizing the sew-along and letting me a guest on her space.