Date: 11/7/09 11:08 PM

I took a picture of my jacket back here. This is the very worst of several back pictures I took. I already did a considerable SBA, adjusted for short waist, and adjusted for narrow shoulders (adjusted the sb pieces). The front fits fine, but the back is giving me a headache. Am I too involved/ obsessed? I think I could let out the seams a little below the waist, that might smooth down the waist wrinkles but it isn't going to fix the hollow upper back. Do I set in the sleeves deeper? Do I take in the upper side back seams even more? I thought I'd ask for opinions/advice before I rip into all my careful interior construction. I'm just at the cusp of sewing in the lining, so anything that will get fixed, gets fixed now.

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http://3hourspast.com- Vintage Style, Sewing, and Ethical Fashion

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Date: 11/8/09 0:04 AM

I tweaked in the Side Back from shoulder to underarm; after that and a mini-press (nothing too involved), the waist wrinklies have all but disappeared. I think after I put the lining in, the back waist will be smooth. Stop me if I'm deluded. I'm still thinking I need to pull the sleeves in a little. they look like they're falling off me. Help before I tweak the life out of this poor jacket...New Jacket Back

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http://3hourspast.com- Vintage Style, Sewing, and Ethical Fashion

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Date: 11/8/09 11:21 AM

I see diagonal folds from your underarm and up like the garment is collapsing along the shoulder (too much fabric). Maybe bringing in the sleeves would help. Unsew the sleeve from notch to notch and see where it wants to be.
-- Edited on 11/8/09 11:22 AM --

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Date: 11/8/09 12:26 PM

Try putting in a shoulder pad to see if the lines go away. If so, you need to adjust the shoulder a little and lower the armceye the same amount. But be careful because it's not reversible.

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Marilyn

January 2009 to January 2010 81 yards out and 71yards in January 2010 to the present 106.7 yards out and 146.5 yards in. January 2011 to the present: 47 yards out and 69 yards in.

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Date: 11/8/09 7:22 PM

The shoulder pads are a great idea. If that does not do the trick, you need to shift in the shoulder area. Cut an L shape going from about 2 inches up from the side seam on the armscye. Go right to your princess line. Now shift and draw a straight line up to the shoulder line. You now have a block with the armscye on one side and a rectangle on the other. Cut this out. Now move this block in maybe a 1/4 or 1/2 inch toward the CB. Redraw the princess seams and transfer your changes to the pattern and then the muslin. I think you will find this helps a lot. I have very narrow shoulders and this is what I often do.

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http://lasewist.blogspot.com/

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Date: 11/9/09 6:28 AM

Already shoulder padded, I'm afraid if I use a bigger one I'll get the dreaded linebacker-chic look. Thank you for the confirmation of my diagnosis, I think for this jacket I'll unpick the back sleeve seam, tweak it in, and re-sew the back sleeve. In future I think I'll do a more dramatic narrow upper back pattern alteration. I only altered it about 1/4", was afraid of doing too much. Hmm. Live and learn, I'll learn to fit this body of mine if it kills me...

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http://3hourspast.com- Vintage Style, Sewing, and Ethical Fashion

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Reply to 3HoursPast
Date: 11/9/09 7:51 AM

That kind of wrinkle is generally from rounded shoulder. I had similar wrinkles, one side more than the other and this solved my problem. I am not sure how much of this you can remedy in this jacket, because you really need to do it in the pattern. There are a couple of ways to do this alteration. If you haven't put in your lining you may be able to get rid of some of the wrinkles. You have to remove at least the top of the sleeve down to the notches.
Move the sleeve end of the shoulder over toward the neck and you should see the wrinkles disappear. Put in a dart with the extra fabric. The front can either be cut off to match or eased into the back. I don't think that you have enough shoulder room to fix this totally. In the pattern you'd add to the back shoulder to match the front. I do think that you have some room to play here. The right shoulder is doing something else with the wrinkles on top, and I am inclined to think that you've pulled one side more than the other. I also think that the waist could use some more ease as you have horizontal wrinkles above the waist. In the next pattern check to see if you need to shorten above the waist.

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www.nancyksews.blogspot.com

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Date: 11/9/09 2:44 PM

Here is another thought. If you already have shoulder pads in place in the photo, I am wondering if your shoulders have a little more slope than the pattern. Pinch & pin on the shoulder seam line & see if the lines go away. If you pinch a quarter of an inch then lower the seam that much front & back from nothing at the neck edge to the full amount at the outer edge.

In the photo from the back it just looks to me like the jacket droops at the outer shoulder edges. It also makes me wonder if the shoulder is still a little too wide for you?

This is taking time now, but it is a learning process from which you will benefit greatly in the future! Make notes on what works.

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Date: 11/9/09 7:04 PM

Rounded shoulder- I tend to think that's not possible. When I put on the jacket, the more I over-square or draw down my shoulder blades, the deeper the wrinkles become. If I round my shoulders more or sort of pull them forward, the wrinkles all but disappear. If I had a rounded shoulder issue, wouldn't the reverse be true? I know the waist looks like it needs some ease, it's bloat. I bloat nearly a size and a half larger than my normal size. You're very sharp to notice the right shoulder, it has the slightest pucker where I sewed the shoulder seam, then the back neck seam. That corner is ever so slightly off and its on my list of small things to look after before I put in the lining.

The front is good. Not perfect, but perfectly acceptable. I don't want to do anything that messes with the front fit. That's another reason I think it is more of a narrow upper back issue rather than rounded. Don't rounded shoulder issues have corresponding front fit issues? I'm glad for all the input, it helps to have more than one point of view. Fit is an art. It's terrible, because the more I work on fit, the less I can abide bad fit.

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http://3hourspast.com- Vintage Style, Sewing, and Ethical Fashion

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Reply to 3HoursPast
Date: 11/9/09 8:10 PM

You do know that the back shoulder is wider than the front and has to be eased into the front? This would cause your shoulder wrinkle.
No, not necessarily. How about posting some front pictures as well? And side shots. To understand what your body issues are I have to see more of you.

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www.nancyksews.blogspot.com

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