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Does an fba require a neckline alteration? Because my Jasmine blouse is frumpy!
meleliza   Intermediate PA Member since 5/4/11 Posts: 512	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 1/5/12 8:41 PM I'm frustrated with the Colette Jasmine blouse. It should have been easy to sew, but I'm finding it very difficult indeed. I made a size 10 with a full bust adjustment and a sway back adjustment. I had a weird gaping at the v neckline and at the center back neck, which I just pinched out and restitched. I thought about lowering the neckline just to suit my taste but after consulting lots of examples on flickr, decided that maybe I've been wearing things too low cut anyway and to trust the designer. (I also didnt want to have to redraft the collar and facings.) So I didn't lower it. However, now that it's all finished, I really wish i had. The bottom of the v neckline hits me about two inches higher than the examples on flickr and the Colette website. It just looks weird proportionally. Oh, and the shoulders were weirdly tight on me, so i had to let the sleeve shoulder seams out as much as i could at the top and I'm having a hard time making the sleeves look nice. In fact, the only part of this whole project that does look nice are the long bracelet sleeves I added myself. ------ Melanie
Nancy K Advanced NY USA Member since 12/28/04 Posts: 7630	Login to reply to this post In reply to meleliza Like this post Date: 1/5/12 9:49 PM Can you post pictures? It's hard to tell what's going on without seeing it on. ------ www.nancyksews.blogspot.com
lareine   Intermediate NEW ZEALAND Member since 11/10/06 Posts: 1066	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 1/6/12 2:40 AM I've found neckline gaping if I (a) choose too big a size to start with, cutting for my torso instead of my shoulders and neck, or (b) mess up my FBA. I was particularly prone to (b) before I learned how to do an FBA properly. I used to attempt it by merely adding extra fabric to the fold in the middle! Talk about a recipe for disaster. Yes, it now went round my girth, but no it did not fit or flatter.
meleliza   Intermediate PA Member since 5/4/11 Posts: 512	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 1/6/12 10:10 AM I will try to get some pictures this afternoon. This isn't too big, that's for sure. The shouldes were pretty snug, even though I've used this size in the past. And I did a correct fba a la Palmer/Pletsch. I did just find a review of this pattern here that points to the curved center seam. The center front seam is surged itself, perhaps to add to the shaping? This is perhaps necessary to get the right shape in a bias cut garment? I'm starting to think that all these careful details make Colette patterns really only suitable for expert seamstresses. Well, and those who happen gybchance to fit the measurements more or less exactly. But I'm pretty ticked off at those people just now. :) ------ Melanie
meleliza   Intermediate PA Member since 5/4/11 Posts: 512	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 1/6/12 2:12 PM My 5 year old helped me out with the photos.:) Colette Jasmine size 10 with FBA and sway back adjustment. See how high the neckline is? It seems as if it should be 1-2" lower for the right proportions. I'm ready to cut the whole thing off and redraft my own. I don't want to do that work, but I probably won't wear it like this as I think it looks kind of dumb. I scanned in the pattern diagrams too, so you can see how the bodice pieces are shaped. I'm 100% clear on how the curved front and back center seams affect the fit, but I had weird gaping at the back neck and front V neckline. b> -- -- Edited on 1/6/12 7:04 PM -- ------ Melanie
meleliza   Intermediate PA Member since 5/4/11 Posts: 512	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 1/6/12 2:26 PM So should I cut off the collar and redraft it with a lower v? Or just dump the whole thing in the trash? Thanks for any input. -- Edited on 1/6/12 7:07 PM -- ------ Melanie
sewsally   Intermediate WA USA Member since 8/18/02 Posts: 1206	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 1/6/12 7:11 PM I think you made the blouse a size too small based on the width of the shoulders.
Terri A   Intermediate USA Member since 1/16/08 Posts: 1118	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 1/6/12 7:21 PM Curious - does the fact that jasmine is cut on the bias have any bearing? It's such a pretty top.
meleliza   Intermediate PA Member since 5/4/11 Posts: 512	Login to reply to this post In reply to sewsally Like this post Date: 1/6/12 7:51 PM so trash, then? and no more Colette patterns for me! It's annoying because I made the Peony in a 10 and it was a good size. I just don't understand how these patterns are sized and how to pick the right one. The Colette 10 body measurements are exactly the same as Simplicity 16, which always works for me. I think the bias cut absolutely influences the fit. I also suspect that bias is much more difficult to fit nicely than straight grain and I disagree about the beginner status of this pattern. ------ Melanie
Mango Intermediate AUSTRALIA Member since 3/7/05 Posts: 94	Login to reply to this post In reply to sewsally Like this post Date: 1/7/12 0:09 AM I agree with you sewsally. I've made this blouse and not had any major problems. I'd try again with a size larger to match the shoulder width and make no bust adjustments...just letting the bias do the work. I'm a 40E in US bra fittings so I do FBAs to most patterns but not to this one. Jeanette ------ Mango Brunswick - Melbourne - Australia

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