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Moderated by Deepika, Sharon1952
Posted on: 5/16/06 1:55 AM ET
I'm just finishing up preparing my pattern for a muslin (the pattern is Hotpatterns Hippy Chick) and I have a question about the armscye.
I am under the impression that you should be able to draw a straight line across the pattern piece at the place where your armpit will be when the sleeve is sewn together, and each stitching line should be sitting right on that line. On my pattern the front stitching line is indeed right on that line, but the back is exactly 1/8" below.
I have tried walking the pattern several times as well as redrawing my stitching line and double checking my pattern tracing -- nothing has shifted.
Can someone explain this to me?
Camera is on the fritz so sorry, no pictures. The sleeve looks very much like the model sleeve on the fashion incubator site, but I don't see anything there about the back of the sleeve being slightly lower than the front at the bottom of the sleeve cap.
I am under the impression that you should be able to draw a straight line across the pattern piece at the place where your armpit will be when the sleeve is sewn together, and each stitching line should be sitting right on that line. On my pattern the front stitching line is indeed right on that line, but the back is exactly 1/8" below.
I have tried walking the pattern several times as well as redrawing my stitching line and double checking my pattern tracing -- nothing has shifted.
Can someone explain this to me?
Camera is on the fritz so sorry, no pictures. The sleeve looks very much like the model sleeve on the fashion incubator site, but I don't see anything there about the back of the sleeve being slightly lower than the front at the bottom of the sleeve cap.
Posted on: 5/17/06 12:51 PM ET
No one's answered you yet, so I'll give it a try - and bounce you back to the top, too.
The way I learned to do a FBA (the FFRP pivot and slide method), it actually "raises" the underarm by pivoting it up, in just the manner you described. But when you sew it together, the fabric gets pulled back down. When this happens, you actually get a "bump" of fabric in the front - which is good, because that's more bust room. (Try it with the cut out pattern piece - if you pull down gently on the underarm you'll see the paper actually lift up on the front side.) In other words, what you're seeing is part of the extra fabric that's needed for C or D cups. It just looks strange because most patterns aren't drafted that way.
[Thanks to Colleen Jones and her excellent class here on PR for that explanation!!]
The way I learned to do a FBA (the FFRP pivot and slide method), it actually "raises" the underarm by pivoting it up, in just the manner you described. But when you sew it together, the fabric gets pulled back down. When this happens, you actually get a "bump" of fabric in the front - which is good, because that's more bust room. (Try it with the cut out pattern piece - if you pull down gently on the underarm you'll see the paper actually lift up on the front side.) In other words, what you're seeing is part of the extra fabric that's needed for C or D cups. It just looks strange because most patterns aren't drafted that way.
[Thanks to Colleen Jones and her excellent class here on PR for that explanation!!]
Posted on: 5/18/06 9:10 PM ET
I'm fighting with a different HP arm scye problem but I'll add my 2 cents. I often make an alteration to my patterns that allows me more "reach" room sometimes this can give a very slight difference in the front and back arm scyes at the side seam. any chance this kind of thing was already incorporated in the pattern?
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Posted on: 5/21/06 3:35 AM ET
In reply to Irene Q
Thanks for the terrific explanation! Now here's another question: I have read that the HP sleeves are tight. So I went ahead and traced off the next size up for the sleeves to this dress. However I *think* the armhole itself is big enough to accomodate me, it was just the circumference of my arm that was a problem. Can I just fudge my size 16 sleeve into my size 14 bodice when I gather the sleeve cap?
Posted on: 5/21/06 7:44 AM ET
In reply to Tailypo
Quote:
Can I just fudge my size 16 sleeve into my size 14 bodice when I gather the sleeve cap?
Can I just fudge my size 16 sleeve into my size 14 bodice when I gather the sleeve cap?
I think the absolute, unequivocal, correct answer is "it depends...." - on how much ease was included in the included in the sleeve design and how your fabric behaves.
Run a line of ease-stitching along your seam allowance and see if the sleeve can be pinned and/or basted in without puckers; if it can't, you might have to reduce the size of the sleeve cap a little bit by increasing the seam allowance width in the cap. Just slide the top of the sleeve over a bit so that when you sew a 5/8" seam allowance on the bodice, you're sewing a 3/4" seam on the top of the sleeve.
If you have to do this, don't agonize over the fact that you're "cheating". 1/8" (or even 1/4") isn't going to make your dress unwearable; it's just going to get that sleeve into the armhole. We're talking clothes here, not manufacturing tolerances on high-tech equipment.
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“Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.” -Robert Heinlein and Ann's father. Thanks for the reminder, Ann.
Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handbasket?
Matthew 25:40 (New International Version)
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Where are we going, and what am I doing in this handbasket?
Matthew 25:40 (New International Version)
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Posted on: 5/21/06 10:54 PM ET
Thanks Karla. I didn't really think through how tracing the larger arm was going to mean my notches wouldn't line up, so I traced the smaller cap onto the muslin and graded the sleeve out the the 16. Not the smartest way of doing it, and I'm sure I'll end up slashing-and-spreading to get the sleeve right, but it is good enough to get the muslin going.
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