Weekend Update: The Jasmine Crisis

My husband is still working the overnight shift, which makes my weekends and days off a little strange mainly because I need to be as quiet as I can so he can sleep in the day. So, yesterday I decided I would use my time to really tackle my Jasmine blouse. I've posted about it a few other times with the random issues I've had.

I finally figured out the crease across the bust line (I actually had to change the center seam so it pretty much laid flat on my chest, no curve around the boobage) and now that part looks fine. Once I had the main bodice pieces to where they fit well, I decided to lay the pattern piece over to see what the changes looked like on paper and let me just say ... wow. See, according to my measurements, I have a 43 inch bust, so the pattern says I should need a size 16 or 18 (another weird thing - maybe my pattern is an old printing or something but the Colette site says an 18 is a 46" bust?). When I laid the pattern over it it turns out I should have cut a size 10! Holy crap, folks! If you had told me that I would be a size 10 on this pattern when I started I would have laughed at you. But, that honestly is what it turns out I should have cut.

So, why the 'crisis' in the title today? Since I cut out a size 18 and had to take everything down to a 10, my pieces didn't match up - at all. I had to recut the neckline, but most of the other pieces couldn't be recut and I just had to try to compensate in my seaming. It was frustrating and there was much seam ripping, but I finally got the bodice to where I was ok with it. The only thing that really bugs me on the front is that the collar makes this weird crease at the shoulder because it's technically too long. It's not quite as noticeable when it's on plus I didn't know how to fix it aside from just throwing out those pieces and cutting new ones (which I wasn't going to do) so I just left it.

The crisis didn't really occur until I tried to do the sleeves. The sleeves in this shirt are assembled completely before attaching them and then you cover all the seams with the facing and slip stitch it on by hand. All in all,  I really love that this is how they have you do it because it's really nicely finished inside there. The only problem is - my sleeves are too big. And since everything is encased inside the facing, I can't do any adjusting without ripping it all out (again - which I wasn't going to do). So the sleeves are a bit big - I could deal with that.

Then I started attaching the sleeves to the actual shirt and finally hit my limit of problems for the day. They look fine in the front, but the area where there is gathering at the top back has this weird wing-thing that sticks off my back and looks just awful. Again, I realize you can't see that while it's hanging but I just took it off and couldn't bare to put it on again right now. Also, I had a hell of a time easing the gathered section and they look like terribly done pleats at my shoulder - not a good look. I know that the reason behind these issues is absolutely because I cut the wrong size pattern, but there's nothing I can do about that now. I could somewhat handle all the other fitting issues, but I have no idea what to do with these sleeves. I'm going to have to seek the professional help of my friend Cleo. I'm going over there this week anyway and I will just bring this with me.

Once I get the sleeves worked out, I literally just have to hem this beast and it's done and then I will pretty much throw myself a party because I deserve it after all this headache. It's incredibly dejecting to have this much trouble with a 'beginner' level pattern and it makes me feel really dumb. I just have to constantly give myself the 'don't worry about it' pep talk. Even my mom just repeatedly says, "That's why I don't sew clothes," every time I explain my problems with it. But I want to master this! And I am going to stick with it until I get it right. I spent to many hours on it so far that a few more won't kill me. It's just turned out to be a huge exercise in my mental strength and personal drive. If I didn't like this top so much I would have definitely thrown in the towel long before now.

Anyway, sorry for a sewing jargon filled whine fest. I just had to vent a bit. At least it looks like a shirt now :) And I brought it to work with me to show my mom my issues and everyone says they really like it, so that's good. I am actually excited about my next version of this and am a little more hopeful since I have diagnosed the size issue. Hopefully I will be showing you the finished product by the end of the week!