I was out of town for a wonderful church retreat this weekend (I feel so refreshed and renewed) and am back to try and make some progress on my current project, Simplicity 2222. I'm making view B, the dress sketched on the right side of the envelope. I love this style and plan to make it in a bright yellow twill. I've been wanting a bright yellow dress for some time.
Well all the pieces are cut out and I did a quick fitting on my custom dressform. Well from the sketch I knew the bodice was a little long and loose and was designed to pool over the waistline. This means there's a good deal of extra length in the bodice patterns. I looked at finished versions of this dress on Pattern Review.com and saw this was indeed the case.
Then it dawned on me!!! I'm SHORT-WAISTED---even more so in the back. I looked at the pattern pieces more closely and they're super long extending 6 1/2" longer than the waist (the waistline is marked on the pattern and lines up with the dressform waistline. Take a look at this pic.....
If I made this dress up as is I think it would be a nightmare!!! There would just be too much extra fabric in the waist area. There's supposed to be some but not too much. The last thing I want to do is look like I'm wearing a burlap sack or have a dropped waistline that was obviously too low for my frame. I hope my rationale makes sense. Anyone else out there have some perspective on this matter. I'd love to know your opinion. Should I chop off some waist length or just leave it long and wear the waistline a little lower than normal? Does a dropped waistline even look good on a short-waisted frame. Would love to hear your thoughts!
I made my Pocahontas dress out of this pattern. I am also short-waisted, and yes, dropped waist styles look good on us. The elastic waist on my dress sat right at the top of my hips, and it was super comfortable. I was surprised how much I liked wearing it. I never thought I could pull off a rectangle with an elastic waist. And keep in mind that I made a 1" swayback adjustment, but all it did was make the back of the skirt ride up. I would cut it out as is, baste it together, and try it on. You can always chop off some length if you feel you need it. Good luck! I can't wait to see how it turns out!
ReplyDeleteThe problem with this type of garment is that if there is too little fabric it may pull up. The way they have it, allows for things like lifting your arms up or bending. I might be inclined to take off 1 inch then adjust later. The extra length is important in the romper style more than the dress. Romper style is a nightmare in public washrooms as you have to take the whole thing off.
ReplyDeleteI would def chop off some waist - maybe more in the back than in the front (cuz your chest may need and use some of the length that your back doesn't need.
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteShort waisted seamstress wants to tell you that you can wear a drop waisted item as long as you actually have a waist. Mine is gone, and a dropped waist winds up looking 'late eighties maternity'. Can always go to the thrift store and try on, before you put in too much work...
Mary in Thailand
You are so smart to check--I just made a dress that has a hideous overhang on the front. I'm having to unpick miles of serging to fix it. I would use the tissue to figure out how much overhang looks good and intentional and just chop off the extra length.
ReplyDeleteAs to drop waists, I think it has more to do with body shape than where your waistline falls. As a small-busted pear, a dropped waist makes me look like a teepee. This is not a body shape anyone aspires to! If you have slimmer hips, the drop waist can work.