0AL 2014 – Myrna completed, dress not so much….

 

Oops where has the month gone? ……. First up…… I misread the closing date for the nettie sewalong which is probably just as well, since I didn’t get round to making my second Nettie yet!

I’m still working ( slowly) on my Outfit Along dress, but my cardi is finished and has been worn a few times.  The more I knit for myself, the more I’m starting to learn which changes to make in order to fit my shape (which is on the straight side fyi!).

After making a few of Andi Satterlund’s Patterns, and from looking at her finished measurement diagrams, it’s clear that she designs for a shape with a bigger difference between bust and waist than I have.   Either my waist is too big or my bust is too small (a little of each I think! ) This is pretty much the same with rtw clothing on my frame, so not a complaint about Andi’s designs!  More of a lament about sizing really.  Most sewing patterns and rtw clothing assumes  approx 8-10 inches of a  difference between bust and waist,  ( mine is only a 6″ difference).   I look forward to the day an Indie designer launches some patterns for the straight bodies out there !!

 

 

The beginning 🙂

 

 

In the mean time I did what I do with my sewing patterns – remove some of the shaping.   I made the size small which fits really well in the shoulders/arms.  I worked the pattern as written until the underarms.  Then instead of decreasing two stitches at each side as per pattern instructions, I only decreased one stitch at each side. This gave a gentler slope at the sides and left me with more stitches and more room at the waist.

 

This cardigan went everywhere with me until it was done! It was such a lovely pattern to knit up and since I finished I’ve missed bringing knitting to do while I keep the kids amused on my days off.

Continued at the beach…

 

Last sleeve at the playground

 

I wet blocked my Myrna and when it was dry I stitched on some hem tape to reinforce the button band: ( I used hem reinforcing tape as it was the only thing I had to hand but it does the job!)

 

 

 

The dress part of the OAl is not going so well unfortunately. I started with this pattern, Simplicity 1797:

Simplicity 1797

 

It has a nice high neckline which I like and princess seams. I intend to add a different skirt – not sure what yet though.  I made the practice bodice in a printed cotton and adjusted the seams as necessary and then transferred the changes back to the pattern.

 

 

The armholes are bound in the same way as Lauren explains in her blog.  This is a lovely neat way to finish necklines or armholes, especially if the dress is unlined.

So now I need to get my skates on and instead of making my practice dress wearable, I need to get cutting on my actual Oal dress to match my Myrna or I’ll miss another deadline !! Anyone else this far behind?