Mystery of the Shirt Dress Muslin Solved!

Hello everyone!

I am back with an updated muslin to show you. Since my last post I made a few adjustments and changes to make my Threadcount 1607 Shirt Dress fit much better.  Here are the results:

6 inches of length removed
Binding applied to right shoulder

Same changes with a small
tie belt from my closet

I really liked the direction my shirt dress was headed after I made all these changes.  However, there were still a few things that bothered me.  For one, the armhole of my shirt was still pretty huge, even after applying my binding.  I would have to raise it by 1.5 inches!!  How is that possible?

Secondly, the bodice still seemed a bit loose, and like I could pinch out an inch of fabric on both sides.  Something went wrong, and it took me time to figure it out.

Until...

I had an epiphany!

I sewed a size 14 straight, with no changes.  By the measurements alone, my hips fit nicely, but it was way too loose in the bust. Since my body shape is a pear shape (small on top, wide on bottom), I needed to start with a smaller size on top and grade up to a size 14 on the bottom.

Granted, I usually do this, but somehow I must have gotten TOO excited and skipped this step.

Thankfully, I have refined my original pattern, and am cutting out my fabric and starting over.  I think I have enough info from my first muslin to skip a second one, but SADLY, I won't be able to participate in the Sew Together for Summer series.

Nevertheless, I am moving forward.  There will be other sewing challenges in the future.

Stay sew-filled!