I had an interview awhile back for a scientist position with the Department of Agriculture. I woke up the morning Josh and I were going to leave for Columbus nervous as all-get-out. It was 6 AM. Josh wouldn't wake up for another several hours and I desperately wanted to fill the time with something productive.
Fortunately, a few days before Mesa had been released in Seamwork Magazine and I had already printed, assembled, and traced size Medium. So I made myself a big cup of coffee (what could possible go wrong when mixing anxiety, coffee, and sewing?) and got to work.
I finished assembling the dress around the time Josh woke up. I wore it on the drive down to Columbus, changing into my interview outfit once we'd arrived at a friend's house. There isn't anything quite as satisfying as wearing something you made that morning.
Mesa version 1
I immediately noticed the neckline gaped. This is sometimes a problem for me - especially with wide necklines like this one. I chalked it up to fabric choice - this is a slinkier knit and the samples in Seamwork were made from what looked like a much sturdier knit.
When I was informed that I didn't get the position I interviewed for (sadface) I figured that I could let off some steam by giving Mesa another shot in a sturdier knit.
Mesa version 2
Unfortunately, same problem. Not that a gaping neckline would stop me from wearing them. Both dresses are a little snug in the hips as well.
I made a toile using my high bust measurement to pick my size, then grade out to my waist and hip measurements (small bust - medium waist - large hip) because sometimes that fixes my fitting problems when I'm working with knits. I didn't make this third version full-length because I didn't want to waste more fabric trying to get this pattern to work.
Third version was worse than the previous ones. The neckline is still too large and gapes, but now the bust is too snug and the sleeves/armscythe is too tight. I never bothered to hem it, and I'm currently trying to figure out if I can salvage any of the fabric for something else.
I'm trying to work myself up to giving it a fourth shot. If I pinch out about an inch from the front and center back, the neckline starts to behave properly, but since the front is cut on the fold I think I'd need to take a long strip out of the center front and back, then add that ease back in at the side seams. I have no clue if that'll work, and it'll probably mess with how the sleeves fit into the armscythe.
I think I'm done trying with this one. I love how easily it comes together, but the shoulders/neckline are just way too broad for me (and I don't consider myself to have exceptionally narrow shoulders). I'm probably just going to go through my Big Four collection and find something that fits my shoulders, and frankenpattern my own version of this dress. It's worth noting that I had similar problems with the Aberdeen top so it's probably due to how the patterns are drafted or the proportions of their fit model.
This weekend, I'm going to be starting on the bridesmaids dresses for my sister's wedding. I'll be making Myrtle - which I've made three times before with decent success - out of some poly knit fabric that my sister picked out. It's actually pretty nice stuff - good recovery and it doesn't go see-through when stretched, and it doesn't curl up too horribly when cut but also isn't super thick.
Unfortunately, I made the dubious choice to cut out my size the first time I printed the pdf, and the other bridesmaid is a size larger than me, so I have a bunch of trimming and assembly to do. I'd also like to retrace my own size, because the shoulder pieces don't really fit together right and I wanted to check and see if that's changed.
Update!
It turns out that a straight size medium Mesa perfectly fits my little sister, so I gave her the black and white version. I'm planning to make her another one out of some black knit fabric with cream polka-dots before the end of the summer.
Third version was worse than the previous ones. The neckline is still too large and gapes, but now the bust is too snug and the sleeves/armscythe is too tight. I never bothered to hem it, and I'm currently trying to figure out if I can salvage any of the fabric for something else.
I'm trying to work myself up to giving it a fourth shot. If I pinch out about an inch from the front and center back, the neckline starts to behave properly, but since the front is cut on the fold I think I'd need to take a long strip out of the center front and back, then add that ease back in at the side seams. I have no clue if that'll work, and it'll probably mess with how the sleeves fit into the armscythe.
I think I'm done trying with this one. I love how easily it comes together, but the shoulders/neckline are just way too broad for me (and I don't consider myself to have exceptionally narrow shoulders). I'm probably just going to go through my Big Four collection and find something that fits my shoulders, and frankenpattern my own version of this dress. It's worth noting that I had similar problems with the Aberdeen top so it's probably due to how the patterns are drafted or the proportions of their fit model.
This weekend, I'm going to be starting on the bridesmaids dresses for my sister's wedding. I'll be making Myrtle - which I've made three times before with decent success - out of some poly knit fabric that my sister picked out. It's actually pretty nice stuff - good recovery and it doesn't go see-through when stretched, and it doesn't curl up too horribly when cut but also isn't super thick.
Unfortunately, I made the dubious choice to cut out my size the first time I printed the pdf, and the other bridesmaid is a size larger than me, so I have a bunch of trimming and assembly to do. I'd also like to retrace my own size, because the shoulder pieces don't really fit together right and I wanted to check and see if that's changed.
Update!
It turns out that a straight size medium Mesa perfectly fits my little sister, so I gave her the black and white version. I'm planning to make her another one out of some black knit fabric with cream polka-dots before the end of the summer.
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