About Me

My photo
Sewing is therapy for me. I hoard fabric, patterns, notions, and spend more time shopping for fabric than I care to admit...

Monday, July 30, 2018

Playing with fit, McCall's 6886

Recently I attended a workshop where we talked about fit and I realized I have a lot more work on achieving the perfect fit.  I choose to work with my current favorite, McCall's 6886.  Knits, I feel, are much more difficult to get a great fit on because well, they show everything you've got and then some.  I thought that in working to get that just-right fit, I needed to work with knits.  

In case you've been living under a bridge and haven't seen all the hype about this pattern, here is McCall's 6886.  
Image result for images McCalls 6886
There are so many adorable versions of this dress.  The pattern is well drafted, has a variety of reviews, and is such an instant-gratification project.  

Here's what I did.  


I used a book by Designer Joi's book, Creating the Perfect Fit.  This book has you work on your fit by dividing your body into numerous quadrants and then dividing those even smaller.  I've never seen a system like this and I must say I am quite smitten!  


Don't confuse movement lines with flaws in the fit.  And, I should also note, I am much too old to have something fit skin tight.  Not only would that look dreadful but that just isn't me!  In order to deal with my swayback, I added a seam line vertically across the back waist.  This seemed to be the best solution given my fabric choice.  



I will say however that I do need to work on the fit in the bust area or the upper under arm.  I will have to read more and experiment more to figure this out.


Yes, very dumb look on my face!  When the hubby takes photos, he manages to catch the worst looks!


I like the v-neck on this a lot!  It isn't too low but still gives you a different look.  


Here's a close up of the v-neck. 

I used a Stof knit for this dress and I am so in love with the fabric!

What are you working on in your sewing goals this time of the year?  Do you have any inspiration to share?

Sue :)


10 comments:

  1. It looks great! I have been meaning to try the v-neck version of this dress...soon! :)

    I really need to gah, create a bodice sloper. grumble, grumble. Soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Perfecting fit is such a beast, isn't it. Just looking at your photos, I'd say a sloped shoulder adjustment and fba would be well-worth a try, as well as just a touch more room through the tummy area. That's not to criticize--it's certainly wearable and pretty as-is, but I bet a version 2.0 would be interesting to compare.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You just confirmed what I was thinking! I appreciate your honesty!

      Delete
  4. I've been working on fit for probably 3 years! I seem to achieve it sometimes but it's really hit and miss. I've read so often that once you get that fit right just stick with that pattern company - you know alterations you have to make with that company's block and you just have to go to it with each new garment. I have discovered that there are pattern companies out there that take just too much fiddling to get it right. I too am not keen on skin tight (over-fitting I think they call it :) ) but achieving the right amount of drape in the right places is actually quite challenging! I promised myself I would work on pant fitting this year but I have yet to get to that in practice however, I have been reading lots about and have gathered a fair arsenal in my head to get out a few of those pants patterns to give it a whirl ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooo, try the pants and let me know how it goes!

      Delete
  5. Lovely and oh so wearable! Great review too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Not that there's anything wrong with Joi's book, but have you checked out Peggy Sagers' YouTube videos on fit? It just makes so much sense!

    ReplyDelete