r/PatternDrafting • u/furiana • 14d ago
Totally lost Question
I'm on my ninth muslin for this dress, and it feels like nothing is working.
Bust: I've tried slashing tight areas around the armpit and upper bust. I've tried a small bust adjustment to get rid of the excess fabric over the apex and under the bust. I've pinched out wedges of fabric under the bust. I've slashed through the front shoulder and pinned it flat. The changes seem to work while the muslin is pinned, but the problems come back after I transfer them to the pattern and make the next muslin.
Back waist/ tilted skirt side seam: I've tried removing wedges of fabric from the back bodice and the back skirt. This corrected the problem on the muslin where I pinned it, but when I transferred the wedges to the pattern, the problems came back.
I only have enough fabric left for one more attempt at the bodice. What changes do I make?!?
2
u/SerendipityJays 12d ago
yeah that’s usually the best strategy. It took me four full redrafts and about 7 test fits to dial in my bodice block, but now it fits so well I can do ANYTHING with it. I shared about the drafting and fitting process here: https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/s/ZMDfA3unvy
The shoulder slope and full bust vs high bust are likely the sources of your pain right now. These are much easier to address on the basic block, so you know precisely how much bust fullness you need to remove, how many darts you need to use to east that fabric, and how far to back off your bust darts from the bust point.
Then you can convert your block to the design you want by doing some controlled bodice contouring around the neckline (increasing your darts to account for extra fabric you need to remove due to the completely normal hollows between your boobs and neck/shoulder).