Vogue 8323 (aka the ill-fitting toile)
I had Vogue 8323. I had some stable knit fabric given to me by a friend – lovely fabric, but possibly not in a colour that flatters me. So I thought that I’d make what would hopefully be a wearable toile/muslin.
Okay, where shall I start with this? I cut a size 14, and shortened it about an inch through the body to allow for my short waist. Then I blithely assembled it – on the overlocker.
First mistake – I should have done a princess seam FBA for my C-cup bust. I know that. Why didn’t I do it? Possibly because I usually make less fitted clothes, I suppose. And possibly because I was being lazy.
Second mistake – all those fold lines and pull lines around the back. I should have eased out the seams a little around my waist/stomach.
Third mistake – it all flares out around the hem. Probably because my hips are actually a much smaller size than my waist. Shall I point out some other fitting problems?
The neckline looks lovely on the pattern envelope. But it comes up way too high for me! There’s heaps of excess fabric there – maybe my neck needs to be about 20 cm longer for it to fit properly.
Then there is the sleeve cap – too big. It’s eased in, but looks almost puffy. I should have shaved at least a quarter of an inch off the top of it. And the sleeves are tight around the bicep.
So here I am, smiling as though I have made something that fits. It’s not a wearable toile, sadly. But a terrific learning experience. All the vertical seams make this ideal for alteration; it just takes some patience to sew the seams on the machine and try it on as I go (rather than just leaping into things on the overlocker). The fabric was fairly firm, so if I made this again, I would use something stretchier and softer. I’d reduce the sleeve cap, shorten the neck, add the inch I took out of the body back in, reduce the flare in the hem…..okay, am I really likely to do this? It’s actually a lovely pattern, and went together very quickly. But not great on me. I’ll think about it some more….
It actually looks like it would be an interesting top and something that would suit you, if it fitted properly. I agree that it’s probably not the best colour for you – a neck scarf could fix that in a jiffy though. I don’t actually mind the height of the neckline and think it would look lovely with a scarf.
I’ve given up on the whole concept of the wearable muslin. I used to struggle with the fabric wastefulness of non-wearable muslins, but have come to appreciate that I do a much better job of fitting, if I’m not shooting for it to be wearable. The good thing about this is that I’m more likely to do it well and therefore wear the finished garment A LOT, drastically reducing the waste!
Not loving the colour on you either, you’ve got roses in your cheeks and the material is trying to make you look pale and washed out. I’m not a tailor so I can’t help you there but it looks like it’s a size too small on you. The neckline doesn’t do anything for me it’s too sloppy and I don’t like how the seam seems to end right underneath the one breast, maybe it’s because it’s pulling and has gathers? I do like the detailing in the back though.