Friday, July 13, 2007

Vogue 2875 - Bias Garments

I've been spending time with summer photos of our lovely wildflowers and waterways, hence sewing time is a bit less than usual. I think I am up to 4 or 5 summer UFO's now. Waiting for buttons in some cases, and inspiration in others.

I did finish one item though -- a tank top from Vogue 2875 by ADRI. It was designed on the bias, and I must say, I think I am now convinced all such woven tops should be bias. The drape is lovely and just feels good. My top is a wearable muslin of bargain wall probably-polyester print.

This is a wardrobe pattern (tank, jackets, skirt and pants) which was featured in the Vogue summer magazine. The envelope itself is totally uninspiring, (even less so than the online picture above) and I would not have given it a second glance if not for the magazine feature. The jacket and skirt are also a bias cut, and I am excited to see how the bias affects the way the jacket hangs.

It's a loose fitting pattern, and so breezy and comfortable for summer. The armholes and neckline are meant to be faced with bias strips, but I cut a one-piece shaped facing for the front and one for the back -- an experiment to learn how to line the top in "reversible" fashion. My next version of this will be silk chiffon, underlined lined with something really thin, -- batiste or light silk lining and I will try the bias binding on the armholes and neck edges.

I needed a number of alterations, but the tank top was a simple place to experiment with an FBA, moving darts and taking in the front neckline. I think I've finally figured out what is required for these alterations on other patterns.


Things I learned:
  • The bias garment tends to stretch a bit in the wearing, slightly lowering the neckline which is barely above the cleavage. For the sake of modesty and a pre-existing tan line, I will raise the neckline just a bit next time.
  • The pattern is quite short, and I needed to add a bit more than usual to have it long enough at the waist.
  • Angled darts (from just above the waist) are much more attractive and comfortable than horizontal ones.
  • The original pattern has no darts, but the FBA resulted in a substantial dart. I drafted a version with no darts, following directions here (thanks to Julie Culshaw for the reference) but based upon paper-fitting, I don't think it will hang comfortably, but I might give it a try anyway if I can find the right remnant.

Balancing comfort and style:

I'm not sure about the style. It is incredibly comfortable to wear, but does not really have any definition at the waist. Thus, it covers various rolls very well, but really does not look too chic.