I offered to make a sun dress for my dear friend. She wants one similar to
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(McCalls 8108) except make it 'tentier'. I think that part should be easy enough since she wants the sleeveless version. The problem I am having in considering this project is that she has a substantial bust. My plan was to take the pattern and draw an angled line down from the sleeve hole to make it more billowy but how do I accommodate her bosom without making the upper body section to large?Thank you,Diana
Slash a curved line like a princess line from armhole to hem (missing the dart) and spread without adding to the armhole: pivot at the point the slash cuts the seamline. Depending on how much width you need to add, you'll also nee to ad to the front to straighten the hem to avoid it 'dipping up' at the front. Add this extra length through the bust/front, tapering to nothing at the side seam. Then paste all the bits down on some more paper to stop you losing it! I'd trace off the pattern before you slash it to bits so that you have the original intact in case you need to go back to it.
You may find that to get a better fit you need to add the length to the front side seams when you add to the centre front, and take it out again by deepening the dart to accommodate the larger bust.
Just to piggyback on Kate's instructions, I think I would be inclined also to split the pattern down the middle and add center front and back seams, widen them below the bustline and add fullness there as well as at the sides. It would make for a more even distribution around the body.
I never widen through the neckline as this tends to give too wide a neck and the shoulders drop off the body. Better to add two lots through the armscye rather than any through the neck/shoulder unless you REALLY need to. Remember, the skeleton under the fluff doesn't get bigger! My shoulders are exactly the same width now my bust is 36" as they were when it was 43"!
Neither do I, Kate, I suggested she widen BELOW the bustline, mainly so that the extra fullnes would be distributed around the body rather than in a wide A-line. I know from experience that this line is more flattering to those of us with a superfluity of superstructure.
I'd copy the pattern, since enlarging a bust whacks the pattern up pretty good and you might want to get back to where you started. And instead of patching and piecing, you can copy part of the pattern, move it, and copy another part.
To make room for the bust, you must add both length and width. First mark the high point of the bust -- this should be on a line that passes through the existing dart, and closer to the center front than the point of the dart. Draw vertical and horizontal lines through the high point.
Draw a vertical line on your blank paper to be the center front. Draw another vertical line to match the one running through the high point. Draw a third vertical line to show how much you want to add to the width.
Also draw two horizontal lines to correspond with the horizontal lines through the high point.
Assuming that your center front is on the left: Copy the upper left quadrant of the pattern with the center front on the center front line and the horizontal high-point line on the upper horizontal high-point line.
Shift the pattern so the vertical high-point line is on the right vertical high-point line and copy the upper right quadrant of the pattern.
Shift to match the center front line and the lower horizontal high-point line. Copy the lower left quadrant.
Shift to match the right vertical and the lower horizontal. Copy the lower right quadrant.
Draw darts that bring the shoulder seam and side seam back to original length.
If you don't want a shoulder dart, close it up by pivoting around the high point.
If this adds too much flair to the skirt, take some out by opening the side-seam dart, again pivoting around the high point. This will give you a humongous side-seam dart, since it was fairly huge to start with.
To copy the pattern with the shoulder dart closed up in the first place, don't draw the second vertical line until after copying the upper left quadrant. Then mark the point where the second vertical should intersect the upper horizontal line and connect this point to the point where the *stitching line* of the shoulder seam intersects the first vertical line. Extend this line to show where to place the pattern when copying the lower right quadrant. This line should give you a pretty good idea how much the skirt is going to flare; you can adjust the flare by pivoting around the high point before copying the lower right quadrant.
Flare the back by about as much as you flared the front. If it has darts, you can add flare by closing or partly-closing them. Again, the pivot points will be somewhat beyond the ends of the darts.
Thank you for the very precise instructions. I am not the type of person who can follow written instructions easily, but I will re-read them until I *do* get it. It sounds like a lot of work for a single dress, but she may love it so much she wants more. I do appreciate the time it took you to draft this post and hope that others will be able to use the info to help them too. Hugs Diana
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