Yesterday a few of you suggested that I work from a smaller pattern to create a well-fitting blouse for my mother.
I had purchased Simplicity 2339 a few years ago and decided to give it a try rather than continuing to tweak my vintage Butterick pattern.
Since the Simplicity is multi-sized (like pretty much all contemporary patterns), I was able to blend the Size 12 shoulders with Size 14 everything else when tracing my pattern. (I used the "B" cup front piece. My mother's upper bust is 35"; her full bust roughly 36".)
Straight out of the gate I added a 1" sloping shoulder adjustment in both front and back. I also took 1/2" off the bottom (outer) edges of the yoke, so that the bottom turns up (like a smile). while the back slopes down.
I skipped the collar this time (this pattern calls for a two-piece collar and a button placket instead of a one-piece collar and facings).
The results are a big improvement on yesterday's muslin.
Without any other alteration, the shoulder seam sits much more forward than yesterday's did.
With sleeves attached:
From the side (a shallow dart provides some shaping):
The right sleeve went on kind of wonky so I removed it. I decided to draft a new sleeve following this Katheleen Fasanella blog post about sleeve cap ease. Basically, the sleeve is fuller in the back (where you need more room for movement) than in front.
My mother couldn't tell the difference when she tried it on. I think I can see a difference, but I also attached it in the round rather than flat. From the back:
With arms crossed in front:
Sleeve from the front (with arm lifted):
So that's how things stand as of today. My mother says she doesn't want her blouse any more fitted than this. I think it looks pretty good. I'm not sure which sleeve to use; it's hard to tell which shape looks better.
As always, your feedback is welcome, and if these are the kind of adjustments you're used to making, I'd especially love the input.
Have a great day, everybody!
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