Vintage Inspired Clothing for Women--Handcrafted in Vermont

In my last post I described the design process of developing a 40's inspired short sleeve kimono shirt. I got the basic pattern completed then went on to try to make a version of it with a wrap front. I wanted shirring at the side, where it would connect, as well as at the shoulder.
As I was plotting this, I got the sense that there was some pattern drafting rule I was violating. It made sense to move the dart excess to the shoulder, or to the side but not both. I went ahead and did it anyway.

I like the way it looks from the front, but as you can see from the side view, the gathering is a bit bulky. It kind of gives the effect of a swaddled baby. 

If you peek at some of my pins on my design inspiration board, you'll see that many of the shirts I pinned (which of course I discovered AFTER doing this pattern) have the gathering either at the shoulder or side waist but not both--I think my suspicion of "rule breaking" was right...hence the fit issues. It's often helpful for me to look at vintage pattern covers before making a pattern to try and guess how something's made (as a side note, I think I finally get why pinterest can be helpful!)

I wore my shirt all day to work. The gathering at the side rides up a bit. That may just be due to the fact that the shirt hits at high hip, vs. true waist, so is riding over abdomen bulk. 

I hate when I do a muslin, think everything's good, then do the final version and decide I have a problem with it!!! I need to do the muslin ALL the way, fasteners and all, so that I can have a more accurate idea. I had really hoped to list this today, as my goal is to list at least one new thing each week. But now I think I need to make some changes--probably go back to the muslin you see in the last post, and make it a wrap with no extra gathers at the waist. I may just move on to working on another piece as sometimes I find it's helpful to get distance from a project before re-approaching.