Getting MUCH Closer

I was JUST about getting to the point where I was going to throw in the towel on the pattern I have for the body suit. The upper body has proven to be very difficult, but then, I am just an amature.

But I have felt as if I'm getting closer and closer with each new pattern.

And tonight I finally had a breakthrough. The shirt that I put together from my latest pattern is VERY nice. I'm also starting to get a hang for what I need to change in order to get the results I want. I guess it's just a matter of getting familiar with the tools, and how the effect the materials. Just like anything else.

So when I put on the shirt as it came off the machine, it was VERY close. And it looked good. The way the sleeves work produce a very flattering cut. But it wasn't QUITE there. I was looking in the mirror, sort of tucking fabric into some seams to try to get some gathering to go away, and I kind of had a revelation about how the suit went together. I don't know how to describe it other than "I got it", and had it figured out. I also had an idea of how to fix the gathering without having to go through the process of making another pattern. I basically just put the suit back into the sewing machine, and took some fabric out where I thought it was needed. Presto!

And I think that's the lesson I've learned today. That you don't always have to go all the way back to the pattern to make change. You can do some changes direclty on the suit, and if it works, then you transfer that to the pattern.

I feel as if the pattern is just about where I need it to be. I will do one more iteration, just to confirm that I am there.

The bummer is that I burned through like FIVE yards of fabric making these shirts and sleeves. At 13 bucks a yard, that ain't cheap. I think next time, I will do all of my development work using a much cheaper fabric, if such a thing exists. Heck, the heavyweight milliskin I am interested in is only 8 bucks a yard.

Overall, it's been really fun so far, though as stated earlier, I'm glad I got to this point when I did. Any longer and I probably would have started to get frustrated. It's been fun though! I already have a prototype of the legs done, and by comparison, that's the easy part.

Now I just need to wait for more fabric to arrive so I can try putting together a full suit.