Sunday 14 August 2016

Merchant and Mills Camber Set in Thai ikat (plus an obsessive look at wide shoulder fit problems)

I am happy (happy?) to finally be done with this pattern.
This is it.
Not because it's perfect, but because I finally understood that I do not like shapeless woven shift dresses! Why did it take so long to figure this out?  This dress, also, UNLIKE what the M&M website says, should be made in something really drapey.  Not linen type fabrics.  At least, I think that would get rid of the big expanses of space problem. 

I kept the shoulder widening which I had done previously for the last iteration of this dress - on the back, but not on the front.  I didn't make any other changes, the dress is a size 10.  I eased the front of the shoulder into the back without problems. 





My shoulder, and the dress shoulder, are just NOT in the same place, and I have a lot of pulling at the front


First I thought I was being very smart by adding knit sleeves.  But you see now all the weird ways my shoulders and this pattern don't get along - a lot of space in the sleevehead, especially in the back, no room in the front of the shoulder.  Now I finally suspect it's all due to having sloping shoulders, not just due to their wideness.

So those knit sleeves were a no-go.
No problem, sleeveless!

Except it's just not very flattering.  Expanses of space.  Reminds me of the Inari.
It's going to turn into a tunic with a nice high low hem and side splits, because I love this fabric.




The fabric: brought back from Chiang Mai in Thailand, it's a soft cotton ikat, medium weight.  It of course doesn't drape but it looks like it'll soften even more with use.  So overall this can be salvaged, but it made me reflect on how easy it is to go astray with style.  Style is a subtle thing, isn't it?  Have you made something over and over again before you realized it wasn't working because it just wasn't your thing?


4 comments:

  1. I've done something similar with Tilly and the Buttons Mathilde Blouse. I didn't like the sleeves/puffy style so took off the sleeves and added cap sleeves which also looked weird (probably because I didn't change the armhole shape. Then I made it sleeveless but still have to tinker with the shape until I happily wear it. You have a good plan turning it into a tunic! Best of luck,it looks like beautiful fabric.

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    Replies
    1. thanks for reading my blog, Johanna! I'm glad to at least have a salvage plan...your suffering with Mathilde sounds familiar.

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  2. Just a random person on the internet...but I think that it looks very nice on you. Beautiful fabric choice, and the sleeveless revision makes it more sophisticated.

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