12. Fitting #2

We had our second fitting today (Sunday, October 28th). We focused on the corset, following the detailed instructions provided by a highly experienced PR member, JF, here .

Basically, JF recommended that, instead of having Susan wear a strapless bra under the dress, I use the bodice pattern pieces of the dress to make a tightly fitting corset and embed it inbetween the outer dress and the lining.

This corset would also be the place where the waist band or waist stay would be attached. The waist stay (which is not called for in the pattern instructions, but EVERYONE recommends adding) is important because it holds the weight of the skirt. If you put the weight of the skirt directly on the (strapless) bodice, it is likely to pull it down at an inconvenient time. (Think Janet Jackson & wardrobe malfunction...)

So, I hate to publicly admit to another very stupid mistake, but I'm trying to remind myself of my motto:

'muslin mistakes make for defectless dresses'

What did I do? How could I mess up something so simple? Believe it or not, I got the top and the bottom of the bodice pattern pieces mixed up, and put the zipper in upside down. Not realizing this, we did all the fitting and adjustments on the corset while it was on her body upside down.

Not surprisingly (in hindsight), it took quite a large adjustment (deviating in a disproportional manner from the stitching lines) to get it to fit snugly... ;)

How could I have done that? Well, without experience sewing evening gowns, it just was not obvious to me - from looking at the shapes of the bodice pattern pieces - which was the top and which was the bottom. And I guess I was just working too quickly and not double checking every step. :(

Susan, (and this is a TRUE friend!), laughed it off and said that (a) she's glad to know that she's not the only person who makes mistakes, and (b) under the circumstances, it's pretty impressive that we got it to fit so well... :)

Bottom line - I'm embarrassed and annoyed with myself, but it's not the end of the world. We'll just have to do it again. Right side up, it should go much more quickly! The next time we get together for a fitting, I'm hoping that a friend of mine will join us. Dorothy has more experience than I do, and should be able to help me get the fit of the corset and muslin perfect!

Sorry, no pictures - my camera died and is in the shop for repairs. (Kudos to Canon - they are fixing it for free!)