Workroom Session #4: Correcting the pattern

I didn't get anything done yesterday; I wasn't mentally focused at all and so decided to move my scheduled times up a day this week.  So today is the first of two weekday sessions.  Not too many pictures today, in part because the task at hand turned out to  be a little difficult to document.  I did the first part of making the pattern corrections, which went very quickly.  I got through all the pieces, including making a new piece for the gore.  There is another step, truing the modified pattern, before I can really say it's done and feel comfortable cutting the next mockup.

Back to tonight's work!  The first and second pomodoro were spent preparing.  I took the time to repair my workroom table; one of its casters had come off, and it had gotten a little wiggly.  I cleared it off, turned it over, and went around and tightened each of the caster nuts with pliers.  I also tightened every bolt to make the table more stable.  I had to use my bike multi-tool.  You'd think I'd own a set of hex wrenches, but no.

Then it was time to get to work on making my pattern corrections.  For each piece, I started by making a quick tracing of the original pattern piece.  I then took a good look at the changes marked on the canvas fitter for that piece.  I found it useful to take out the pins and darken the marks my mom made.

The marked canvas

Since I knew I was going to have to add 1" to the top and bottom of each piece, I started with that.  Then, I carefully transferred the fitting marks to the pattern copies.  I used gauges to try to make this process as accurate as possible.

Gauges showing that changes are accurate

Then, any editorial changes were made.  For example, I added a little more curve to some of the back seams to help blend the gore in a little better, and I also added some length at the bottom center front and center back above and beyond the 1" I had already added.

I did have to make a new piece for the gore.  I unpinned one of the inserts from the canvas fitter, and used rulers to make the shape on paper.  I added some matching marks along each leg of the gore to help make sure it would be sewn in the right way, as the two sides are both slightly curved and are not the same length.

The new pattern piece

The next step is truing the pattern.  This is one of those things that a lot of people wouldn't be bothered with, but I feel it's important to make my pattern as technically correct as possible, and with the significant changes from the original I would like to be doubly sure that the pieces will fit together correctly.

Before I can sew, I will need to make a run to the fabric store; I want to purchase bias tape for the bone casings, and possibly some better thread.  Ideally when I am done, the fitter will be a wearable corset of its own, so I may also pick up a few yards of trim.