Blue Tunic Top (McCall's 4968)

Since my sister likes lightweight, flowy tops, with fabrics like chiffon, I want to make her a basic tunic pattern that I can use to whip up a top whenever I find a good fabric for her!  I start with McCall's 4968 (Woman's Day Collection), which is a long-sleeved, loose fitting top that pulls on over the head.  There are two V neck options and side vents.  The shirt has quite a lot of design ease, and looks oversized and boxy.  But for my sister, I decide to make a slightly more fitted tunic, using bust darts in front and shaped panels in back. 

DRESSING PEOPLE, NOT STICKS

Let's pause to talk a bit about design and body types.  When the pattern is clearly meant to fit very loose and oversized, at least going by the pictures on the envelope, why am I altering it to fit more close to my sister's body?  Two reasons.  First of all, I just don't think that oversized shirts are a good look on anyone; they make people look bigger.  The McCall's models are stick-thin, and they look bigger in the shirts.  They have waists and figures... somewhere.  Why obscure their assets?  And my sister is not a stick figure, so why should she be flapping around with eight to ten inches of design ease around her middle, obscuring her assets?  In stores, larger clothes tend to come in boxy shapes with lots of extra fabric, like batwing sleeves, big floaty muumuus, and lots of gathers.  But that's not actually a good look for larger bodies, and certainly not a good look for my sister, who has a larger bust but not a larger body.  I want to give her something more flattering than the options in the store. 

Second, my sister's posture is unusual.  Since she stands with her hips tilted forward/downward, her bosom is significantly in front of her hips.  This means that a looser garment will either hang from her bosom like a curtain (if it's lightweight fabric) or stand out from her bosom like a tent (if it's sturdier fabric).  In either case, she looks so much larger than she really is!  Below, I've attempted to draw this problem:

(Mad Microsoft Paint skills, huh?)

The triangle shape is her hips, which, if they were a bowl, would be spilling water in front of her.  Their tilt elongates her front and shortens her back, causing the hem to hang short in the front* and fabric to pool in the back on top of her bum.  And her cute waist under her bosom?  Completely lost under hanging fabric!  That's not a look I want for her.  I want her tunic top to cut in under the bosom to highlight her waist and figure. 

*As it happens, my sister likes the high-low look because she likes to cover more of her bum, but that ought to be accomplished by lengthening the back panel below the hips, not by having an ill-fitting front panel.

All of this just goes to show that the more simple a garment seems to be, like a tunic top, the more complicated it may actually be to make it look good on a human body!  Human bodies are not simple shapes, after all.  I tried to explain this to my sister by showing her the Mondrian dress, but she just got distracted by how much she hated the dress!  (I love the Mondrian dress.) 

PIN FITTING THE TISSUE PATTERN

I start this one by pin-fitting the paper pattern.  I measure her bust, waist, and hips, and pick a size based on her largest dimension.  Then I cut the pattern out in that size and pin it together at the seams, and try it on her. The paper pattern hangs tent-like, as a stiffer fabric would.  Here is the original pattern, no alterations:

Original front has a lot of excess hanging off the bust.

Original back has puddling in the small of the back, and not enough width over the bum.

At this point, I should probably go online and look up step by step instructions for pin-fitting patterns.  But do I?  Nope.  I don't even think of that option.  I just jump straight into fixing the biggest problems first:

Bust dart turns the "tent" into a "curtain"... an improvement. Also notice the sleeve hem pinned.

Horizontal tuck in the back panel: large at CB tapering to a point at the side seam.

These changes cause side effects, or sometimes further problems.  The bust dart pulls in some of the front tenting, but shortens the side, so the front panel is now shorter at the side seam than the back panel.  The front hem is riding high.  I have to decide between adding length to the bottom or slashing the middle and adding length there.  I'm not sure which is correct, so I go with my gut: because my sister's posture elongates her torso at the solar plexus area, that's where I slash and add some length. 

When I lay the paper pattern piece flat, I have to add some tissue around the seam allowances of the dart, so there's enough fabric to fold over there.  As for the added triangle in the center, since I slashed all the way through the pattern piece, the pattern piece still lies flat even with the new triangle. However, the Center Front is now wonky, so I re-draw it. 

Added length in wedge at front

Flat pattern work

As for the back... I'm afraid I make a hash of it.  I previously tucked up some of the excess puddling in the small of her back.  Now I see a diagonal crease, so I fix that by tucking it out.  So far these changes are complete slashes that leave my pattern piece flat.  But when I add some tissue to the Center Back area, I do so on her body instead of taking the piece down to the table, so now my piece isn't flat any more!  But I don't realize this, so I carry on, drawing a new CB using a tape measure as a plumb line. 

Two tucks pinned. New tissue added.

New CB line.

Since the back piece now doesn't lie flat, I fuss with it, which skews the CB line, which leads to more fiddling... and I should really stop.  I wish I could explain what-all's going in the following pictures, but truthfully, I have no idea!  What a mess!  My mom and sister tease me as I work: "People pay you for this, huh...".  Snarky! 

Stop here, Karen.

I told you to stop!

No, really: STOP!

The final result is... interesting. 

I... have no idea.

My sister says the back is still not long enough to cover her bum when she's wearing leggings, so I add some length to the paper pattern, and taper it up to match the shorter side seam. 

MAKING THE MUSLIN

I stop fussing with the tissue because I'm afraid I'll ruin it if I don't.  Plus, as the denim blazer taught me, a tissue fitting is no substitute for a muslin.  So it's on to making the pattern in some simple cotton.  The result:

What I like:

• The side view!  You can see her waist! 
• The ease of wear: she can pull it over her head. 
• The sleeves.  She, like me, has far too many sleeveless and short sleeved shirts.  Excepting sweaters, it's hard to find long sleeved shirts that are attractive or stylish.  (Given that women tend to be colder then men in nearly every setting, why on earth is it so hard to find pretty clothes with sleeves?  Formal wear is the worst: men get three piece wool suits and women are half naked.  Stupid.) 
  
• The neckline looks good in width and depth. 
  

What I dislike:

• The front needs refinement... 
  • The shape of the bottom front hem: as is, it looks like a belly hanging down.  I think it'll look better with a straight bottom (more tunic-like) and a sharper angle up to the side vent (to elongate the leg).  My housemate suggests the opposite: a high front curving downward to the sides, which bears consideration, too. If I do that, I won't do a side vent, I'll just attach it to the back in one long curve. 
  • The woven cotton fabric is hospital-scrubby.  I have to remind myself that my goal is to make it up in a sheer, or light knit, or other drapey fabric. 
  • It needs vertical details in the fabric (stripes?), or details at the hip or something. 
    

Overall, I'm pleased with this muslin, and looking forward to making it up in a different fabric.