Don't Be a Drag, Just Be a Queen

Oh, Lady Gaga, I'm trying so hard to be a queen! I was all revved up about getting the front to an acceptable place, then I looked at the back - bleh! You wouldn't believe the research I've done on these drag lines. I'm assuming it's a couple of problems, rounded back and prominent shoulder blades. I also have forward shoulders but I refuse to make an adjustment for that when I can just stand up straight to fix it. One thing I did do was cut these armscyes 1/2" lower on front and back and it felt better across the back...till I looked at the picture.



I found one articles in Threads July 2010 on fitting a jacket, and they pinch out this drag line then transfer the amount over to the armscye to cut out the extra fabric. That seems like it would make the arm tight to me, but what do I know. The other fix I found, in FFRP I think, was to lower the shoulder seam. Then I thought it was because I changed the back dart - instead of the really long one on the muslin, I shortened it to start below the armscye and made it narrower, thinking it wouldn't pull so much across my back. But I sewed the original dart back in one one side and it didn't make much of a difference. I also took more of a seam allowance on the back between the wrinkle and the armscye, but that didn't help.

Plus this fabric is stiff as a board - it looks like I'm wearing a paper gown from a doctor's office, doesn't it? It doesn't drape like the muslin did. So I went ahead and basted in one short sleeve after googling "back drag lines" and finding a discussion on PR that said the sleeves would make it look different. It looks worse - arrrrrgh! Plus it's kind of tight when I raise my arm.

I was going to hang in there and power through this so I would have a TNT, but I'm thinking it may be time to move on to another pattern. Virtually all of the PR reviewers said they did major alterations to get this one to fit. They all commented on the shoulders being too wide and the bust having too much ease, so I should've expected problems. I have 2 others I was debating sewing up first, but I went with the Vogue because it was Sandra's class.


I also need to go with a drapier fabric - this shirting must've been for a man's shirt or a little kid's fru-fru dress. Wonder if it softens up with multiple washings?


I think I may whip up a muslin of one of these others and if I have the same issues, then it's definitely time for fitting help with Robbie. At least I know how to put a collar on "a la Margaret Islander!"

And I have an idea for a book with pictures of people wearing ill-fitting clothes on how to get rid of the drag lines. Each chapter would be a body part and instead of line drawings or people wearing pattern tissue like in FFPR, it would be real people and real clothes with drag lines like these. Somebody get busy on that - let me know if you need a model!