I've been a bit obsessed lately with making myself some new tops for fall. A few weeks ago I mentioned working on the infamous Tova. Well friends, I did it. I made a version to fit my busty self that doesn't look like a sack! I like it so much that I've made 3 so far.
I had grand plans of recreating my adjustments while documenting them for you to see, but I ran into a little problem...I wasn't able to recreate it. You see, I tried to take a short cut which proved to be a wrong move. Ugh!!! I may attempt it again, but I haven't had it in me to print out yet another copy, tape it all together, blah blah blah. I will get to it eventually, but I've been enjoying my modified (well fitting) front piece too much.
Basically, I did a full bust adjustment, then closed the side bust dart, rotating the fullness to the side inset seam. Now this is the tricky part (where I messed up the second time I attempted this) - before you make the FBA you need to tape the inset in place, then draft a new inset. That's what I did the first time, and it worked. My inset is slightly different than the original, but not all that much. I thought I could do without the taping in place part, but it got all messed up and didn't look like my modified piece. In addition to my FBA, I also widened the sleeve, added to the bodice width at the underarm (like Jenny suggested), and took out some of the FBA waist fullness at the side seam.
Got it? Clear as mud?
I've gone on to make two more wearable Tova's, one in black & white gingham, another in a gray print cotton lawn. On each one I tweaked a little more. The neckline of the original drives me crazy. On my gingham one I narrowed the collar by about a half inch.
On the gray version I narrowed the collar and changed the inset to a v-neck. I haven't worn this one yet, so I'm not sure if I really like these mods. Honestly, I can't get past the fabric. It feels icky, so I'm not too eager to wear it.
Since my Tova experiences, I have moved on. This past weekend I tried out this pattern. Eh. I like how the neckline fits (I modified it from the pattern), but the pleats at the shoulder aren't my favorite. The idea is nice, but the fullness of them end short of my full bust, so it creates weird fullness at the wrong spot. I made the pleats pointing in the wrong direction, but changing direction doesn't solve the problem. If you decide to order from this company, be aware that the instructions are VERY minimal (hello, wrong facing pleats!). There are no instruction photos/diagrams and the wording is weird, I'm assuming translated from another language. You pretty much need to know what you're doing without instructions. But the pattern did fit :)
Next on my agenda is the Schoolhouse Tunic. I have my pattern pieces cut out and ready to go. We shall see how that goes. If it's a total flop, I'll just make myself another tova :)
