Review: "Full Busted?" DVD

I first became aware of this DVD not long after returning to sewing – about a year and a half ago. It is produced by the Palmer and Pletsch folks who do know a lot about fitting, but I had trouble finding real information about this DVD. I was worried it would contain information that I pretty much already knew and I held off purchasing it.

But I decided in December, what the heck, maybe I will learn something new, so I ordered it.

What took me so long???? It may be the best $20 I've spent for any sewing information. I am surprised that more women with bodacious boobage aren't hailing this as the best DVD ever, except maybe they don't know about it.

I want to get the word out. :D

I finally sat down and watched the two hour video yesterday, just before I was planning on altering Yet Another Princess Seam jacket pattern. As fashions have become closer and closer to the body in the last few years, you DO need this DVD if you are larger than a B cup. It is essential if you are a D or larger, as it contains information I have not seen anywhere else - not even in their fitting book (which I do love).

The presenter is Marta Alto, who has worked with the brand for a long time, I gather. The video begins with the tools/supplies that Marta uses. I am forever making muslins because I had never figured out how to achieve a reliable fit trying to get the pattern tissue over all my curves without ripping it to shreds, but they've created a technique that is most impressive. For the first time, I am making a jacket without a muslin - I can report on how effective this approach worked after the weekend - if I can get enough done today and tomorrow.

The FBA process begins with your standard dart - either creating one, or lowering/enlarging an existing one. How to rotate a dart, convert it to released tucks/pleats are shown. It covers the latter information fairly briefly, but as it's old information to me, I wouldn't have wanted a lot more detail anyway.

Next (and here is where it starts to get really good) Marta shows you how to alter non-standard patterns, such as a pattern with a cut-on sleeve. Because she is doing it in front of you, you can see little details, such as how and where to correctly true the seam - details that you often don't get from a book.

Marta then shows how to do an FBA on one of those twist, knot front tops. She uses a popular McCalls pattern and, I'm telling you, I could have NEVER figured out how to do this one. I could barely follow it, but at least you can watch the DVD over and over until you get it.

By this point we are about halfway through the 2-hour video and nary a princess seam to be found! She now brings out "real people." (I hate fake people.) Her first model is a young woman with perky breasts. She alters three patterns for her body - one with a crossover empire seam, one that is cut to fit just over the bust, and a princess-seamed strapless top. All are tops I could actually see a young woman wanting to wear.

The final two models have mature figures, thank goodness. :) Model #2 is fitted for a McCalls Palmer/Pletsch lined jacket with a bust dart and a fisheye dart from bust to waist. She also needs two back adjustments, which Marta acknowledges but does not go into detail on how to achieve. (They have another Fit video that most likely covers this.)

Model #2 needs an FBA, but she does not need her dart to be lowered. In this example, Marta mentions backing off of a dart (which I always have to do), especially if you wear a contour bra. Model #2 also needed a bit additional width through the hip area, another common alteration. Model #2 (as all the models) looks fabulous in her completed jacket. (She shows all garments in process and then completed. I really appreciate this.)

During the fit of Model #2's jacket, Marta stops for a brief comparison between a standard FBA and a Y-dart FBA. I learned of the Y-dart fairly recently from their book, Fit For Real People and I like this technique very much. It's strongly recommended for folks who are adding 2" or more to a dart and I have only seen this particular dart in their publications.

I started wondering if all Marta's models had perky breasts, when she brought out Model #3, who did need lowering of her bust fullness. (Lowering the bust fullness can be very tricky in some designs and I typically have to lower about 4" which can really affect a design.) Model #3 was being fitted for a lined, shoulder princess seamed jacket. Finally! She needed the bust to be lowered on the princess pieces and she needed BOTH front pieces to be altered.

BOTH! I had never seen this before and this was also worth the cost of the DVD, and then some. I will now look at altering princess seamed garments with a totally new eye. Marta also explains the difference between a princess seam and a side panel design. She walks through the alteration using an sleeve princess design.

A quick note about the floral blue top Marta is wearing during Model #3's segment. I had this fabric over 20 years ago. I made (way back then) a long, gathered skirt from it. It's a rayon jersey and very swishy. I may still have the skirt somewhere, though I would have to redo the waist to wear it anymore. Anyway, I found it distracting to study her top and try to remember where I knew that fabric from! It's akin to seeing a face you recognize, but cannot place. :D

The last 15 minutes of the video quickly cover two much more involved patterns. This part is wonderful and could have been expanded even more, to my mind. She first shows a gorgeous jacket with complicated seaming - I would love to know the pattern number for this jacket, though I can't imagine how you would add a dart AND lower it. (She only showed adding the dart.) I am sure this pattern is OOP, but it might be worth tracking down.

She then shows a Belville Sassoon gown that needed loads of altering, though she just tells you what needs to be done, and doesn't walk through the steps. (For this dress you have to alter the (asymmetric) left and right fronts, the corset, the corset lining, and the front skirt. It was exhausting to think about!)

And that's it! The only FBA I would have liked to see that wasn't shown, is an "offset" princess seamed design with a dart on the front panel. I have dealt with this recently, and it's a PITA.

You know, I wonder if new sewists tend to ignore the Palmer Pletsch folks because their aesthetic is not very young, hip, or edgy. But, I'm telling you, these people understand fit. I have an engineering mindset, which is why I am so comfortable altering flat patterns, but Marta is an engineering genius and I bow to her greatness. I've already ordered a couple more DVDs and have even thought about attending one of their workshops in Portland. I think it would be fun and immensely educational.

By the way, you can order their books/DVDs through their website or through Amazon. And, as usual, I get nothin' for my review. ;)

Fall Vogues are Out!

I want to thank everyone for your kind comments on my wild trench coat. It is nice to have a well fitting coat in one's wardrobe.

Did you hear it? Early yesterday, the call went out, and it rippled, like waves growing larger and larger... the fall Vogues are out!!!

I couldn't get to the Vogue website fast enough. I was especially looking forward to any new Marcy Tilton or Miyake patterns, but I was surprised to see so many great patterns across the board. Usually when the new Vogues come out, some niche audience is not happy with the offerings, but this selection has designs to please everyone. I've been reading reviews on other blogs, and they cover the fitted dresses, skirts, and designer patterns, but tend to ignore the patterns I like. So here is my report. :)

First up, Vogue 1024, the new Issey Miyake. I really like this design! I think Terri K pointed out that this top resembles the out-of-print Sewing Workshop Elle jacket pattern. Even the pants look promising, though I would use a quieter fabric. With the neckline that extends directly over the bust point, it's dubious that the top would work on my frame without some major modification, but it's a great look for the right body type. Be sure to study the line drawings to see how interesting this piece is.

I love this new Marcy Tilton jacket! It might be my favorite pattern of the batch. I'm grateful that it has no horizontal seams near the bustline which can be so problematic for me. I have several fabrics that would work for this and I can imagine grabbing this jacket on most any chilly San Francisco day.

From Vogue

Next, another Marcy Tilton twist on the t-shirt, Vogue 8671. I especially like View A, with the asymmetric neckline also echoed in the asymmetric hem. And the vertical design line on the left should have a slimming effect. View A also features side seam slits, another flattering detail. I like the architectural hemline of Views B and C, with the squared piece that hangs below the rest of the hem. The hem of the sleeves on View B and C also feature an outside dart - I like! Vogue describes this pattern as close fitting, so I would expect to sew this up in my actual size, or close to. (Some of her previous t-shirt patterns had generous ease, but the fashion trend continues to move closer to the body and these new patterns seem to reflect that trend.)

Next is Sandra Betzina's new jacket pattern, Vogue 1198. So cute! This jacket has armhole princess seams, but also features vertical seams to the shoulder, and the zipper is inserted into one of those vertical seams, so it has an asymmetric closure. All those seams mean you can achieve just the right fit. I just love the overlapping collar – one of my favorite coats in the House of Elliott series featured a collar like that, so it's been on my mind. The gathered belt in the back is a cute design detail, but I would omit it since even my back waist is not worth showcasing. But if you have a waist, this would be a great detail. I would probably make view A, which has zippers in the hem of the sleeves. Tres chic!

The final pattern I want to mention is one I may not buy, but I keep coming back to it, so it may jump into my cart. Vogue 8677 is a suit, and I really don't have a need for a fitted suit in my life. But see those sleeves? You must have heard that focus on the shoulder is returning, and this pattern certainly reflects that. It is reminiscent of the 80s, but a more modern silhouette. When I look at the pattern, my eyes are first drawn to the shoulders, and that is a Good Thing – most of us with more mature figures don't want the eye drawn to the bust, or the waist, or the hips (choose your poison). This pattern is an "almost there" for me. I would leave off the decorative closure and the giant pocket flaps, which do bring the eye to the waist. I like the princess seams and would fit the pattern so that it wasn't so close fitting. Finally, I might remove the notch at the collar so that it was connected to the jacket front with a straight line. But I would keep those fabulous sleeves. I might buy the pattern for that detail alone. After all, it's not that difficult to transfer an armscye from one pattern to another, and then you can use the sleeve without any trouble. :)

I guess my only disappointment is that there are no new funky pant patterns. It's a small complaint, to be sure, but I hope to see some in the next batch...

So, when is that next Vogue pattern sale????

Report -- Marcy Tilton's Inspiration Paris CD

I just received Marcy Tilton's new virtual workshop CD, Inspiration Paris. I pre-ordered a copy that arrived Saturday and I wasted no time in checking it out. :)

In order to use the CD on the Mac (which is what I have), QuickTime and Adobe Reader are required. I did not have Adobe Reader installed, because the Mac generally uses Preview to read PDF documents, but Preview doesn't work properly with the video segments.

Once I downloaded and installed Adobe Reader, I clicked on the Inspiration Pris.pdf file to launch Reader and open the file. Page 1, is a title page. Page 2 is an index. From there you can select Videos, Galleries (photos), or Links. The Videos are listed on page 3, and there are five to choose from:

• Piecing featuring Marcy's technique of subdividing a pattern to create a multi-seamed design.
  
• Strips featuring Marcy's technique of embellishing with fabric strips, both plain and pleated.
  
• Zippers showing how to install a separating zipper. She features a beautiful Riri zipper.
  
• Holy Moley shows Marcy's technique for circular inserts.
  
• Travel Wardrobe – Marcy walks you through her own travel wardrobe and how she plans it out. Her wardrobe fits into a small suitcase and takes her from three to six weeks in Paris.
  

If you look at Marcy's home page, there is a video segment on Hong Kong finishes. They did not have enough room to include this in the CD, which is too bad, but you can see it online here: The index for the photo galleries (page 4) breaks the photos down into several categories:

• Fashion
  
• Shopping
  
• Museums and Tours
  
• Streets
  
• Marcy's (including garments she has purchased and created)
  

Most of the photo pages are collaged, and many are annotated. The photos go from page 5 to page 78. The links and text begin on page 79. It begins with an overview of her Paris trips. Beginning on page 82 she lists some of her favorite places to stay, shop, and places to go for inspiration. She also has a list of blogs that she recommends relating to Paris and Paris fashion. Finally, several pages are dedicated to two walking tours ("promenades") that she recommends, telling you exactly where to walk, where to stop, etc. If I were planning a trip to Paris, this resource alone would be invaluable.

I was happy to see Marcy offering this CD at the price point of $20. Her website says she plans more in this series of reasonably priced CDs. I welcome that, because $40 for a CD that you have not been able to preview requires a great leap of faith.

From the video segments, I most enjoyed the video on the circular inserts, called Holy Moley, particularly the technique she uses to create a "pick stitch" on the front of the garment, perpendicular to the seam. This seaming technique is not just decorative – it actually secures the seam. I am not sure that my older sewing machine is capable of creating that effect, though I plan to try. The extensive slide show is a rich visual feast and I will be going back to look through those images more carefully. :)

If any of you own her screen printing CD, can you leave info in the comments about it? I would love to see it, but $40 is a significant investment. :)