I'm working on a mock up of a bodice for an Irish dress, and I've got an extra wedge of fabric on the armcyce, just above the bust (sorry, I don't have an easy way to upload a photo). A dart would fix the problem, but I'm not sure I want to put a dart in (especially after I've gone to the trouble to draft a dart out). Any suggestions on how to take care of this?
Can you fold down the strap at all? Given that the bodice is supposed to be tight, you might just want to pull the side until the "bump" disappears. It might make the bust tighter than you like but it shouldn't matter too much in this style. Another option might be to cut the straps off the front (don't worry, you'll sew them back on later) and see if you need to re-cut the front opening to get the bump out. Just reattach the straps when it's gone.
You have gaping at the armscye? That's an easy fix! Pinch out the dart and pin it firmly in place, then lay the mockup back down on your pattern paper, and trace a new front as if the dart weren't there. It will change the shape of the armscye (probably will make it more square), but you won't notice when you're wearing it.
This also works with gaping on the other side of the strap (at the bust), or the back of the armscye, etc.
If the armscye is to square when you do this, just draft a nicer curve once you have removed the excess.
I was running into this issue when I made my daughter's bodice a few weeks ago (gaping at the arm/bust area). I redid it on the bias instead of straight of grain and it made a difference. Would that help you?
Thanks for the tips, I'll do some tweaking and let you know how it turns out.
The gaping fabric has been fixed. Thanks again :)
Quote from: Nissa on August 29, 2012, 08:41:19 PM
The gaping fabric has been fixed. Thanks again :)
Congrats! Now what did you do? :)