I cut out my usual size 10 to begin and ended up making numerous adjustments to both the strapless bodice and the lace overlay. Initially I took it in at the waist and did a short torso adjustment, which is typical for me.
I took out pinches here are there to help me make my pattern fit me perfectly. I ended up making about 7 muslins of the bodice!
My biggest discovery occurred when it came to the shoulder and sleeve area on the overlay. I have always had issues with gaping at the front and the back at the neck, tightness in the shoulders, and lack of mobility in the sleeves. I usually just fit it until its "good enough," but I didn't want to settle for good enough with this project. What I ended up realizing is that I seem to have narrow shoulders and a broad back. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but once I realized that I needed to take fabric out of the shoulder and upper bodice and add extra fabric in the back bodice, many of my problems were solved. I have often avoided making dresses with sleeves because I have such limited movement in them, but now that I know how much adding more room in the back helps, I look forward to making more sleeved dresses in the future!
In addition to removing width from the shoulders and upper chest and adding width to the back, I raised the armholes considerably. This also seems to help with arm mobility. I also added small darts at the back neck to help the fabric stay close to the body and avoid any gaping.
I spent several months learning about fit and perfecting the fit of my dress and am so glad that I gave myself the time to do so. I learned so much about fit and am excited to apply what I know now to future sewing projects!
