So the parfait.....I did the right thing and made a muslin in a straight size 18 (I can usually get away without a FBA in colette patterns). It fit pretty good - I wanted to do some shirring on the back though so I added 4" in total width to the back and redrew the midriff curve slightly to sit a bit better. Plus hacked off a lot in length to make it into a top instead of a dress.
I made the first version up in a striped drill (totally ripping off Julia Bobbins version!!), I found I had a weird dip happening at the top of the midriff band and I ended up with too much excess under the arm. So it turned into muslin #2......I fixed the excess by making a dart and rotating it out into extra gathering (like Patty the Snug Bug did here) and redrew the midriff curve again.
So the final version - the excess under the arms is gone, but I still have the dip happening. Looking around most of the parfaits I look at seem to have it to a small degree, but not as bad. I'm not sure if its the centre shape of the midriff or the way I'm shaped or a combination of both, but to be honest I'm not sure if I can be bothered to fix it, its a pretty top/dress but I'm not sure if I'd make it again
The fabric is a voile I got at the Spotlight clearance table. I underlined it with a percale sheet I got at the op shop and used a medium interfacing on the fabric and the facings of the midriff band and straps.
I really like the shape of the straps, they are a 2 piece strap and are angled on the top of the shoulder which makes them sit smooth on the shoulder instead of having a gap under the outer side which I always seem to get.
So not sure about if this is a winner or not - it's funny to think that before I started sewing the only consideration of fit I made was if I could squeeze into it or not! I'm a bit too fussy these days and have to stop myself overfitting everything!
PS - I always find it easier to see details of clothing if its on a neutral background so I strung up a heap of white lining I was given to give a backdrop for my photos. Hope it helps!
