ASDP Annual Conference -- The Challenge continues...

This was the second year I'd entered the Threads for ASDP challenge, and the first time I was named a finalist. The bar is incredibly high in these challenges, since it is only open to association members, all professionals. I'm very proud of the work I did, and approached it as a personal challenge, not a contest. This year's challenge was "Suit Your Style", and required us to start with Vogue pattern 2898 and using pattern alterations, make something new. Our final patterns were submitted as part of the judging. I did not win, but got excellent feedback from Judith Neukam from Threads Magazine and Julianne Bramson, who was also judge in this challenge. I also got rave reviews from my fellow members, which is always an honor considering the talent and skill in this group.



The only criticism I from the judges was on the curve on the jacket at the waist. It had given me pause, but I couldn't figure out how to change it to be more flattering.

As you can see, the outward curve of the purple sort of "short circuits" the slimming effect of the black side panel, giving the illusion of a wider waist rather than a slimmer one.

Sooo, being oh so slightly obsessive, and seeing this as another step in the overall Challenge, I plan to redraft the pattern and recut the jacket. (Still undecided about reproducing the embroidery, though I LOVE it.)

Here's what I'm considering--through the magic of Pixelmator, I've "adjusted" the curve on the right, making it deeper towards the center front and pushing it up towards the armscye.  Now that I look at it, it almost look like a boob lift. :)

For those interested, here are some specifics on my materials:
Jacket and skirt: Wool gabardine from Fabric. com
Jacket lining: hand-dyed (by me) silk charmeuse from C&J Textiles
Skirt Lining: Black silk charmeuse from The Common Thread, Austin, TX
Embroidery: 2 designs from UrbanThread.com--severely altered by me, using Embird Software

All sewing and embroidery was done using Madeline, my brilliant Bernine 730E.

I will keep you posted as I make progress on the "new and improved" jacket.