Cake Red Velvet sew-along: Days 1-2

Day 1

We gathered our supplies and posted to the flickr group for our "Daily Point":

You can see that I have two versions planned, both using ITY jersey. The first version will be using that abstract black-and-white cross-hatched jersey purchased from the now-closed Fashionista Fabrics, and the second will be a blue, black, and white striped jersey (the blue is difficult to see in this pic) purchased from the Mill End Store in Portland on our recent trip there.

Day 2

My cat Jasmine helped out with this part.

I did make a few pattern alterations. I'm going with a 3/4 length sleeve on this version, rather than the short sleeve. To lengthen to a 3/4 sleeve, I simply measured on my arm where I wanted the sleeve to hit, then measured my arm circumference at that point. I used a ruler to extend the sleeve portion of the two bodice pieces.

Bodice back:

 

Bodice front:

 

Note that on the bodice front, I also did a 3" Deep Bust Alteration, per the Red Velvet DBA tutorial. I opted for this alteration because measuring from my shoulder to where I want my waist seam to be was 3" longer the CF of the bodice pattern piece. This is a great trick for empire/raised waist tops and dresses when the seamline would actually land on your bust.

The one other alteration I did was to shorten the midriff band by 1.5". This is an alteration that I'm carrying over from the Tiramsu, which has a similar sized/shaped midriff band. Additionally, I'm planning to use the inseam pockets from the Tiramisu, rather than the invisible zipper pocket. This is purely do to personal preference--I prefer (and will wear more frequently) anything where I can easily access my cell phone. My Tiramisu gets a LOT of wear, partially for this reason. (That, and I love the print/stripes and get compliments whenever I wear it.) 

In summary, I'm making the following alterations/hacks to my Red Velvet:

• Lengthen sleeves to 3/4 length
• 3" DBA
• Shorten midriff band by 1.5"
•  Replace invisible zipper pocket with inseam pockets
• Shorten dress skirt by 2"
• Bind neckline (rather than use a facing). Per Steph's recommendation, I'll be trimming about 1/2" off the neckline before I bind it.

Anyway, I did get everything altered and cut out last night. Here's my Day 2 "Point"-scoring pic:

 I don't enjoy doing pattern alterations or cutting fabric. I am looking forward to the next few days where I'll actually get to start stitching my dress!