Have you ever worked on a pattern and ran into a problem that was like a brick wall? That was my experience with the 1 Puddle Lane Miss Ruby Tuesday. I actually received this pattern for review WAY back at the beginning of January from Ann of 1 Puddle Lane. I had big plans. It was going to be amazing. And then it wasn't!

Now sometimes, things aren't amazing because the pattern drafting is bad. So bad that it is unusable. I've had more than a few experiences like that. But this is NOT one of those patterns.

The Miss Ruby Tuesday Pattern comes in sizes XS through 3XL. While up front this looks like a no frills half circle skirt, you get a TON of necklines and sleeve options with this pattern. There are actually 3 separate bodices, sleeved, sleeveless and cute little cap sleeves. Why is this important? Because adding a band to a sleeved pattern isn't the same as having a nicely drafted sleeveless armscye (which is actually smaller and tighter to the body than a sleeved armscye with a band on it). There are actually 3 different necklines BUT they can go on both the front AND back, so you actually get 9 different necklines. Ever wanted a super sexy v-neck back? This is the right pattern for you.

So what was the problem here? The problem was... ME! Yes, I was the problem. I am 5'1" and when I tried muslining the MRT, I just took 1 1/2" at the shorten lengthen line and guess what? there were wrinkles and underarm wings and SO much sadness. I was mortified. Worse, I had to tell Ann that I couldn't write her awesome review.

Thankfully she worked with me. We discussed possible problems. And then, I decided I was just going to step away. I promised to get back to it. And I meant it.

And here I am getting back to it. So what was the problem? The problem is that I'm not just short from my waist to my hips. I'm short everywhere! If you're a regular reader, you've already seen my post about my perfect t-shirt. And guess what it was EYE OPENING!

The sad news is that now, all I see in my clothes is how the armscye is all wrong. EVERY SINGLE ONE! Crap. No one wants that. But the good news is that I know how to fix it. And fix it I did.

So I started from scratch and achieved quite nearly perfection. I have a beautiful smooth bust line. No wrinkles and no weirdness. Please note that I know the bands aren't 100% perfection. Because I shortened the entire high bust, I had to do my own math to figure out the right sized bands. I went with 85% of the armscye and neck band and really should have done 80%. But for a muslin, this went incredibly well.

Ok, so what were all my adjustments? I used a cotton lycra which had just under 100% stretch. According to the pattern, you should size down for this. So I sewed up a size XS. Now I'm right in the middle of that stage with my measurements where full bust adjustments aren't strictly necessary and I can fudge them a bit. so I opted NOT to do the full bust adjustment. My bust is only 1" larger than my size, so I wasn't too worried about it.

Now for the little adjustment that made a HUGE difference. You will need to determine how much higher or lower your bodice needs to go to determine how much to adjust your pattern. You will need to adjust both your front and back pattern pieces. The adjustment is identical. Please note that you ALWAYS make length adjustments BEFORE width adjustments. I shortened the high bust 1/2". All partial images of the pattern pieces are shared with permission from Ann Martin of 1 Puddle Lane. The images shown do NOT include the full bodice pattern piece.

To do the adjustment, you draw a line perpendicular to the fold line straight across the bodice about 1/3-1/2 of the way up the armscye (drawn in orange). The height doesn't need to be very precise.

Draw a second line across the bodice 1/2" above the first line (green).


Cut at the first line (in this orange) and then overlap to the second line (in this case green).


Now smooth out the armscye and the scoop or v-neck using a dressmaker's curve (drawn in black).

















If you're using a sleeveless pattern, all you'll need now is to recalculate your arm and neck bands (total measurement *80% should give you a pretty good stretch with cotton lycra). If you're using a sleeved garment, then check back next week when I show you how to redraw the sleeve cap.

I shortened the high bust 1/2" and my waist 1". From looking at the back, I think I could shorten the back another 1/2" but its close enough. I shortened the skirt an entire 2"  inches. I also did NOT hem (partially laziness and partially because I still needed to check length). The length is perfect for a nicer dressier look without the hem. I may still take the hem up pretty high though as I do love a good mini skirt.

For the record it was 30 degrees outside today, yet here I am sewing up a sleeveless MRT. I know, I know, but spring is almost here and then summer. And I don't wear sleeves in summer. TOO HOT. So what's a girl to do? Make a cardigan of course. This cardigan still needs tweaking and will get its own blog post, so keep an eye out.

So you've heard all my praises, you've seen the pictures, but it wouldn't be a review by me if I didn't include something I didn't like about the pattern. There are 3 things actually.

1- 1/4" seam allowances. 1/4" seam allowances are industry standard for RTW. It saves TONS of fabric. But, I hate it. 1/4" seam allowances means I need to go slow because if I mess up, there's no room for error.
2- When using 100% stretch fabric you have to size down one. If you're a size XS, there's no where to size down to. :( BUT, if you hop on over to the 1 Puddle Lane Facebook Group, Ann will show you exactly how to size down your pattern and make it work!
3- The sleeveless front pattern piece scoop neckline does not match up with the size XS. All the sizes are shifted over 1 size. I suspect this was just an over sight considering how many lines there are in that tiny corner. You can either draw in your own scoop following from the shoulder to the scoop neckline OR wait on an update. UPDATE: You want good service? The scoop neckline has been fixed! So go grab your copy now. :)

I know, I know, the first two those things are not the pattern's fault. But they bug me. Thankfully for now, I'm a size small, so I don't have to worry about what will happen if I'm ever too small. And while it is annoying that the scoop line got missed, its a quick fix to draw it right in. And really, it isn't going to stop me from sewing up about 1 million of these (slight exaggeration, maybe)

Truth is this is my muslin but it is quite nearly perfection. And after seeing how I look in this pattern I need more of these. TONS more of these. And what's even better? There are 3 blog posts on the 1 Puddle Lane for hacks for the MRT! That's like getting 4 patterns in one! I can't wait to hack into my pattern and make a cross over half circle dress. Or a v neck front and back t-shirt. Really, after getting the fit this good, I'm thinking of just basing most of my spring and summer wardrobe on just this pattern!

So who needs this pattern? Everyone. Seriously. There are enough necklines that you can find one that works for your body shape. The half circle skirt gives you a bit of flare at the hip (but not too much) which will either hide your wide hips or give the illusion that you have hips (thanks!). By raising or lowering the waistline you can create any number of different shapes. And while my muslin is a cotton lycra, I could see this with amazing drape in a rayon spandex or with a nice firm drape in a scuba knit. You could make it dressy with a nice pair of pumps or casual with a pair of flip flops. This is THAT versatile.