Blocking and sewing are my friends!

I finished this jacket nearly two weeks ago, and was keen to wear it for my birthday. It was finished in time, but the fit was disappointingly off. I knitted the 37", when I have a 38" bust, and once I'd blocked the pieces (which didn't need much coaxing in the end), and sewed it all up, it was TINY! I mean, the pieces blocked to the measurements exactly, and I'd stretched the fronts a little wider, so I expected this to fit well. But it looked like a kiddie jumper (sweater) and I could not get the toggles in any position where there wasn't serious gaping involved. Not good. I figured the jacket must have been designed for a miniscule person with a 37" bust. I'm about a size 12 Australian (8 or 10 US?), by no means large, but it was shockingly tiny on me.

So, what to do? I'd already blocked the pieces and the finished object, but no improvement. I then thought if I dunked it in water fully (the first time I'd only sprayed it) and stretched the $%^#&@ out of it by blocking it again, it might improve further. I was not confident, but guess what, now it fits (yippeeeee!), and it seems to be about a whole size bigger! I stretched the bust another 2 inches across, and the arms another inch too (they were so tight before)...

And to fix the gapey toggle issue? I sewed up the entire front of the jacket along the curve, left the loops on, and re-sewed the toggles into place. Voila - a fake fronted cardigan, but at least there's no gaping now!

So - if anyone is having similar problems, don't cry and burn your sunrise (as I nearly did), just block and sew! It CAN work!