Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Fitting - part 3 - sloper (part a)

I worked on making a sloper all day and this is what I got:


Not a good result:


Front neckline too high
Back neckline does not reach necklace - but only in the middle
Armhole too low..way too low
Whole bodice too long - see how it bunches up because it is hitting my outward curve from the waist?
Armholes are all wrong.
Forward shoulder adjustment - 3 cms - I have never had that!

I used this book to draft a sloper based on standard measurements and my measurements.


I am not confident that the sloper calcs are correct. I had trouble drafting the back armhole as the points as plotted just did not join together with any curve shape?? I played around with it for a while but decided that I just was not confident that I was working with an anatomically correct starting point.


I then tossed around the idea of draping a sloper as per Threads and also mentioned in FFRP. But the girls were not jumping for joy when I mentioned this! You see I would need alot of help!


Then I pulled out a Vogue fitting pattern that I bought way back in the 70's (or maybe 80's) but had never used.


It is a size 10 and I had been using a size 6 as a starting point for my sewing. Many years ago I went to a Palmer Pletsch fitting instructor and she had me as a six 6 based on my high bust measurement of about 75cms. Well 30 years later and 20 of those working out at the gym has added an extra 7cm to that measurement. (Yes I do carry more body fat too - but really there is muscle where there was none before). My full bust is still about the same (I remeasured today and came up with only 83cms...sob). So now it would appear that this fitting tool may just be the thing I need. So it was back to the drawing board for some more measurements - DH came to the rescue.


So I will get back to it on Friday (I have to work tomorrow) and hopefully will have some better news to report.



Now some thanks:


To Belinda (Sew 4 Fun) and Ann from Stitches Guild who both confirmed for me that the difference between back and front lengths is accomodated with adjusting the bust dart.

Thanks to Anonymous for teaching me how to turn a print screen into a jpg - will try that when I update my measurements!


Ann from Annsfashiostudio asked if my shoulder slope measurements were the same on each side -yes they are but my right side doesn't slope as quick as my left - it appears to have more muscle near the neck. Better adjust the training routine!!



And thanks to all who are following on. It will certainly make me keep going until I get there!!

Young Ellen continues to be a celebrity - Optus one of the sponsors of the competition she won has had a publicist on the case - so far she has been in a magazine article, on community TV, ABC radio and now has made it to the local paper and their website. So as a very proud mother I just have to link.

11 comments:

Kitty Couture said...

Vicki, I'm sorry that I cannot help you, as I am wholly incompetent on the subject. I am sure you will manage a perfect fit in the end! Kudos on being so exacting with yourself.

Sigrid said...

Love the link for your daughter. You're very right to be a proud mum.

And very sorry I'm not able to help you with these fitting issues. Wish I could. But it's sure a good start for future projects.

Summerset said...

Congrats to you and Ellen! You both should be proud. Keep going on the fitting - I'm finding this very informative.

Anonymous said...

Great job so far! So we're both fit-obsessed at the moment- I just love the (newly discovered) blog world, makes me feel so much less alone as I navigate through the maze of fitting! With regards to your question about the shoulder dart: You could add extra ease to the back shoulder seam (provided the fabric can handle it), and also a neck dart is an option. I was thinking last night that maybe the back armhole could be eased in a bit as well- I might try that on another muslin. I wasn't as brave as you, so instead of drafting a sloper, I used a blouse pattern, but the same principals apply. I'm so happy you and Marji left a comment- I wouldn't have found you otherwise -can you tell I'm new at this? :-)

Sew-4-Fun said...

Vicki, I ran out to the letterbox to see if the local newspaper had arrived. Not yet. :( As soon as it does arrive I'll be reading it. Thanks for the heads up as I don't always read it.

As for drafting, don't worry, it can be hard. It always sounds so much easier than it is. :) The main thing is to enjoy the process and the learning experience. You'll be surprised what you pick up that will help you when using commercial patterns, so all is not lost. :)

dawn said...

I'm a bit puzzled on why you're getting that diagonal fold in the back. You need more shape back there somehow. Also maybe a deeper bust dart? (wrinkle by the front armhole?)

I spent a lot of time trying to get a "perfect" sloper for a client once. It is very, very hard. It seemed every week when she tried it on, something was a little different!

Ann Made Studio said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ann Made Studio said...

Vicki,you did a such a good job drafting your sloper. When I took a pattern drafting course "everyone" in the class had some tweeking to do after drafting their slopers.
It appears that your left side has more excess fabric around the armhole.
I checked one of my pattern drafting books and- The slope of your shoulders would affect the width of the armhole - a higher shoulder point makes the armhole larger...also the armhole depth measurement - Fitting and shaping armholes were the main problem areas for most people in class. It can be very troublesome! But you are doing great and with some tweeking of your own this will work out to be a perfect fit.

Ann Made Studio said...

Oh yes - congratulations to your daughter. What a wonderful acheivement.You have reason to be a proud mom :) I saw the video for the first time today, it was great.

Anonymous said...

Vicki
I really need to do this especially as for the first time in 17 years I'm almost of a size to fit into my Vogue Fitting Pattern Size 12 which must be at least 20 years old! Older clothes (yes, I kept the really nice ones!) fit differently to when first worn however so some of me has moved around. I'll follow your progress for a while and maybe learn enough to make a similar procedure much quicker. Best wishes for a helpful result. Juliet

BCN - UNIQUE designer patterns said...

Vicky .- Excellent posts. I hope you get a good result in the pattern. A few days ago I commented about arrangements similar to Alethia. He had a similar problem. Watch your blog and maybe it does help. If you want, and you send to you that you can make some corrections in the area of the shoulders. Thanks. Greetings from Barcelona, Paco

Pta .- Congratulations to your daughter

Alethia blog: http://kassminscreations.blogspot.com/