I'm a winner and a new muslin!

Sigrid, Tany, Marji, Els and Angela nominated me for the Threads DVD giveaway that Mary Beth was kindly giving away and lucky me I won! I am so looking forward to receiving them and putting them to good use. Thanks ladies :)))



In the meantime I have received Lynda Maynard's fitting DVD and have been working with my sloper. I decided to work with the free Marfy pattern 1101. The smallest size is 44 and I at least 42 but maybe smaller. However after reading Lynda's book I thought I could work with the size 44 and agree it to my sloper. Remember I made my sloper from the saran wrap (which I promised to blog about but will when I am more confident that it works).



I laid my sloper over the Marfy (which I had cut out as a size 44) and made the following adjustments:



Back:
Took out 4cms in the back between waist and armhole
Took out 1cm each side from shoulder to hem
Took out 2cm below the waist
Reshaped the armhole (my line is the inside line and the original pattern is the outside line)
Tapered the shoulder line a tad.


Front:
4cms out between waist and bustpoint
Lowered bust point a bit more and redrew dart legs
2cms out below waist
Reshape the armhole (my line is the inside line and the original pattern is the outside line)
Taper the shoulder line a tad.

I also adjusted the sleeve to take out some extra ease from the front.

Now to the muslin:


(BTW, I have the cuff only on my left sleeve and oops, I have it on upside down. Oh and the dart looks like it is going too high but that is just a crease from my pressing.)

I was pretty happy with the front but had found it to be tight to move my arms. So I look 1 cm in on each side seam and adjusted the sleeve as well. This helped. I think I still need to reduce the ease in the sleeve cap a bit in the front.

The back, not so good! It is tight if I pull forward (see the horizontal pull up high on shoulder blades) and theres lots of fabric further down.

After putting in some darts and tucking a bit for a straight back this is what I have - much better but I want to go back and work on that further.
I had DD cut the upper back to see how much extra I need. I need it up high to cover shoulder blades but not around the armhole....mmm....maybe a shoulder dart. Need to go back and review sloper with pattern.

I plan on making this is a soft cotton so it will not be as stiff as the calico but will still have body and no stretch. So I mustn't over fit but when do I say - this is how it should look? After all I do have to be able to move in it.

I googled up this pattern and came up with a post by Liana and Sigrid. Both have made it before. If either of you are reading can you comment on what you did with the back on your versions? Did you leave it as per the pattern or did you shape it a bit? ETA - Both Liana and Sigrid have done reviews on PR - neither adjusted the back. Also Sigrid pointed out the error in the cuff - no wonder I put it on the wrong way!

Sorry if this post is a bit disjointed, but I am just playing at the moment. When I am confident that my alterations will work I will post a better example of how I went about the changes. In the meantime any feedback is always welcome :))

Fitting - part 5 - saran (cling) wrap

This post is for Marji who had just left a comment asking for an update on the next stage. Marji has been helping me with some of those pesky fitting issues. I am still not satisfied so I have been delaying my report.


On my last post I made up a size 36 Burda blouse pattern which wasn't too bad but I felt still had some major issues around the shoulders, arms, front, back....well everywhere. So while reading my FFRP and also checking out a Palmer Pletsch pattern I have, they strongly suggest you start with a size that corresponds with your upper chest. That would put me in the size 34. So I made a muslin in 34 - better but still the same issues.

I can see armhole folds and gaping , shoulder "arrows" (btw, I did do a forward shoulder adj with this one), excess fabric in back below armhole and what would appear to be a prominent shoulder issue.

I have really appreciated all the feedback everyone has given me and I have tried all your suggestions. A common theme was to do a sloping shoulder adjustment.

On left no shoulder pads, on the right shoulder pads. The arrows to the shoulder are a bit worse and the neckline now is raised. And the armhole folds are not fixed. So no, it is not a sloping shoulder problem.

I played around and if I folded out a dart from bust to armhole it seemed to fix the problem. I don't think FFRP addresses this issue very well and I just wasn't confident in what I was doing.

So forward and onward I decided to have a go at the saran wrap. I had heard of this from Liana and followed the tutorial and Kathleen's Fashion Incubator site.

ok, no laughing! I will do a separate post of this later this week, but this photo will do for now to show your how I came up with this:

Most issues are gone! I can't quite figure out the lines just under the shoulder seams. I spent most of yesterday afternoon pinning, adjusting, resewing etc. In the end I have come to the conclusion that I have the neckline going too far up my neck or the folds are due to a dip in my shoulders - there is quite an indentation where my bra strap goes. The camera does magnify the lines. In the mirror they are barely visible.

So that is where I am up to. Next is to compare the sloper to a standard Burda 34 and see what adjustments I need to do to that to make it work. I am figuring the list will include:

• Petite adjustment
• Forward shoulder
• Rounded upper back
• prominent shoulder blades
• narrow lower back
• sway back

and the list goes on.........

I tell you, ignorance was bliss!

Fabric!

I bet you all have been thinking I have dropped the fitting challenge. NO WAY! I have been at it since the last time I posted. I have taken photos, made more muslin's, sat and stared at my photos and......obsessively compulsively been working away at it. I have now tried something new, but I am not going to report on it yet just in case this doesn't work either.....but I am feeling hopeful.

So today I thought I would share with you some recent fabric purchases. I went to the Astratex's (formerly know as Artextile) 50% off summer sale. And these are my goodies....

A lovely pink pinstripe Pierre Cardin wool and my first ever silk jersey. Nice match huh? I was thinking skirt for the wool when I purchased it but maybe a nice jacket? A skirt is perhaps too predictable.

The left fabric is a nice linen blend, the next is a wool skirt length and the piece on the right is a Versace mixed blend I got for $10 a metre. They only had 1.6 left and now it is mine. Apparently there is a small fault, but nothing that can't be worked around. I'm thinking some nice pants!

I have also received my Amazon order which included this book that Carolyn recommended.


And I love it!! (Thanks Carolyn!) So you see I am very keen on getting fitting slopers so I can start playing around. My plan is to use this as a text book and work my way through it. What fun!

Fitting - part 3 - sloper (part c)

I wish I had some good news to report. I have spent 2 days on this and I am no closer. If fact I am so p*ss$d off I am leaving it for a few days.

My measurements keep changing. The more I take them the more variances I get.

I have raised the bust and taken out the changes to the front bodice. My latest measurements agree with the sloper.

I also picked up an error in the bodice. Remember it did not reach around me at waist level? Well I measured the sloper bodice at the waist and it was only 65cm. The standard measurement for size 10 is 64 and add the 2.5 ease (they say there is) and the 4cm I added = 70.5. But it only measures 65! I double checked my sewing and it is accurate. The skirt waist measures 71 (as it should). So I gave myself more room in the bodice and reattached the skirt. AND IT IS STILL TIGHT!!

I also tried putting in the sleeve and I could not get my arm into it. My arm is 28 and the sloper has 31 across the bicep - I should be able to get my arm in?

I also raised the armhole in one side by 2cms so as to compare the raised and non raised. I was all ready to have the photo taken to ask your opinion, but the battery is dead. I think that is telling me enough is enough. I am putting this down until Wednesday (my next day off).

Designdreamer asked if the "material" came with the kit - yes the kit comes with the pieces all marked, a tapemeasure, dots, and a curve. It also has C & D cup pieces. You just need to cut out the pieces.

This project is taking way longer than I thought it would. Every change means unpicking and reworking.

Ok, I am cranky and I am going to bed. Thanks everyone for the support and advice.

Fitting - part 3 - sloper (part b)

I had better luck today with the Vogue Patterns Professional Fitting Program.

First you take your measurements. Some of these are different from normal pattern measurements. Look at measurement 8 - from the back of the neck, around the shoulder and down to bust point. And measurement 9 - from bust point to centre of your waist.

Next you compare your measurements to the standard Vogue measurements. My variances were not surprising. I needed to marginally increase (.5cm) length above bust and then .8 out below the bust. In the back I took out .4 just under the arms and then a whole 2cms lower in the back.

The best fun (not) was the bust dart. As my upper chest is 82cms and my full bust is 83 cms according to Vogue I was an A cup. In my bras I am a C cup due to only being 71 cms under the bust. But who am I to argue with Vogue? So I did the small bust adjustment. And then centre front did not join and the side seams of the bodice had no hope of matching. Remember I took out .3 in the front but 2.4 in the back, and I reduced my dart for A cup. So the front side seam was way longer than the back side seam.



So all that work had to be undone. I adjusted the bodice back to a B cup. I then measured the extra front side length I had compared to the back and it was 2.1cm as you would expect (the back adjustment of 2.4 less the front of .3). So I increased the side dart by 2cms to make the sides agree. The kit does have C and D cup adjustment pieces but I thought I would just go with what my gut instinct told me to do. I should have listened to that earlier!

The blue lines are my adjustments

For the skirt, I needed to take out 3cm from the area between my waist and my hips. Then for the the hem to reach mid knee I added back 3cm to the length. I also needed to add 1cm to each side seam as my waist and hips are 4cms bigger than the size 10.



So the results so far? Bust, waist, hip and kneecap all hitting at the correct places. A slight problem about the waist circumference, but I will check that tomorrow.

See, it doesn't quite meet...oops! Oh and please excuse the bra!

I have to look at my shoulder point too tomorrow. I need to see which seam line is best. And to determine if I need a forward shoulder adjustment. It looks pretty good in this photo - what do you think? Move it forward a tad or leave as is?

And I am pleased to see the back neck comes up to the necklace and no round back adjustment is needed! Mmmm, but bust point looks a bit low side on - see the top dark line? I have a round flat bust rather than pointy so maybe I need the line to be higher? Check this and then the front on photo and feedback would be appreciated. Of course then I would need a bigger dart - so much for A cup!!

The armhole pooching should be fixed when the sleeve is fitted. I may need to raise the armhole too ( I am predicting that!).

Looking forward to hearing all your thoughts. And thankyou to everyone who has commented so far.

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.

Fitting - part 1 - body map

One of my sewing goals for this year is to perfect my jacket making. In order to do this I am going back to the basics and working on my fitting.


In the past I have been doing a sway back adjustment in the back to fit the bodice to my back waist. I am 39 cms and patterns are about 41. My front waist is 43 and patterns are about 44. Just adjusting the back seemed to work fine but lately I have noticed that the sway back adjustment is making the bottom of my jackets fit oddly. So maybe I need to take out more in the bodice but then add length to the middle front?


So where to begin? I decided to re read Fit for Real People by Palmer Pletsch. First port of call is to do a body map. Here is the FFRP version:





and here is mine:
Oops, I forgot to label the underarm dots - they are the ones below the shoulder ones, just in a bit.

I am sorry it is so hard to see but if you click on it it will be a bit clearer. The horizontal lines in a very faint green are my equal eights. The red dots are my points - shoulders, waist, hip etc,

The bottom line is
a) I am 164 cm tall, patterns are for 168cm
b) I am 77cm in the top half of my body (head to hips) and 87cm from hips to feet. Nice long legs but short in the body. The ideal proportions are 50/50.
d) I am evenly long in upper and lower legs. Both are exactly 43.5cms
e) My shortness seems to be mainly from waist to hip as my waist is exactly on a green line (where is should be)
f) there may be more shortness in shoulder to underarm (the numbers are about the same but my neck is long. Also as I am shorter that the sloper lady I am 1.5cm shorter from head to waist eventhough I am in proportion for my height in this area.
g) I don't have narrow shoulders (and I always thought I did!) - 12cm as per ideal
h)Shoulder slope is ok - 4.5cm compared to ideal 4.25
i) Crotch depth looks short, but I will worry about that when fitting for pants! Not today's problem!
j) I am a triangle/hourglass as Shoulder width is 35cm, waist 23cm, fullest hip 39cm - this is measured across the body map (not around me). See the red dotted rectangle in the middle of the body map? But I think only just a triangle - 4cm is not much.....and waist is quite defined.
Measurements are as follow:


sorry, I don't know how to imbed a spreadsheet so I took a photo!


All comments and feedback are more than welcome.:) Next post I will compare my measurements against Burda....and some lovely body shots...ick!

And in finishing up I would like to thank Ellen and Sofie for helping me with this and not fighting too much over who was doing it right, blah, blah,