Week 3: Understanding Fit from the Waist Down

This week I'm going to try to shed some light on how to fit the bottom half of our dress, and that does include the bottom.

EXPLANATION: Our Fantasia skirt pattern shown. On the right is the center front, on the left is the center back. The seam allowances have been folded back to reveal the pattern shaping, which are essentially darts. The back skirt is a princess seam, which makes shaping to fit the backside a breeze. The front is a single dart. Any place you have darts and seam, these are opportunities to add or subtract fabric as needed and remove, add, or change dart space to create personal shaping. Let me reference another post I did on darts that may or may not help explain further:
http://sewchicpatterns.blogspot.com/2013/01/darts-in-clothing-that-hit-bullseye.html
 

BODY TYPES: This illustration attempts to point out a few different figure types and how the dart shaping and seam location might be affected. On the left is a "standard" slim figure with no tummy or derriere, which needs only enough darting to shape to the waist. The side seam is also down the center of the leg and the front and back are split equally. This is how your pattern generally comes. The vertical plumb line for skirts is the center front, center back, and the side seam which stays centered on the leg. The horizontal plumb line is the hip. This should always be parallel to the floor. Why? Because it marks the cross grain and we want that level for the skirt to hang properly.

As the body shape changes, so does the type and amount of dart space, and even the front to back skirt ratio can change in order to keep the side seam running down the side of the leg and the hip running parallel. Those are the things we will be looking for as I do my tissue fit for my skirt.

GETTING STARTED:

Previous to now, I've already performed all the necessary steps (size transitions, etc) to get a great initial fit from the directions I gave on week 2:

http://sewchicpatterns.blogspot.com/2017/06/week-2-getting-right-start-with-fitting.html

So now I'm at the tissue fitting stage and I'm looking to see how this pattern fits my dress form and if there are any last minute changes I need to do before cutting from my final fabric. This step takes the place of time consuming muslin mock ups.

EVALUATION: The first thing I notice is that the hip line is not parallel.  It rises in the back. The second thing I notice is that my front dart is too long. My dressform has a high tummy on her, and my dart should not extend beyond that fullness of my figure.

You'll notice that my marked hip line doesn't match up with the true figure hip and that's okay this time for me, but you should mark your true hip. It will be too difficult to eyeball while wearing if its not on the hip, but it reality, it's the grain that we care about, and second to that is the shaping of the pattern. This red line is for your clarity and the green tape is the actual hip line of my dress form.

MAKE FIT CHANGES: I'm going to shorten that dart to only reach to the fullest part of my tummy. Center that new end point and mark new dart legs.

Next I'm going to lower that waistline on the dress form until the hip line is parallel and then mark the distance to the waist on my pattern. I also notice that as I lower that hip, the shaping of the pattern seems to fit the figure better as well. It's another sign that this is the correct alteration to make. Now I will take the pattern off and make the change.

I've marked the center back piece with a cut line to spread, and the side back will be marked at an angle to the corner so I can pivot and spread the side back seam without adding to the side seam as well. Add paper, measuring and taping just like you would if you were lengthening a pattern.

This is what my side back looks like once I've cut it. See the clip to the corner leaving a hinge of paper there?

 Add paper, measure and tape it down. True. This pivot method can be used at side seams as well. It's a better way to add width that trying to draw free hand.

Trim away the extra paper, fold seam allowances and pin your pattern back together for a second tissue fit. This is what that extra adding paper looks like. Final photos below.

Looks much better all the way around! Don't you think?

Your tissue fit is going to look much different from mine. If you've chosen the right size to begin with, the only thing left to do is to refine the fit. Here is what you are looking for:
1. Make sure your front and back are true north and south on your figure.
2 Check that your darts are the right length, width, and shape for your figure.
3. Keep your cross grain level at the hip
4. Center your side seam on the leg.

Ready? Set? Sew! How is your pattern fit coming along?

WEEK 1: One Pattern, Many Looks

newspaper clipping attached to pattern is a reminder

My title for this post was also the title I gave to the very first class I taught for the American Sewing Guild many years ago. I had 45 minutes to show students how one pattern can become so much more than what you see on the envelope. I know there are many more instructors greater than I that have taken on the same challenge too. So where does a new idea come from? Can creativity really be taught, or are we all really just following the examples of others?

How often have your projects started with an idea from something you've seen in the store or a magazine or on a blog and then you look for a pattern to match that idea? This is only one example of following.  There is certainly nothing wrong with that tradition, but it does have limitations, especially if you are living within the confines of current trend which may or may not be on your side in terms of taste or body type. 

Where real creativity begins is when you start with what feels like a limited scope (one pattern/one view) and then must reach outside of that perimeter to turn it into something different than it was before. This type of creativity does take practice. Research for more ideas, and then pick ONE theme. Think of ways to develop your idea from there. 

How to Do it:

 For this sewalong, we are going to use the Sew Chic LN9005, Fantasia dress as our base to build from. The cover suggests this dress style belongs only as a formal.

Get your pattern here: http://www.sewchicpatterns.com/fantasia.html

But take a good look at the line drawing on the back of the cover. Consider the silhouette and the style lines. In what ways can we invent something new from this style?

OPTION 1: Do nothing. The easiest thing to do is nothing. We can create a whole new illusion, feeling, or purpose with patterns and colors using fabric. Have you twice made a garment with completely different fabrics and no one knew they were the same style? What about color blocking? This doesn't look too bad.... it's easy stuff.

 

OPTION 2: Interior Changes. Things like lengthen and shorten, you do all the time for fit. Why not for style? With this pattern, it can totally give you a whole different silhouette. The rule for this alteration is anywhere below the hip, or at the hem. Be sure to choose a location that will not interfere with  any design details. In the back, we have a "V" seam detail that we want to keep, so lets avoid that and place our "lengthen or shorten here" lines above or below that location. But what if you didn't want to keep that "V"? Then cut your skirt off above that detail and lengthen as needed by adding to the now cut off hem. Now you'd have a straight skirt with no high/low hem. Of course you must measure your pattern to be sure that you will alter in the same location both front and back. The easiest way is to walk your pattern at the side seam and use a lined mat and grid ruler to keep it perpendicular to the grain.  For this example, I'm going to shorten in two locations, both above and below. Let's see what shortening in two places is going to look like:

Let's assume that if you know how to lengthen or shorten, you also know how to true your work to correct that jog. How you true is another opportunity to change the silhouette of your style. If I true up to the hip, the style becomes an A-line rather than a tulip, trumpet, or fit and flare skirt.
Before we go on though, I first have one more interior alteration to make:

Because I'm going to stay with my color blocking idea, I want to add an interior seam. This seam is going to cut across my bodice side front at the same location that my cross over seam hits so that my color can extend to the sides as well. Simply walk your pattern to the bodice front along the seam line you've drawn in, and make a mark where that seam will cross. Draw a cut line across your side front pattern, and then a GRAIN line that extends to match the original. Cut apart and add seam allowances to both pieces and label. Now let's see what that will look like:

OPTION 3: Exterior Changes. Those are alterations to the edges of your pattern. Lengthening or shortening at the hem is one of those choices. In my case, I've added length to the sleeve to make it 3/4 length. It's a easy change to make that doesn't require to much effort. Lowering or changing the neckline would be another one of these changes. What do you think so far? Is it heading in the right direction?

OPTION 4: Last but not least is adding on details or creating external pattern pieces that match to the edge, such as collars, cuffs, ruffles, etc. I've added a button theme to my color blocking. These buttons don't have be functional, and neither do your external details, they can be just decorative. Hand stitch anything to your dress, it could be tubing, or flowers, or beading, or embroidery, rick-rack, etc. Experiment!

Make this dress I've just designed for you in a soft crepe for a 1940's vibe. Wear with your victory rolls, and black side set hat with seamed stockings and pretty black pumps and you are set! Are you headed for a hoedown instead? Imagine this dress in denim with flat felled seams, patch pockets and lots of buttonhole thread top stitching. Match that up with cowboy boots and you can take this dress to the rodeo! Inspiration can come from everywhere, so look for themes that appeal to you and then use these steps to come up with ideas that work with your theme.

Get your pattern here: http://www.sewchicpatterns.com/fantasia.html

Enjoy!

Pattern Tutorial: Fantasia Dress Variation

Fantasia Variation - how to go from the Opera to the Office

I love the Fantasia dress pattern with a fitted bodice and flared high-low skirt- words like formal, feminine, cultured, clean, classic and bridal come to mind. All my designs are fairly girly- but recently I had to rethink that concept when I approached a wholesale fabric vendor from the International Textiles Expo who was interested in collaboration. She was to send me fabrics for a blouse and skirt from my pattern collection and we would represent each other at the fashion show and market. I love teaming up!

Then the fabrics came -- a pinstriped navy and blue/gray suiting. The tweed, as our vendor called it (it's not an obvious tweed weave) was soft and thick with the right amount of body and the shirting was crisp and tightly woven. They washed up beautifully and high quality fabrics are always a dream to work with, but....it was a little on the "manly" side. Hmmm. Would this work for a girly twirly skirt? I looked at my patterns and nothing seemed quite right until finally the thought came to me: combine these two fabrics with the Fantasia dress, then complete the look with the Victory Jacket and voila! I've got the suit style that this fabric needs. This outfit has a definite 1940s vibe, and made for fall, this combination will definitely be one of my season favorites.

I chose the low-calf length, view B, but for a formal event, the longer length (view A) would look fabulous too. For this blouse and skirt look-a-like, I used the tweed for the skirt and jacket and the contrasting navy fabric for the dress bodice. It looks like a skirt and blouse, and because it won't come un-tucked, it wears even better!

 

The fabric completely changed the look of Fantasia and is an easy way to move into the look of a suit without all the typical tailoring. When cutting out the pattern, I simply used the navy pinstripe for the bodice and sleeve pieces and tweed for everything else.

I decided to switch out the cap sleeve for a longer length. I used the sleeve from Beatrice and shortened it to just above the elbow, which is about 6-6 1/2" from the underarm, finished. Rather than using the sleeve facing, I turned up the bottom 1" and did a blind hem on the sleeve (the alteration means the facing wouldn't fit anymore anyway!). Other than that, the dress has no other variation.

The gray tweed was used for the skirt section, and to transition the two fabrics, I added in a 2" wide covered belt.

To make the belt, follow the tutorial I did for the Sew Mama Sew blog called "Made to Match." Find that tutorial here:
http://www.sewmamasew.com/2013/10/made-to-match-belt-tutorial-from-laura-nash-of-the-sew-chic-pattern-company/

To further separate the identities of the top and bottom, I finished the skirt seams  by pressing open, turning under 1/4", and top stitching through all layers about 3/8" to the right and left of every vertical seam. The bodice seams were serged. See the next photos for a view of the skirt seam.

These pictures shows the "V" detail in the skirt "train" where it attaches at center back.

This photo shows the inside finish of the skirt seams turned under and stitched. To emphasize the lovely flares and help  it keep structure under the weight of this suiting fabric, I tucked a 1/2" wide horsehair braid down into that hem allowance and topstitched everything into place in one step.
 

The Victory Jacket was made as is outlined in the instruction booklet with only one variation...

I turned back the front from the side of the neck, parallel to center front and tacked it with a flat 5/8" covered button.

This dress is soft and comfortable to wear and oh so pretty. What do you think of the new Fantasia suit look?
Buy the Fantasia pattern here: http://www.sewchicpatterns.com/fantasia.html
Buy the Victory Jacket pattern here: http://www.sewchicpatterns.com/victory.html

Have a great sewing day!
Laura

Fittings with Julie

I have so many irons in the fire right now my head is spinning. We are working on a coat- a suit- and 3 dresses, all at various stages of the game. Yesterday was to be fit model day and I had concocted a plan to post photos of little snippets of the fittings for you, but alas, she had to cancel at the last minute. :-(

To stay within the same theme, I'm going to show you some photos of fittings I did with Julie, a former student. Julie does not have too many fitting worries, though she is larger busted, and has narrow shoulders. This is a common situation.

I suggested [when sewing with my patterns] that she use a smaller bodice size to get a narrow shoulder, and then do a full bust adjustment. She then made the Fantasia Pattern and came to visit me for a follow up fitting. I should have taken a photo full front but didn't think about that until too late. The fit isn't bad, but the shoulders are still too wide for her, and the bodice length is too long.

The wide shoulders are pretty clear in this back shoulder photo. She could go down one more size, and then the shoulder and length would fit better. She would have to add a bit more width into the full bust adjustment, which would give her the width that she needs for the bust measurement, and then transition to the larger size for the waist. Since she already made this alteration, there is another easier way to accomplish the goal, which I will get to at the end. For now, here's how the fitting went:

 When making alterations, I always start at the bust and work my way down, then up. Get the armhole right, then you can deal with the sleeve and shoulders. Though the sleeve is attached, in the order of operations I pinned the sleeve on last.


The armhole was a bit sloppy, so I took in about 1/4" to make everything a bit more snug. Here's a good close up.

 Then I pinned the skirt up to the waist where it belongs.

Last I pinned the sleeve on all the way around the arm where it looks the best. See that little ripple(s) in the back? I would have liked to take that back in just a little more narrow, but she likes the room back there. We'll call that "wearing ease".

If everything else looks and feels good, here is the way to reduce width at the shoulder without messing with the rest of the pattern: 

Draw a line to cut through the middle of the shoulder, squaring off ending at the armhole just above the notch. Cut the pattern apart along this line.

Slide the shoulder piece along the horizontal line, overlapping the vertical line until the shoulder is the correct measurement.












 True the jog in the two pieces, and your pattern is done.

It's always a good idea to "walk" your sleeve pattern to to the arm hole to make sure that it still fits. On Julie's dress, all is fine because the reduction at the princess seam was taken up in the longer reach of the shoulder line.

Here is the sleeve again from the front. If I remember right, that fold in the sleeve is from a fold in the fabric- needs pressing.  Looks good, doesn't it?

I cannot say it often enough, that fit is a matter of personal taste. If YOU like the fit, then it's perfect!