Darts and Side Seams: - Perfecting the Dart

I may have talked about this topic before - perfecting the dart extension point and the effect on the side seam.  But even if I have, it's well worth talking about again.  And now there are photos to help explain the situation and what happens.

Depending on two factors, 1) the width of the dart (A, B, C etc), and 2) the angle of the dart - it's position on the side seam in relation to your apex position, both can affect the amount of dart extension that is required for it to properly sew in straight with the side seam cut edge.

If the dart extension isn't long enough, it means that when the dart is folded in the correct finished location, the seam allowance edges won't meet when stitching the side seams.

Here's what it looks like if it's not 'perfected'.  The above photo shows the 'inside' of the bodice pattern.  The photo below shows the 'right' side of the pattern.

Even though I demo and teach how to 'perfect' the dart during the Fit & Sew Retreats, I've seen ladies skip this step (easy to forget when there's so much happening in this workshop) and then pull on the edge of the dart until it does meet the side seam when sewing front to back bodice.  Then, when the bodice is on your body, it will create a pull (drag) line from that lower dart leg toward the side and center of the bodice.  (Sorry I don't have a photo of the drag line...I accidentally deleted it when clearing the images from the camera).

But the next photo shows you how the drag line has disappeared when the seam is opened up and the dart extension point is released.

If this happens to you, it's easy to confuse this drag line as a 'fit' issue and not the 'pattern' issue that it is.  When the dart is 'perfected' properly, the drag line goes away.

The Adjust-A-Bust template is a great tool for getting the correct width of dart, but it's impossible on this template to provide all the possible scenarios for the dart's extension point.  It's always best to perfect the dart when drawing your bodice blueprint.

 Here's a short video tutorial on 'Perfecting the Dart'.   Even though I'm showing transferring the dart to the lower side seam location, the process of folding the dart in position and cutting along the seam allowance cutting edge, is still the same no matter the location of the dart.  You may end up with a really wide and long dart extension, but that can be trimmed out later.

You'll also find written directions for Perfecting the Dart on page 8 of the Dress Kit Instruction Book - 5th Edition.

Kindly,
Glenda...the Good Stitch!

Read More

Fit for a J-Cup - No more FBA

Hello to all my full-busted friends. 

Not too long ago, I received this lovely email from one of our UK customers, who had this to say, 'Just wanted to say thank you so much for the wonderful Dress Kit. My daughter is blessed with J cups and struggles to find clothes to fit properly.  Although I am an experienced seamstress, my efforts to make clothes for her have ended up as hours of trial and error from cutting the pattern to finishing the garment (including countless fittings), and the garments never quite look professional.  They are only saved by the neatness of my work.

I found Sure-Fit Designs by accident when, for the umpteenth time, I was looking for a way to do an FBA for J cups.  Ignoring my two attempts to adjust measurements before making the actual pattern, I started at the beginning and followed your instructions to the letter.  The result, after simply adjusting the side seam to accommodate the Beyond E bust dart and narrowing the chest, was so amazing!  My first muslin was near perfect.

I can't thank you enough.  It was well worth the agonizing 2 week wait for the kit to arrive in the UK.'
K.R. - UK

Here is her lovely young daughter who wishes to remain anonymous.  She graciously agreed to share these photos with all of you.

Her 'practice' test blouse sewn from large-checked gingham.
Notice the horizontal checks of this gingham are hanging near to totally parallel to the floor.  That's a real compliment to the Beyond E instructions and SFD Adjust-A-Bust template.

 

Here is her 'practice' sleeveless blouse.

Many ladies venture into using the Sure-Fit Designs Dress Kit - specifically the bodice pattern - because they'll never need to do another FBA.  For all my newbies, or small-busted women who don't need this, an FBA is a Full Bust Adjustment.  You typically need to slash the pattern in a myriad of directions to spread the front open to make it wider and longer.  But not with the Sure-Fit Designs Adjust-A-Bust template.  This Bust template comes with the SFD Dress Kit and gives you dart shapes from A through E.

And when you are larger than an E bra cup size, I offer two resources showing you how to extend this template to make it the width of dart you need.

Read this article - Beyond E - in the SFD Learning Center Article Library.  Just click on this Beyond E link and look for article F.5.

Additionally here is the video showing you how to actually construct this template.

One other comment I suggested for her next blouse, is that for very full-busted ladies, you can always give one more measurement dot to the front of the pattern and one less measurement dot to the back bodice.  E.g. If you were 40" around for a total bust circumference, you'd use the 41" dot in the front and use the 39" dot for the back bodice.  Here is a short video showing you how to do this on the SFD Shirt Kit.  And even though it's the Shirt Kit, the concept is still the same.

For the newcomers to SFD, you too can achieve this kind of fitting success!

Kindly,
Glenda...the Good Stitch!

Read More

What can I do with that dart?

Last week I showed you how to transfer the side-fitting bust dart down into the high hip area to create a curved French dart.  This week, you'll see that the dart can easily become gathers.

In the 2013 October Fit & Sew Retreat, we had lots of variation in what each lady wanted design-wise for her tank top project.  Denise choose to relocate the dart up into the scooped neckline and to stitch the newly-opened dart space into gathers.  In the following photo, Denise is testing the distribution of the gathers before applying the neckline binding trim.

 ...and a close-up

This is what her pattern looked liked. Notice that she distributed the dart space fairly evenly over 3 different slash lines coming down from the lowered neck edge up to the apex mark.  Whatever size your dart shape/size is, it will be maintained during this transfer process.

The neck edge, armholes and hem line are now completed and the fit is (yes, of course) unique to her body shape.

This Tank Top design with the Center Front Neckline Gathers, can be found on this page of downloadable Fashion Leaflets (just scroll toward the bottom of the page).

Isn't that color perfect for her?  I know we're looking at sleeveless in our colder winter months, but you can see she'll be ready for warmer weather as the new year progresses.

Denise...thanks so much for sharing your accomplishments.

Read More

What a beautiful smile and Oh...so flattering!

Doesn't this blouse just fit and look great on Lu?

Lu is a beautiful, tall, and yes, full-busted woman.  She also happens to be a friend of Joy's (Joyful Expressions).  And if you know Joy, you know she loves sewing and loves using Sure-Fit Designs.  Since Lu doesn't sew, and since Joy decided these fabric colors better suited Lu than her, she offered to sew this SFD blouse for her.

First, Joy did a 'muslin' test.

Obviously not muslin, but a test nonetheless, just to make sure the SFD bodice pattern was fitting Lu to perfection.  She decided that the 'E' cup dart shape from the SFD Adjust-A-Bust template wasn't quite wide enough.  So she then widened the dart shape to an 'F' cup width.

For any full-busted women, and particularly those of you beyond an 'E', you'll find an informative video showing you how to make the Adjust-A-Bust template larger for your special needs.  For the article telling you how to do this, click here to the SFD Article Library and look for article F.5 Beyond-E - Darts for Large Busts.

Also watch this Sure-Fit Designs video: 

I know you'll find this a simple and successful process.  For really full-busted women, it certainly beats the necessity to chop your pattern all up with a traditional full bust adjustment (FBA).

Here's Lu looking happy and sassy in her great-fitting blouse.

If you'd like to read the full account in Joy's blog, just click on over to Joyful Expressions.
Of course, at the end of this successful blouse story, Lu asked if she sewed pants too?  I think you likely know the answer to that one!

One other little tip I'd like to give you is that for those of you who have fairly full bustlines and a relatively narrow back in comparison, you can always use one dot larger in the front of your pattern, and one smaller in the back bodice.  As an example, if you were 46" in total bust circumference, you could use the 47" dot on Bodice Front at Underarm Pt. #2 and at the top leg of the bust grading dots and use the 45" dot on Bodice Back at Underarm Pt. #2.  You end up with the same amount of total bust ease, but you've distributed more to the front and less to the back...and the front is where you need it.  You'll see this instruction on Page 6 of the Dress Kit Instruction book - for Larger/Smaller Front or Back.

Joy and Lu - thanks so much for sharing...
Kindly,
Glenda

Read More

Adding a Dart to the SFD Shirt Kit pattern

If you read last week's blog, you'll have seen Joy's (Joyful Expressions) version of the Shawl Collar design incorporated into the SFD Shirt Kit pattern.  And if you did, you'll remember that Joy added a bust-fitting dart to her Shirt front pattern.

Many of you know that the Shirt Kit does not have a bust fitting dart...and many of you know what that means.  If you have a fairly full bust, the front of any pattern will hike up since there simply isn't enough shaping of the fabric to conform to your curves.  And even though the Shirt Kit front and back pattern together has about 5" - 6" total chest circumference ease, when your bust is much bigger than a B-cup dart, the front will likely hike up.

This photo is a good example of moderate hiking up in the front.

If this is a situation that happens with you when you wear dartless garments, here is a video showing you how to use the SFD Adjust-A-Bust template to add a dart to the Shirt Front pattern.

I may be modifying this video slightly, but for the time being, this process will help you to achieve the bust shape you need.

Read More

Which Sure-Fit Designs Kit to Choose?

Glenda, I am a beginning sewer attempting to sew my own clothes.  I have been very frustrated with commercial patterns which even when I find them in my plus size, they don't fit me. I would like to try the Sure-Fit Designs fitting system.  My question to you is which kit should I purchase, the Dress Kit or the Shirt Kit?  I watched the video: Differences between the Sure-Fit Designs Shirt and Dress Kits  but I still feel insecure about which to purchase. 

I guess because I am plus size that I should get the Shirt Kit but it would be really wonderful to have form-fitting darts even if my shape is a plus.

Thank you, Rebecca

Hi Rebecca, I presume the link at the bottom of your email goes to your own blog and there I see a photo of you and your happy hubby!  (At least I presume that's you).  If so, I would definitely recommend the Dress Kit since you'll need the bust dart template (Adjust-A-Bust) for good fit (It offers an A to E-cup bra size).  Then once you have your test muslin completed, you can add more ease if you don't like the closer fit of the dress bodice and also leave out the waist fitting darts.  It will all depend on what you want your first project to be after you've done the test muslin.  Your designing options will be 'limitless'.  You might be interesting in watching this video on how to use the Adjust-A-Bust template.

My recommendation is one of the Dress Kit combos - http://www.surefitdesigns.com/Dress-Kit.html.  Just scroll to the middle of the page and see the drop-down window.  The greatest value (savings) is the Dress Kit Combo with DVD - $84.95.  This DVD will give you specifics of exactly what to do for drawing not only the Dress pattern, but also the Pants and Shirt patterns - so once you have it - it will be good for when you are able to order the other kits.  Of course, you also get the Tracing Vellum and Designing Stylus.

Are you on my mailing newsletter list?  If so, the last message I sent out was that I now have the capability to offer lay-away plans. This is another purchasing option for you.  Decide what you'd like - and how much you'd like to pay each month - and then when all payments are completed, the entire combo would be sent. 

And...yes, the Dress kit has been successful for others of plus size.  I'd love it if after you get your projects made, that you share your photos and comments with me to put on my site.

Kindly, Glenda

Read More

What’s an Adjust-A-Bust Template?

You can achieve amazing fit with the Sure-Fit Designs™ Adjust-A-Bust template.  Most commercial patterns offer a B-Cup dart.  For countless women this simply doesn’t work, which means you have the tedious process of slashing and spreading or overlapping the pattern to fit your distinct curves.

Put an end to all of it with the Sure-Fit Designs™ Adjust-A-Bust template, which offers dart widths for bra cup sizes A-E.  What the video to see how it works.

If your cup size is beyond an ‘E’, see how to enlarge the dart sizes of the Adjust-A-Bust template.  Click Here.

The Adjust-A-Bust template is one of the amazing tools found within the Sure-Fit Designs™ Dress Kit.  Check out www.surefitdesigns.com for full details.

Happy Sewing!

‘Use Sure-Fit Designs™ and be Sure of the Fit!

Read More