New Year's Resolution? Sewing Clothes that Fit during Weight Loss

I know the holiday season can play havoc with our diets.  There's just too many tempting tasties and before you know it, you've gained a little unwanted weight.  Now it's time to change your eating habits, but in the meantime, you need something to wear that fits, is comfortable and that will be easily adjusted as you loose weight.

I've been asked frequently from those who are loosing weight for suggestions as to the best style of garments to sew during this process.  If this situation is something you're dealing with, you may be interested in watching this video.  You'll find helpful recommendations when sewing with the Sure-Fit Designs fitting and sewing system.

I know you'll just love these Easy Wrap Pants!  Instructions are found on Leaflet #8 - just Click Here!

(Feel free to share this video on your personal blog or Facebook page.  Thanks for spreading the word about Sure-Fit Designs.  Happy New Year! Glenda)

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Help! My Pattern Doesn't Fit

I don’t hear this comment very often, but when I get emails or phone calls and someone says ‘My pattern’s skin tight’ or ‘My pattern is too big’, it always is important to first check that you’ve drawn your pattern correctly.  And it’s not just drawing the pattern according to the simple SFD steps, but also that you’ve added seam allowances and cut and sewn the garment all accurately.

Here is a check list of variables that you need to check first because discrepancies with any of these can change the result of the final fit.  And if you prefer to watch the video where you can see what I'm talking about, just click on the forward arrow.

1. Measuring.  Have you measured accurately?  Taking accurate measurements is always the underpinnings to getting a pattern fit to your body needs.
2. Marking pattern dots.  Have you marked your appropriate measurement dots accurately?  Make sure to use a fine/medium tipped pencil when transferring the master pattern measurement dots on to your tracing vellum.
3. Check drawn pattern widths.  Double check the widths of the resulting pattern before adding seam allowances.  Measure the pattern from stitching line to stitching line, adding any relevant segments together.  Make sure to account for the total circumference.  Compare the measurement that the pattern is giving to your actual measurement.  Remember that wearing ease is included in the master pattern.  Check the specific instruction book for ease in the pattern you are drawing.
4. Accurate seam allowances.  Are the seam allowances 5/8” (1.6cm) wide?  With the Designing Stylus, use the edge of the seam allowance slot that is nearest the outside edge of the Stylus to draw the allowance.  Spot check for accuracy.
5. Cut with care.  Whether using a rotary cutter or fabric shears, cut carefully maintaining the 5/8” (1.6cm) seam allowance.
6. Stitch accurately.  Is the stitched seam allowance exactly 5/8” (1.6cm) wide?  If you need to, place a piece of visible tape on the throat plate 5/8” (1.6cm) away from the needle.
7. Personal ease preferences.  Know how you like your clothes to fit.  The Dress Kit skirt pattern gives 3” (7.6cm) ease in the hip, while the pants pattern gives 2” (5.1cm) hip ease.  Some may find these ease allotments too little or too much.  It’s all a matter of personal preference.

When you change any of these variables, your resulting fit will naturally vary.  Please be aware of these aspects so that when you evaluate the fit of your test garment, these elements will no longer be causing any issues.

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Wearing Ease in the SFD patterns

What I have discovered is that the personal blueprint patterns drawn from Sure-Fit Designs don't have to be loose to fit. If your measurements are correct, your personal body blueprint pattern will fit with wearing ease automatically built in to the Sure-Fit Designs master patterns.

Generally, the mistakes I have made as a novice sewer is adding too much ease to my personal pattern, which of course was based on my experiences with store bought clothing and commercial paper patterns. It's difficult to get over the mind-set of making sure a pattern will fit "wide hips," "bulging tummy," or "big thighs."

You might want to see and hear what Glenda has to say about ease allowances and the Dress Kit patterns.

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A Joyful (Duct tape) Form

Since you may have read in the last post that Rebecca wrapped herself in duct tape to make her dress form, I thought you might be interested in reading my friend's (Joy - from Joyful Expressions) post about her duct tape-dress-form-making-experience. I'm sure many of you have wondered what this is all about. I've never done it (I'm sure I'd be squished totally flat and I don't need any help in the Flat Department), but Joy's post...well, I just had a really good laugh!

Joyful Expressions My Christmas Present -- Michelina/Tina

A lot of my pictures of Michelina/Tina are on my other computer, so I can't let you laugh at those right now.  I have wanted a dress form for years, and I even purchased one a few months ago from Hancock's.  I bought the Medium size so I could unscrew it to be as fat as me.  I unscrewed all the knobs, but no way on earth could I get that thing to look like me.  It doesn't take into account shoulder slope, boob slope, high hip, sway back, high waist, prominent shoulder blades, round back, etc.  I decided to research the "do it yourself" dress form on you tube.  You make it by wrapping duct tape all around your body until you nearly suffocate, and then you cut it off -- well, your helper cuts it off.  My husband had heard my friend, Phylly, and I talk about it -- although I had no idea he was actually listening.

One day a few weeks ago, my husband came into my sewing/quilting studio and walked up to me and took my hands in his hands.  HOW SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! 

He said he didn't know what to get me for Christmas.  He said he had been researching dress forms on the internet and you tube and told me he wanted to make me one for Christmas.  I tried not to drop over in a dead faint that he actually had not only heard me talk about a dress form but had RESEARCHED it!  Awesome!  I told him that was a GREAT idea. 

He went to the local hardware store and purchased 8 rolls of duct/duck tape.  He also decided that he was going to try his own system, so he purchased about 12 cans of insulation foam in the squirt cans.  You spray it into a hole/space/cavity and it expands.  He had determined that he would use the foam to make my boobs stay put because some of the makers on you tube had difficulty with the boobs staying stuffed with polyfill.


Sooooooooooo....last weekend, after church, Jerry came up to my studio with the tape and the spray in hand.  I decided I better find something to wear UNDER the tape.  Most wear a big tee shirt.  I didn't want to wear a big tee shirt because I'm already big enough!  I chose a Cudl Duds long sleeve top with a crew neck for my top and a tight leotard short for my bottom.  I wanted the upper part of my legs to be wrapped so I could use Tina for pants fitting also.  I'll let you know why that was a bad idea later. 

About the name:  Michelina/Tina.  When Jerry got me all wrapped up in the tape, and I looked in the mirror, my first thought was, "OMG, I look like the Michelin Tire Man!"  I decided to call her Michelina.  Later, when I showed the picture to my friend, Phylly, she said I looked like the Tin Man and should call her Tina.

-----------I'm back and it is several days later.  Life got busy all of a sudden.  Back to the duck tape dress form.  Below are pictures of the dress form AFTER it was cut up the back and removed from my body -- then thrown in the car for a trip to our other house 150 miles away -- then brought in out of the car and stuffing attempts begun.

Jerry had brought the insulation foam boobs and decided he would put them into the dress form first.  Only problem was, the dress form was all squished and funny looking.  Remember, Jerry decided to make the boobs out of insulation foam by filling my bra up with it.  Seemed logical.

The foam kept squirting out for hours.  I couldn't imagine that my body actually resembled these oddities.  Jerry opened Tina up and tried to put the boob blobs into Tina.  But, NO!  The cavities in the dress form and these foam boobs did not match at all.  The form was way too small.  We then decided that we should put the dress form back on my body and stretch it out.  Sounds simple, huh?  Check out the dress form..

Remember how I said I would tell you later why NOT to use stretch garments under the tape?  Check out the bottom half of Tina.  Looks like the incredible shrinking butt!  I could not start to get this thing back on my body.  The stretch in the shorts I had worn sucked everything all up and it was NOT going to UNsuck. 

NOW WHAT!?

I got a pair of scizzors and cut the bottom off of Tina.  That left me with very little to work with, and I was so exhasperated by then, I just threw the whole thing in the trash.  We decided we would start all over -- someday.

On December 29th, "someday" came.  I was reading the new issue of Threads magazine when I noticed an ad for a dress form from Fabulous Fit.  I went to the website and checked it out.  I went to Pattern Review and checked out the reviews on it.  All were very good.  I decided to call FF and have some questions answered.  The main thing I wanted to know was how do you adjust for LENGTH: Shoulder to apex, shoulder to waist, waist to knee, etc.  The not-very-friendly lady (probably just the New York lingo) acted like I was crazy to even ask such questions.  All is very, very, very simple and anyone can do it, and on and on.  I asked her what her return policy was, and I think she stopped breathing for a minute.  Finally, she said, "You better be sure to choose the right one."  I had asked her what one, and she said Size 8.  Since I have not worn Size 8 since I was 8, I couldn't imagine that could work.  She then said a Size 10 would work.  You have to start with your frame as it would be if not lathered with layers of fat.  That made sense. 

After two long distance calls with FF, I ended up ordering Marsha (because she looks like a marshmallow).  On sale at $400 off, Marsha was $1300.  I told myself that it was okay to make such an extravagant purchase because, after all, Marsha was 1/10th of the cost of my last sewing machine.  She is supposed to arrive in two weeks.  I will post my progress with her as it develops.  Here is a picture of her as a Size 10.  And, yes, I actually used to look like that.  If I would just lost about 25 pounds, I could look like that again.  BUT, I ask myself, WHO CARES what I weigh?  Nobody.  Hence, I will make clothes that fit my current body shape.

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Bodice Fits Like A Second Skin

I have completed my redrawing and cutting out out my new personal blueprint bodice pattern.  I am very excited about the fit.  I had some alterations to make and was unsure about how to go about making them.  But this weekend my husband and I wrapped me in duck tape and we made a personalized dress form which I have hung from a wooden hanger in my doorway.
I slipped my bodice on the form and it was easy to see the tune-ups that I need to make.  I pinned my changes on the form and then tried on the pinned bodice and it fit absolutely perfect - almost like a second skin.

My question is..........NOW WHAT DO I DO???  How do I translate my changes onto my personal pattern so I don't have to keep making these changes.

For example, I have made a correction at the top of the shoulder seam to correct for my sloping shoulders.  So now I have my bodice test pinned at the correction, but how to I translate that correction to my personal bodice pattern?

Rebecca, Fun (I hope) that you did a duct tape form. Sometimes, it's just easier to see the exact changes necessary when you are standing back objectively - as long as the form is EXACTLY your shape. 

First, it's best if I know the tune-ups/changes you needed to make.  but basically, as an example - if you had one shoulder sloping more than the other - and let's say you pinched out 1/2" at the shoulder point on the low side - then you would take off 1/2" at the shoulder point on the pattern.  But if you have an asymmetrical body - then that change would only be done on the low side of the pattern - meaning, you'd need to draw off both a right and left side bodice pattern.  This is just an example.  It would help me to know what changes you need to make to guide you as how to translate them onto the pattern.

Just remember, whatever you did on the muslin test, do exactly the same thing on the paper pattern. And then, once the changes are translated, then you use THAT body blueprint for all subsequent design changes.

Glenda
P.S.  If your sloper (SFD body blueprint) really is fitting like a second skin, you may have reduced too much ease and created a moulage. See my post - 4/9/12 - What's a Sloper, Moulage or Body Blueprint?

P.P.S.S. - Rebecca has since sent photos.  First she over-measure (thinking she needed to) and it was obviously too big. And then to compensate, she under-measured.  As a result, the bodice did fit like a 'second skin' and is too tight.  There is no ease remaining for comfort and wearing room.  Please remember - accurate measuring is the first key to good fit.

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Notches vs. Darts

Notches are not darts.  Boy did I ever get confused!  A customer emailed in for help.  In the process of our back and forth emails, she was describing to me her rounded back, the things she had done to her pattern, and that she thought it (the pattern) was too big in the back.  The front fit just fine and she liked the amount of ease it gave her.

She asked, ‘I’m 13 ½” in the back at the armscye dart.  How much ease should the pattern have in that area?’

I wrote back, ‘I’m confused.  The back bodice doesn’t have an armscye dart!’

She wrote back, ‘You know, I’m talking about the double dart on the back armscye.’

I was writing back that there was no double dart on the back armscye.  As I was proceeding with my response, and even more confused, all of a sudden the light came on.  You know how sometimes your brain goes into overdrive trying to figure something out?  I think she meant the double matching notches.  These double matching notches are always on the back armscye.  The front armscye has the single notch.  This has been an industry standard ever since I can remember.

Whew…I’m glad that one’s solved!  Using consistent terminology obviously really is important when communicating.  She was doing her best…I was trying to help.  I think we finally got it figured out.

Notches are for matching one seam to another.  Darts are triangular folds in the fabric designed to shape the fabric to the hills and valleys of your body shape.

Here’s a video on how to establish matching notches when drawing your armholes and sleeve pattern.

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What's Sloper, Moulage or Body Blueprint?

Once you’ve learned something and know the terminology for that particular topic, it’s easy to forget that others, with the same interests as you, often may not know what those terms mean. What am I talking about??

Every now and again, I’m reminded of this when someone asks, ‘What’s a sloper?’  It’s basically a pattern with wearing ease that fits your unique body shape and size.  This can be a bodice sloper, skirt sloper, pants sloper. 

When we first got Sure-Fit Designs™ established in 1982, I wanted to refer to the sloper in a more descriptive manner and came up with the term ‘body blueprint’.  If you think about it, a blueprint in architectural terminology means a layout or plan with specific dimensions of a specific room or rooms.  I thought this was fairly reflective of what we were accomplishing when drawing a personal pattern (sloper) with the Sure-Fit Designs™ master patterns to reflect your particular body shape and size.  And, I’ve referred to it (your sloper) or body blueprint this way ever since.

The SFD body blueprint does include a minimal amount wearing ease.  So when your pattern drawing is complete, you end up with your body shape plus ease.  You may or may not like the amount of wearing ease allowed in each pattern, but in the end analysis, that is personal preference and you can add or subtract ease as you wish.  The instruction books that accompany each of the major SFD kits explain how much wearing ease is offered in each the master patterns.  Here's a short video on ease allowances in the SFD Dress Kit.

Well, if that’s a sloper, then ‘What’s a moulage?’  Technically speaking but keeping this in simple lay terms, it’s your body blueprint without any ease.

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Pants Wearing Ease

Let's focus on how to determine how much wearing ease you’d like or need to have when fitting, sewing & wearing pants.

Ladies – as you know when fitting and sewing pants, you always need to account for some room to move within the garment.  This is called Wearing Ease.  When you add interesting design features, like pleats, you are then adding additional ease, which is called Design Ease.

The amount of ease that any one individual requires is totally dependent on a number of factors.  Your body frame, muscular structure, body fat, garment function and personal preference all play significant roles in determining how much ease you have for any given garment.

Here is an interesting way to help determine how much ease you’d like to begin with for a pants fitting muslin. Measure your low/full hips twice – once while standing – and once while sitting.  The easiest way to do this is to take the hip circumference measurement first while standing.  Then while you are still holding on to the tape measure, sit on an upright chair, and let the tape measure expand through your fingers as you lower yourself to the chair.  The difference between your standing measurement and your sitting measurement is the approximate amount of ease you’ll need in your hip area.

This technique is going to apply primarily to working with woven fabrics.  If you are sewing with stretch knit fabrics, depending on how stretchy the knit is, this ease amount will be reduced.  If the knit is extremely stretchy, you may want next to no ease at all in your pants.  Once again, this will be totally personal preference. However, when working with knit fabric, it’s always easier to give some ease to the pattern because that side seam can always be flattened if there’s too much, but if you cut the pattern without any ease at all, and then don’t like how close the fit is, you won’t be able to add it back in without ending up with skinny seam allowances.

How does this all apply when sewing pants with the Sure-Fit Designs™ Pants Kit master patterns?  The SFD pants pattern allows approximately 2” (5cm) of low/full hip ease.  (As your hip circumference gets larger, the ease increases slightly).  Let’s take an example of 40” (102 cm) hips (when standing), and when sitting you expand to 43” (109 cm).  This means you may want to add a little extra when marking your low/full hip dot on the master pattern.  Using the 40” (102 cm) dot on the master pattern will result in a 42” (107 cm) wide hip circumference.  Knowing you are going to use a woven fabric and knowing you need a little more sitting circumference ease, you would simply use the 41” (104 cm) dot in the low/full hip area only.  This will automatically give you the 1” (2.5 cm) additional ease that you might like to have for comfort when sitting.

There will always be a fine line between getting a comfortable amount of ease for sitting, versus how the pant looks on your body when you are standing.  Some times you’ll simply have to compromise.

“Use Sure-Fit Designs and be Sure of the Fit!”

Happy Sewing!

Glenda Sparling

Website: Sure-Fit Designs

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