Apparently, I've watched too many fitting videos. I've been dreaming about fitting in my sleep for the past several nights in that half awake, half asleep type of dreaming that feels like you've been awake all night. I could use a "real" sleep. LOL - maybe when the muslin is done. It's coming along great only I can't show you everything I discovered yesterday because in the process of evaluation, I slashed and cut the muslin from a variety of angles, mostly in the front. It's indecent.
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Other than that I'm leaning forward in the picture above - and I really hope that's my picture taking and not my regular posture - the back appears to fit quite well BUT... look at the wrinkles above the waist and the long pulls falling from each hip. Those point to something. The trick is to figure out what. A quick guess on the back would be that it's too long but remember I'm working from the shoulders down and I know that the center back length is correct so it's an issue below the waist.
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It's not that the waist is too tight because there's actually a bit too much ease through the side seam for a sloper however, that's last thing I'll fix after I know for sure that I don't need the ease any more.
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When you're making so many changes, it's easy for the pattern to become untrue. This line let's me know how much to add to the skirt at the side seams and where to merge the line back into the waist to correct the tissue.
If you could see a full image of the front, you'd see slashes from the bust to hip points and pinned tucks at the bust line. The pins point to too much ease through the bust line while the spread between the slashes makes it appear as if the size of the waist is too small. Since those two don't go together and because there is also too much ease through the side seam, I knew that increasing the waist size wasn't the answer. I will test a smaller cup size on the next version though.
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Following the wrinkles can be quite a journey. The key thing I learned from my recent studies was how important it is to work methodically from the top down because as you fix an issue, others may appear or may resolve themselves. Knowing what is already correct helps you to analyze what to do next. I know that my lengths are correct. I know that I have sufficient circumference through the shoulders, bust, and waist. I know that I have enough circumference through the hips BUT...
... it's the distribution that matters in this case. Those folds I showed you earlier. They indicate a need for more hip width through the back. When I slashed the back, between the darts and the side seam, from hem to waistline, the garment settled into place, the side seam hung straight, a hip wedge opened up, and a fold appeared in the front. Conclusion: there's not enough hip width in the back and too much in the front. SO far...
... I've determined my shoulder slope
... I've determined my shoulder width
... I've determined my shoulder to bust length
... I've determined my bust to waist length
... I've determined my waist to hip length
... I have sufficient circumference
... the bodice is too wide at the bust point so
... I'm about to try a smaller cup size and a...
... redistribution of hip circumference.
... and then evaluate the need or not for a sway back adjustment
... and then the sleeves
The sleeves aren't sewn in yet because it's important that the entire garment fits well before I stitch them. That way, any issues that develop can be determined to be as a result of the sleeve and I can deal with them step-by-step from the shoulder to the wrist. So far I've managed to do all of this by myself, so it is possible - LOL - even the pictures AND it really isn't taking very long. Be prepared to make several muslins. Today, I'll clean up and true the pattern, make the new adjustments, and sew a fourth version. At this point, I'm fine tuning and not making major decisions.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - motivation, patience & persistence
Other than that I'm leaning forward in the picture above - and I really hope that's my picture taking and not my regular posture - the back appears to fit quite well BUT... look at the wrinkles above the waist and the long pulls falling from each hip. Those point to something. The trick is to figure out what. A quick guess on the back would be that it's too long but remember I'm working from the shoulders down and I know that the center back length is correct so it's an issue below the waist.
It's not that the waist is too tight because there's actually a bit too much ease through the side seam for a sloper however, that's last thing I'll fix after I know for sure that I don't need the ease any more.
When you're making so many changes, it's easy for the pattern to become untrue. This line let's me know how much to add to the skirt at the side seams and where to merge the line back into the waist to correct the tissue.
If you could see a full image of the front, you'd see slashes from the bust to hip points and pinned tucks at the bust line. The pins point to too much ease through the bust line while the spread between the slashes makes it appear as if the size of the waist is too small. Since those two don't go together and because there is also too much ease through the side seam, I knew that increasing the waist size wasn't the answer. I will test a smaller cup size on the next version though.
Following the wrinkles can be quite a journey. The key thing I learned from my recent studies was how important it is to work methodically from the top down because as you fix an issue, others may appear or may resolve themselves. Knowing what is already correct helps you to analyze what to do next. I know that my lengths are correct. I know that I have sufficient circumference through the shoulders, bust, and waist. I know that I have enough circumference through the hips BUT...
... it's the distribution that matters in this case. Those folds I showed you earlier. They indicate a need for more hip width through the back. When I slashed the back, between the darts and the side seam, from hem to waistline, the garment settled into place, the side seam hung straight, a hip wedge opened up, and a fold appeared in the front. Conclusion: there's not enough hip width in the back and too much in the front. SO far...
... I've determined my shoulder slope
... I've determined my shoulder width
... I've determined my shoulder to bust length
... I've determined my bust to waist length
... I've determined my waist to hip length
... I have sufficient circumference
... the bodice is too wide at the bust point so
... I'm about to try a smaller cup size and a...
... redistribution of hip circumference.
... and then evaluate the need or not for a sway back adjustment
... and then the sleeves
The sleeves aren't sewn in yet because it's important that the entire garment fits well before I stitch them. That way, any issues that develop can be determined to be as a result of the sleeve and I can deal with them step-by-step from the shoulder to the wrist. So far I've managed to do all of this by myself, so it is possible - LOL - even the pictures AND it really isn't taking very long. Be prepared to make several muslins. Today, I'll clean up and true the pattern, make the new adjustments, and sew a fourth version. At this point, I'm fine tuning and not making major decisions.
Talk soon - Myrna
Grateful - motivation, patience & persistence