Tweaking the Fit

September 1, 2023

I have some private students who have come to me with challenges that remind me again how mysterious and frustrating the final fit can be.  This is almost always due to the fact that none of us are perfectly shaped.  That's a fact.  And no one knows this more than designers and dressmakers.  We see just the smallest balance that's off.  Probably because we are comparing our sewing to some far off nebulous image in our mind that everything should be perfect or the whole thing is bad.  

So there's an awful lot to deal with here.  And the very first place to start is that we humans are never nor have we ever been perfect. As a matter of fact any true scientist and especially physicist will tell you the exact same thing.  The "perfection state" is not achievable, because we always deal in the infinite, whether it's in size, temperature, volume, and all those other means of measurement of anything!  They are all merely a word to describe a state, but that state they describe is never achievable.  There is no such thing as the lowest temperature;  there is no such thing as a perfect vacuum, there is no such thing as the longest distance.  All of that is a state for the purposes of description, which is inadequate at best.  

So when you hear things like the perfect figure, or the perfect shape, or the perfect anything, first tell yourself that this is a state that doesn't exist.  Secondly remind yourself that this is the absolute beauty in all of us.  

Here's a perfect example.  Folks are want to call the new Princess of Wales a perfect beauty.  She is indeed beautiful, and she does have some of the most famous and expert folks helping her maintain that beauty - which is another thing to remember about the Princess.  But what if we look closely.  

She looks pretty symmetrical and basically a gorgeous beauty.  Her eyes look the right distance apart, her nose is in perfect proportion to the rest of her face, and well she looks pretty perfect.  

But what happens when we double one or the other side?  Well, obviously she will look the same, cause she's so perfectly symmetrical....right?

Whoa!  Can  there really be that much difference in the face - yep they can (and forgiving the monotooth on one and the triple front teeth on the other - another anomaly!)

One side looks like she's in her 50's and has been a stern schoolmarm for most of those 50 years.  While the other looks like a "I dare you to take me on a wild motorcycle ride!" expression.  It's almost like she's two different persons in that one face!

This makes my point about how we are anything but perfect.  Some things to remember when you are thinking this way are:

• One eye is always larger than the other
• One eye is always higher or lower than the other
• One shoulder is higher or lower than the other
• One breast is always larger or smaller than the other
• One hip is always higher or lower than the other*
• One leg is always longer or shorter than the other
• One arm is always longer or shorter than the other

*And this is one of the key features of your body that will make a huge difference if you don't pay attention to it, or at least be aware of it.

And all of these matter when you are fitting.  There is the drape and hang of a garment, and if one shoulder is higher than the other, then you may need to accomodate for that.  How you do that can vary - sometimes all it takes is a little extra shoulder pad - if you're making a jacket.  If you're making a blouse that has no pads, then you may need to take in a little on the lower shoulder side seam.  

There are many fixes for all this, but the first thing to realize is that you're dealing with an imperfect body that is not symmetrical.  But we want to make it look symmetrical, which means we're working on an unsymmetrical body to make it look symmetrical.  

There's all sorts of ways to make this happen.  For a lower shoulder, the first step is knowing which shoulder is lower, and the next step is to see if it's really dramatic or is it just a slight lowering.  If it's just a slight lowering then you most likely don't need to do that much.

But there's also whether you need to do it or not.  Here's a great example

So here's a model with her right shoulder lower.  Look at the flowered version.  She looks pretty good and only if you knew to look at the right shoulder would you think there might be a small anomaly.  However, look at the left version with the stripes on the Breton shirt, and whoa - that's a mess.  There is a definite tilt, and it needs to be fixed.   

So this is a little like a trick of the eye.  In French trompe l'oeil here's my idea of how it's used successfully, the ivy and loft opening are fake - painted on so as to make you think you are seeing something that you aren't!  That's exactly what we're using here on this top.  If you look carefully, there is no way to make the lines match cause the right shoulder is substantially lower, but we can make the lines straight.  You can see what happens when we make the lines match at the top of the shoulder (on the right model), and what happens when we make the stripes straight (or parallel to the horizon) on the left model, and the left looks so much better.  

I do this all the time for clients because it really makes them look perfectly straight.  One of the other musts in the list of things to correct is the very common sway back.  When the hem is straight it looks like the person has a normal posture (as long as the wrinkling in the back waist is fixed).  But the hem, which is a simple fix, is crooked, then the sway back is even more accentuated.  

This is a very simple sketch that makes my point - the model on the left has an obvious sway back while the model on the right actually has the same figure, but with an even hem, it's nearly as noticeable.  

This is what this tricking the eye is all about.  

Here's a student with a raised hip and here are some simple fixes for a raised hip.  The predominant sympton or indication of the raised or lowered hip is that one hip seems to be thinner or smaller than the other.  No, that hip is merely lower.  I could go into a bunch of play on apexes, comparisons like this one:

The line diagonally crossing the big space looks larger than the line crossing the small space - measure it, to see they are the same.  But suffice it to say that when one hip appears smaller, it's probably that it's higher or lower.  
 

These are the kinds of things we can use in sewing.  

Looking at this again, the higher hip is on the student's left side, which makes the right side look like there's no hip.  All this means is that we won't dart out as much fabric on the left as we do on the right.  That also means that the dart in front left will be different than the dart on front right (where we will not take out any fabric.)  But how do you reconcile two darts that are so different in length?  Easy.  You make the regular dart where it needs to be to make the garment fit correctly, then you take the other "short" dart and you make that dart as long as the other dart, only you sew on the very tiniest of edge.  It will make it look like there's a dart all the way to the hem like the other, but will only take out the tiniest amount of fabric.  

Once this student finishes this alteration, I'll run her down and get another photo and post it on Instagram which happens to be my fav social media these days - it just seems so much happier there.  And I love the pictures. 

OK, so what's the takeaway here:

1. You can use all sorts of methods, darts, seams, hems, to make yourself look more even.  Make sure they are in the location common for darts.  
2. You don't have to have a symmetrical body to make yourself look symmetrical.
3. Keep your darts symmetrical - in placement and length, but you can play around with how much is taken in or let out in the dart.
4. Seams are the same as darts - placement must be the same and length, but as far as what you take in and let out - that's determined by what makes you look even on both sides.  
5. Keep obvious horizontal designs, stripes, prints, geometrics, horizontal across your body, which may mean a shoulder on one side might be lower than a shoulder on the other side.  
6. Skirts and pants are the same as tops for rule #5 - keep that horizontal design parallel to the ground.
7. A hem should always be parallel to the ground no matter if one hip is higher, or sway back or any other situation

The real truth here is using common sense.  There are some rules that may seem hard and fast (like hems parallel to the ground) but when you look at one that's not parellel to the ground compared to one that is, and you see how much better it looks parallel to the ground.  The other rules shouldn't be that hard either.  

It's knowing them.  It's knowing about them.  It's knowing you can use these to look more balanced and symmetrical which is more pleasing to the eye.  Even though none of us are symmetrical.

Yikes - Well I guess the right side has always been more open and the left side the protective side!!!  But WOW!!!  I look like I'm smelling four-day old trash on the right!  😁

The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style.  Check it out. 

The Ponte Jacket Class has been rescheduled.  We had so many who wanted to take it but couldn't get here for one reason or another so it didn't work out.  We've rescheduled it for September, when we are more interest in jackets, and particularly something that will make us look professional and responsible -- because there are times when we need that look.  You can click here to get more information for the class on September 20, 21, and 22.  If you need any information about places to stay or other accommodations, simply respond to this email and I will get back to you.  I love my city and love showing it off!

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