Getting the Right Fit in Sewing Patterns

Guest post written by Becki Libick

Image From http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtowber/2502721676/ 

The challenge of sewing garments is getting the fit exactly right. That’s also the fun of sewing. Anyone who sews at all can buy a pattern and some fabric, follow the instructions, and make a garment that looks like the pattern. But not everyone has a body that’s shaped like the bodies those patterns are designed to fit.

My personal experience as a tall woman is that even when I was young, my body didn’t fit those patterns without adding inches to the “lengthen or shorten here” lines. Now that I’m not so young, the fit certainly hasn’t improved. The patterns are obviously designed for young, trim bodies that don’t bulge or sag. That’s where sewing skills become invaluable. Knowing how to adjust a pattern to fit around the sags and bulges in a way that fits comfortably without displaying the evidence of the years takes some experience. Thankfully, those years have provided opportunity to gain the necessary experience. And yet a challenge remains. If I sew a garment to fit my body, I must sew a few seams, try on the garment, sew a few more seams, try it on again, and so on, until the garment is completed. How much simpler it would be to have a model of me to work with! No problem, you say? Well, they do indeed market such things. Alas, none comes with my particular sags and bulges. What can be done?

Recently I read an article about the idea of making your own model by asking a very good friend to wrap duct tape around and around your torso, over a tee shirt. Three layers of duct tape later, the form is solid enough to cut off your body, hang on a sturdy hanger, stuff with fiberfill, and ta-da! You have a model of your very own torso, ready for use. How clever is that?!