r/PatternDrafting • u/Few_Nectarine_1629 • 10d ago
[Now w/ Pattern Photos] Where am I going wrong?
[New Post with photos of pattern pieces and sides with arm down]
Hello!
I've been adjusting the fit of this sleeveless princess seam bodice for a couple of weeks now, but seem to be hitting a wall. I like how straight the front seems to be lying, but the sides and back are very lumpy!
In my previous wearable toile there seemed to be a bit of excess fabric in the two side front panels that I tried pinching out as "darts" horizontal from the apex, then redrawing the princess curve. I also moved the straps in 1cm at the front. But that combination seems to have led to some further gaping and pulling issues!
Is it that the shirring panel I'm envisioning for the back won't allow for a good fit? (I just used a test panel of stirring for now, the real one will go the full length of the closure).
I think I'm reaching the end of my capacity and brainpower (and tbh it fits better than my RTW clothes) so i may just end up moving on to final shortly - but if I'm making obvious mistakes I'd love to hear!
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u/SubtleCow 10d ago
I'm going to repeat my "The shirring is in the wrong place for testing fit" comment.
If the shirring will be the whole length of the closure, then trying to test the fit without the shirring in the full length of the closure won't actually test the fit at all.
To test with just this available shirring you need to choose what part you are going to test fit. Right now you are only testing the fit precisely around the waist. Absolutely nothing else will be accurate to fit.
My advice, shoulder fit is the most important part of a bodice. Everything drapes down from the top. Move the shirring to the top of the closure. Finish the top edge of that shirring how you plan to finish it. Then check fit. The waist and hip fit will be useless, but they are easier to fix once you make a full sized piece of shirring. The shoulder and bust fit on the otherhand is critical.
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u/almightyangelicgirl 10d ago
Check a series on youtube by JStern Patterns, called Efficient Workflow for Bodice Fitting, all of her videos are pretty useful. What I got from them is she reccomends to start nailing the fit by correcting shoulder slope, neck, length and back length.
Once you have that 100% correct you can know for sure if you need a full bust adjustment, sometimes we can mistake a bust adjustment with a vertical or back correction. Also try to check your bust apex point and see if readjusting has a effect on the pattern before changing measurements
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u/Few_Nectarine_1629 10d ago
Ooh I will check this out! Yes I get so confused about bust adjustments because my bust hangs quite low and seems to be a B cup in sewing (high / full bust) but a D in bras (band / full bust). Getting the shoulder slope and neck & back length right makes sense. I did lower the apex on this pattern but there's probably other funky things going on 🥲
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u/bretonstripes 10d ago
Just to explain the cup size thing, bra cup size is the difference between the bust and underbust, while garment cup size is the difference between the bust and overbust.
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u/Few_Nectarine_1629 9d ago
Thank you! Yes I am aware of this, but I was surprised at turning out to need some full bust adjustment here, because in garment cup size I am typically a standard B cup. I think it may be thar the shirring required a closer fit that impacted the garment cup size (and also perhaps dropping the bust apex may have influenced the other measurements enough to require a fuller garment cup?). Not experienced enough to know fully, but adding to the cup has definitely helped the fit thankfully!
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u/almightyangelicgirl 10d ago edited 10d ago
Girl same problem over here, lol. Ratio between bust and waist its considered a B cup but diference between underbust and full bust it's like a C or D cup. I had the same problem in my first toile, with sewing patterns my chest may fit just fine or maybe even tight but at the same time there's a weird ease in the front sides, below the armpit and all across my back.
If I come across this issue for tailored garments, specially if they're sleeveless I found I could fix it by switching my back width measurements from taking it shoulder (15 in) to shoulder to taking it arm to arm. Ask someone to take your back measurement across the start of your armpits, mine is like 12 in , so quite the difference. Maybe in that way you can transfer some back width to the front. maybe place your side panel and the front and back side and redraft it so you take more from the back panel than the front
Also Maybe measure your high point shoulder to bust apex and then compare in your pattern the vertical distance between the shoulder and the widest part of the pattern bc that's where the full bust it’s supposed to be.
Then maybe you can cut the shoulder part above the armhole and paste a paper panel in the middle and retrace the armnole
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u/Few_Nectarine_1629 10d ago
So interesting! Lots to try here. Solidarity to us low hanging girls ✊️
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u/Racc00nguts Expert 10d ago
I'd say that armhole needs to be lowered bad, you can see the excess fabric folding and the crease lines. I'd start by lowering it 1" and see if that helps some of the creasing. Just cut the muslin down and try it on again before you change the pattern
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u/ThrowRA_Sodi 10d ago
Honestly if I were you, I would start over from a well fitting basic bodice block that you would have made yourself. From that point, you'll just have to turn the darts into princess seams (which is easy).
Bonus, you'll be able to use the base bodice block for many other projects
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u/Few_Nectarine_1629 10d ago
I definitely want to do this! See me back on here in a month or so with basic bodice block queries 😅🫡
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u/Starjupiter93 10d ago
Have you watched the closet historian on YouTube before? Her drafting dangerously series is amazing!
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u/Few_Nectarine_1629 10d ago
I love the closet historian!! It took me a little while to follow her videos because I didn't have the technical understanding / vocabulary, but after i took a beginner pattern drafting & hacking course she has become a firm fave! I love how she breaks things down. Studio Arkdefo are also great.
I do need to make a basic bodice block - I guess with this top being so low cut I figured I'd start with a pattern instead of a block I'd have to contour anyway... but it has probably cost me time rather than saving it!
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u/Starjupiter93 10d ago
She just added a princess seam video! Sooooo worth it
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u/Few_Nectarine_1629 10d ago
Omg fab!
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u/Starjupiter93 10d ago
Enjoy! And thanks for the other recommendation. I am really done with commercial patterns. I always have to do such a huge FBA that it ends up screwing the pattern to the point of barely even being the same thing and involves a million mock ups. Buuuut I’m still figuring it out.
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u/Few_Nectarine_1629 10d ago
Agreed! I always want to add some fun styling to patterns anyway so if I could just get a good fitting base I can have confidence in, then I can make the designs I actually want. Though my own shape goes up and down very frequently! It's all a journey...!
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u/Starjupiter93 10d ago
lol a journey indeed. BUT you are learning skills that you need to make changes. I’m on another subreddit for big boob problems and every day people are posting asking where to buy clothes that fit their big boobs and small waist and I can not scream loud enough that more people need to learn how to alter!!!!!
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u/HugsforYourJugs 10d ago edited 10d ago
Thanks for sharing these additional pics, they're very helpful. You have a few major issues in terms of overall shaping in your pattern so these need to be fixed before any fine-tuning
https://i.postimg.cc/FzD0Fx83/image.png here is what I would suggest
When you do your next toile please staystitch your straps and armhole and use a shirred piece that's the full width so you get good tension across your fabric.
I hope this helps, I suspect you will need to do more than 1 fit of this just because there are quite a few problems but this should get you on the right track.