Fitting sleeves - it starts with an armhole

Would you agree that fitting takes the most time when working with a new style or pattern? Fit is one of the most important factors for the success of a couture garment, next to the design, fabric, construction and engineering. And for me, it is the most challenging step in the entire process of making a couture garment.

So, now I am working on the fit of V8646, the dress Susan Khalje chose for her online couture class. Fitting the bodice requires number of fitting steps, and the sequence is the key. I usually check the fit from the top to the bottom.  In the following fitting sequence I wanted to share some tips on armhole depth since I wanted to focus on sleeve fitting, and the correct armhole shape and size is very important.

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1. Shoulder and Neckline - correct fit at the shoulders and the neckline is the foundation for the alignment of the dress. Start checking the neckline and proceed to the shoulder slope.

Establish the shoulder point. To find the shoulder point lift your arm at right angle to the side of your body and look for a dent where the arm and the shoulder comes together. This is quite location placement of the shoulder point.

2. Back width and armhole - Armholes are often cut too low in commercial patterns, so this is a very frequent alteration that should be done after the shoulder and neckline adjustment. After finding the shoulder point and correcting the shoulder length, start re-drawing the armhole line. (you will very likely need someone to help you with that. I do often end up doing it on my own - takes longer, but possible)

Armhole line should start vertically from the end of the shoulder seam on both, the front and the back. Continue drawing making a curve towards the side seam. The armhole should be as small as possible, but should not hamper your arm movement.

So, how low should the armhole be? High-cut armhole is more comfortable, because, by following the shape of the body, it allows wider range of movements.

The height of the armhole is determined with the help of the ruler. I read about it in a fitting book by Jan Minott (out of print unfortunately, but you can find affordable old copies on Amazon and elsewehre). Raise your arm at the right angle to your body and hold a ruler under your armpit. The lowest point of the armhole in a sleeveless garment should be just below the point where the ruler touches the flesh, or where the imaginary sideseam starts to curve under the arm.

In a garment with sleeves, drop the armhole depth some 1/2" (1cm to 1,5) lower. One of the factors you want to consider when determining the depth of the armhole is fabric characteristics: thickness, flexibility, etc... 

3. Darts - proceed checking the bust darts, waist darts, etc.

4. Bodice length - this is the last step in fitting the bodice.

I realize that there are maybe some deviations, but this rough sequence, recommended by many fit experts works for me. I hope it helps you too! By the way, a moulage - tightly fitted custom sloper - is an immense help, but making a moulage requires a lot of experience and help.

Finally, check this excellent article by Sarah Veblen: "To Get the Right Armhole, Fit the Bodice" on threadsmagazine.com

What about you, readers? Do you follow any particular fitting sequence? Share tips and links!

Gadgetmania: Rulers Part II by Laura Bolcina

Friends, did you think you knew enough about rulers? Well, today, Laura - who covered almost everything straight last week - guides us through curves... Ahem...

Hello! I'm back with Part II of my research. I will introduce you into the world of curves and present you one very useful tool.

24 in/60 cm hip curve helps you draw numerous contours of the human form. It's commonly used to draw hipline, trouser contour, sleeves, lapels, hemlines, skirt seams, and more. You can also use it to true different style lines (e.g. princess style line), establish curved shape of godets, and establish flares on gored garment panels.

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French curves are used to draw a wide range of smooth curves. There are many, but Fairgate or Lance 12 in/32 cm and 24 in/60 cm French curves are said to be able to replace an entire set of French curves. Use them to draw more defined curves, such as armholes, necklines, sleeve caps, pocket contours, cuffs, collar designs, and so on. You can even use them to adjust waist and crotch fit of garments, and to true curved parts of darts. Curve #17 (Dietzgen, Lance FC-1, Pacific Arc F-17) is also a very common French curve – it's my favourite for drawing necklines and armholes.

The main difference between hip curve and French curve is in the shape of the curve. Hip curve is not as pronouncedly curved; it has a lesser curve than French curves. Hip and French curves are available at Lance and Fairgate. They're made of aluminium and are known for its high quality. The curves are also available in plastic for a little less cost.

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Flexible or adjustable curve is a substitute for all of the curves above. You can shape it in any curve you want and use it for practically anything. Flexible curves come in various lengths. Alvin Truflex flexible curves look like a good choice.

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Folding measure or expanding sewing gauge (SimFlex) is used for spacing buttons/button holes, hooks/eyes, pleats, tucks, and more. It's a very handy tool, because it gives quick and accurate measurements compared to a regular ruler.

That's it, thank you for reading; I hope you learned something new! And thank you, Marina, for having me here. :)

Laura

http://my-little-nook.blogspot.com

Thank you, Laura! This is an amazing review of rulers! My question this week is how many curved or straight things are too many? But I have to admit, I love them all! 

Sleeves, glorious sleeves!

Dear readers, a question for you: How or when do you start fitting sleeves?

The thing is, as I was working on the couture dress for Susan's class, I realized everyone does it differently

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This is how I do it with a new style or pattern:

• - fit the bodice (shoulders, armscye...)
• - adjust the sleeve pattern to fit the adjusted armscye
• - fit the sleeve with the bodice 

I think this sequence shortens the time I spend fitting sleeves, especially if there is no one to help with fitting. Alterations to the bodice can considerable change the shape and the size of the armscye, significantly affecting the fit of the sleeve. Making rough alterations on the pattern helps minimize fitting issues on the body.

So, how do you do it?!

Gadgetmania: Rulers by Laura Bolčina (Part 1)

Dear Readers! Meet Laura Bolčina of My Little Nook. I first saw Laura, a cultural studies graduate with passion for sewing and design,  featured on Burdastyle and then in the new Burdastyle book...  Her studio projects reflect her optimistic spirit and the one below is one of my favourites! Laura is someone who takes sewing tool sand notions seriously (check out her blog) and it comes as no surprise that she suggested not a one but two posts on rulers, readers. So, today we are treated to the Part 1 - enjoy it!

Hi! My name is Laura Bolčina and I am a self-taught seamstress from Slovenia, Europe. When Marina searched for guest bloggers, I was in the middle of the rulers “investigation”. I decided to contact her and she let me write about my subject. This post is all about the most useful rulers for patternmakers and seamstresses – and it is only Part I.



Wide 24 in/60 cm (or longer) clear ruler is used to draw longer parallel or perpendicular pattern marks and to locate grain lines and design details with regard to front closure, collar or lapel position of a pattern. It is indispensable for those of you, who make a lot of trouser patterns – for its length. If angle lines are marked on your ruler, you can use it to locate diagonal lines and establish or mark true bias (45°). Due to its length and transparency it is also very convenient to establish (bias) strips, basic waistbands, cuffs, and pockets. This ruler is available in various widths. Mine is 6 in/15 cm wide.

 Wide 12 in/30 cm or 14 in/35 cm clear ruler is used to mark and measure straight lines, mark parallel lines, pleats, tucks, and style lines. Transparency also helps you with establishing seam allowances on pattern pieces and marking the position of bound buttonholes and welt pockets. It is available in various widths as well. I think 4 in/10 cm wide is the most versatile.
As for clear rulers, Olfa Frosted Advantage line is my favourite. The rulers are made from durable acrylic plastic, are non-slip and the back side is frosted for clarity on both light and dark materials. Although I don't own any, Omnigrid rulers look like a good choice as well. Just make sure you check whether you're buying imperial or metric model.

Tailor's square – L square is an L shaped 90° angle ruler. Usually it is used to square off corners of pattern sections and draw perpendicular lines, levels (bust, waist, hip …), and reference points when patternmaking. It is also made to measure crotch depth on a model and to mark it on a pattern. Fairgate  and Lance produce quality rulers for designers if you're looking for one. I don't have a tailor's square yet and for some of the tasks a 6 in/15 cm wide clear ruler is a great substitute.



Regular 6 in/15 cm ruler comes in handy especially when larger rulers would be too big and clumsy. Use it to place grain lines or style lines on small pattern pieces and to mark and measure small garment pieces such as collars, pockets, cuffs etc.

Centre-finding ruler is a ruler with zero point at the centre and numbers increasing towards both ends of the ruler. Use it to find centres of pleats and darts, and to determine the placement of buttonholes and buttons or fasteners on double breasted garments. This ruler also helps you with measuring from the centre out to either edge.

Fairgate combines a regular ruler and centre-finding ruler, so you can buy one 6 in/15 cm centre-finding ruler instead of having to buy two separate.

I hope this helps you decide which straight ruler(s) you really need. Come back next Friday to read about curves!

Laura
http://my-little-nook.blogspot.com

Have discovered new rulers, readers? From the ones featured in Laura's post, I own 20x2 inch transparent ruler, and the L-ruler. Center finding ruler was a discovery for me, it can be a very practical tool, I can imagine. What rulers do you use in your sewing most frequently? 

Commenting for Wordpress users and Open ID restored

... hopefully!

Dear readers, thank you for letting me know that you were having problems commenting on my posts with Wordpress or Open ID. I have installed a widget that will allow you to post comments with Open ID - thanks, Tejaswini Dhavale, for a tip.  In addition, I enabled commenting for anyone. That means, however, that there may be more spam posted on the blog, so I had to switch to comment moderation.

Thanks to everyone for participating!
Marina

UPDATE on how to enable Wordpress/ Open ID comments:

There are two ways you can enable Wordpress comments again.  First one is by allowing comments to Anyone in your comment settings section, like on the form below. However, I would recommend to activate comment moderation if you want to avoid spam.

The one that I used is a widget by DISQUS.com. The DISQUS widget will disable your Blogger comments and will replace the original Blogger comment form with a disqus template. But no worries, they are all there - you will be able to see them on your Blogger dashboard. So, if you install disqus, make sure you import your existing comments through your disqus dashboard, otherwise you won't be able to view them. They will reappear on your blog within couple of hours, once the import has been completed. I must say, this is somewhat annoying, but at the end disqus comment form has somewhat more social template that gives you more options for interaction with and among the commenters. I hope this helps!