I have a lot to say on this topic, because for me, fitting is the reason I sew.
For years I lived in clothes that had two excess inches of length on the sleeve and leg. The waist was always too low, the shoulders were always too tight, and the armpits pinched at the front. I am a size US 4 / UK 10, and yet only a few of the proportions fit me correctly. I eventually started noticing that I only purchased clothes in knit/jersey fabric that would give more ease in these areas. I literally cannot buy clothes made of woven fabric in stores. I have to go a size up, and the clothes drape wrong. They drag me down, and make me look old and generally unattractive.
As I grew out of my teenage/early adult body, I found that the High St was not working for me anymore. Through sewing, I can correct all of these issues with simple alterations. You can find the alterations that work for your body, too.
Here is a list of alterations I make to almost every pattern, and where I learned how to do it:
For years I lived in clothes that had two excess inches of length on the sleeve and leg. The waist was always too low, the shoulders were always too tight, and the armpits pinched at the front. I am a size US 4 / UK 10, and yet only a few of the proportions fit me correctly. I eventually started noticing that I only purchased clothes in knit/jersey fabric that would give more ease in these areas. I literally cannot buy clothes made of woven fabric in stores. I have to go a size up, and the clothes drape wrong. They drag me down, and make me look old and generally unattractive.
As I grew out of my teenage/early adult body, I found that the High St was not working for me anymore. Through sewing, I can correct all of these issues with simple alterations. You can find the alterations that work for your body, too.
Here is a list of alterations I make to almost every pattern, and where I learned how to do it:
- Armpit: I cut a banana-shaped wedge off the front of the armpit in every pattern. At first, I was hesitant to do this with patterns with sleeves, however, I've found it doesn't change the length of the curve enough to dramatically alter the poufiness of the sleeve. Et Voila: No More Sleeve Pinch
- Sleeve Caps: Have you ever gone to hug someone and found that your jacket/shirt felt like a straightjacket and you might rip the back seam? (I have ripped the back seam on quite a few jackets!). Like me, you probably have wide shoulders. There are other alterations for wide shoulders, but one of the cleverest I've ever learned is to make the sleeve cap look more like a gentle hill and less like a steep mountain. The steeper the curve, the lower the angle on the sleeve relative to bodice, and the more your garment will feel like a straightjacket. To fix this, bring up the sides rather than bringing down the peak of the hill, so that you keep the curve/seam length relatively the same. I promise to make drawings of what I mean. In the meantime read Life in the Shoe's post about it. This lady is a genius. No more straightjacket effect.
- Wide shoulders: Across the top of my back, I'm the width of a linebacker thanks to doing gymnastics, and having dodgy genes. On most patterns I make slits in the shoulders to add width. I learned this from Colette and it's best to go straight to the source to check this alteration out.
- Hems: I'm nearly a "little person" at 5'2", and I almost always take four inches off the hem of everything. I do that before cutting because I learned it's a complete waste of fabric to do it after. On skirts and dresses, It's best to fold the pattern piece rather than just stop cutting early, so you keep the right width of the bottom seam. (This is important so you can walk in the skirt, I have learned!) Another tip: I find it's useful to memorize the length of skirt hem from waist to knee that looks most attractive on you, so you can always aim to get the garment exactly where it's most flattering. On me this measurement is 19".
- Bust darts: As a B cup, many times I have to shorten bust darts so that they stop 2" before the peak of my breast rather than right on top, which would give you a Madonna pointy boob thing. I find that a lot of patterns are sized for a C cup.
- Pockets: I add 'em to everything. A garment isn't worth wearing if it doesn't have pockets, in my opinion! Sometimes with side-zip skirts I just add one pocket on the opposite side. The Washi dress pattern is a great way to learn how pockets should be added.