Chapter 13 - Fitting

No matter how well a dress is made, it will lose all its value if it does not fit its wearer properly. The first step in fitting is choice of a pattern of correct size, and one that is suitable in style for the wearer. The next step is proper alteration of the pattern to fit individual measurements. Ways of adjusting the pattern for different problems are described from pp. 59 to 72. Even careful choice of a pattern and accurate alteration do not completely eliminate fitting, for fit on paper does not mean that fabric will drape "just so" or conform to body lines perfectly.

There is definitely such a thing as fitting too much, being too critical, and forgetting that certain fullness may be part of the design. Don't fit yourself when you are in a tense mood, ready to pick on anything and everything. Approach fittings in a relaxed frame of mind and don't change things on the spur of the moment. Be methodical; move slowly. Be sure that the garment is well pressed before you try it on. If you have pressed as you sewed, there is little additional pressing necessary when it is time to fit the garment on.

It is important to analyze the reasons for whatever difficulties you find, such as wrinkles, pulling of fabric, bulges, etc. When you know what is causing the trouble, think about how to remedy it. Only when you are sure of yourself should you make a change. Make a careful note of what to do to change your next pattern to avoid a similar fitting problem. In general, it is a good idea to work from the shoulders down, because the weight of the garment hangs from the top. Look for each of the following details.

Shoulder line must be straight, smooth and becoming. It must not be too high or too low, nor must it extend out too far.

The waistline must be an even straight line following the natural waist curve. Too high a waistline is very uncomfortable for the wearer. Too low a waistline is unbecoming. The waist should be snug without being tight.

The center front and center back lines are perpendicular to the floor and conform to the center lines of the body.

The bust line appears smooth and has an easy fit. Gathers will fall in a straight line over the bust towards the waist, but will not slant towards the underarm seam.

The side seams hang straight down to the floor. The hips have a smooth and easy fit, never snug.

The sleeve hangs straight without twisting, no pulling up when the arm is bent.

The hem is straight and even. It is a good idea to let a dress hang for a while before putting up the hem. This is especially true of a garment cut on the bias.

When fitting, pin all openings together as they will be in the finished garment. Wear the dress over a proper foundation garment and with proper shoes. Don't wriggle around and don't stand stiff as a ramrod. Keep your body relaxed and in a natural position.

It is often easier to fit the bodice of a dress and the skirt separately, then join them together later. However, the new way of fitting garments is to finish the entire front, then the entire back, join them at the shoulders, and fit the sides on the body. The sleeves, at this point, are not yet in. Fit over the shoulder pads, for they can make a great deal of difference. Pin the side seams from waist to armscye, to get a smooth effect over the midriff and an easy fit over the bust. Then pin side seams from waist to several inches below the fullest part of the hips.

Remove the dress by leaving the pins on one side of the seam, that is, by pulling the pin out just far enough to release one side of the seam. Later the seam will be stitched using the same seam allowance on both sides. The seam allowance of the last pin below the hips will indicate the size of the seam down to the hem line. Turn the garment inside out and pin both edges together with the pins perpendicular to the edge, heads on the outside. Let the pins mark the stitching line for you, by having the space between the place where the pin goes into the material and the place where it comes out again very small. The stitching line goes right through the middle of this space.

The side seams are then stitched, the zipper inserted or placket applied, sleeves stitched into the armhole, the belt made. The garment is just about completed when you have the second fitting. There should be no further change necessary if you have followed all the rules. The hem line is marked at this time, with attention paid to the demands of fashion, modified by your own special needs and the principles of good proportion.

Darts, tucks, and gathering can all be utilized to shape garments and take up fullness. Use several small darts rather than one large one. Darts can be used at shoulders, around neck- lines, at underarms, at the waistline of bodice and skirt. Some of the more common problems of fitting are discussed below: Shoulder problems: Narrow shoulders cause too long a shoulder line. To remedy, slightly trim the top of the armhole, use larger shoulder pads, or dart shoulder seam. On the other hand, a too short shoulder line is caused by wide shoulders. Here, unless you can steal from the neckline or armhole seams, you must insert a piecing at the armhole or in the middle of the seam. This, of course, should be worked out to give a decorative effect.

Too square shoulders cause wrinkles from the shoulder tip to the center seams (A). To correct: rip the seam, lift it at the neck edge and slope it towards the tip (B). Letting out the shoulder seam at the armhole is another possible method (C).

Neckline problems: If the base of the neck is large or the shoulders slope excessively, there may be folds from the sides of the neck (A) towards the armhole. A change of shoulder pads sometimes helps. The shoulder seam may be let out at the base of the neck or it may be deepened near the armhole (B).

When there are wrinkles at the back of the neck, the back of the dress may be too tight, the neckline too high, or the shoulders fat or rounded (A). To correct: shorten and narrow the darts and tucks, or change the armhole seam by taking smaller seam allowance in the seam of the dress, but not changing the seam of the sleeve (B). The shoulder seam may also be changed, taking up more at the neck, less at the armhole.

If the garment is too wide at the chest, the neckline may bulge in the front. To remedy: gather the neckline (A), or rip the shoulder seams, smooth the extra fullness up and out into darts, tucks, gathers (B). Then refit the shoulders. The neckline may also bulge in the back if the neck is too large or the wearer is very round-shouldered. Slight fullness is eased in (see p. 32, 33); more is taken up into darts, tucks, and shirring (B). The back shoulder seam can be raised and darted if necessary. Sometimes the neck bulges because it has been stretched. It is a good idea when sewing to stay-stitch curved and bias lines with a line of machine stitching to prevent such stretching.

A thin neck and narrow shoulders may cause the neckline to be wide and low. The shoulder seams must then be deepened, the neckline darted, or the entire front lifted after the underarm and shoulder seams are ripped. A large neck or poor posture can cause too tight or too high a neckline. To correct: the neckline must be clipped into and the neck cut down, or the front shoulder seam may be let out.

Collar problems: The neckline seam may show because the collar is too long. The collar must be re-stitched to fit. Too long a collar or too large a neckline may cause the collar to stand away from the neck. Make the collar smaller or dart the neckline to make it smaller. If the collar rolls too high, the dress neckline is probably not as low as it should be, and must be trimmed down. Or, a larger seam for the collar and neckline may be stitched.

Bust problems: The most important thing is to get the crosswise grain accurate and parallel to the floor, with no diagonal wrinkles (A). If there is drawing across the bust, the bodice is probably too narrow, the bust very large, the figure overly erect, or the grain pulled out of line. If the bust does not fit, it is usually best to get a new pattern. To correct: let out the underarm seam to widen, or, if there is not a large enough seam, piece it (B). Changing the size and position of the underarm darts, or adding darts, may also be helpful. However, the bust measurements are basic to the pattern, and affect all other measurements.

Overly erect figures and prominent busts may cause wrinkles from the bust to the waistline at the underarm seam. The seam is let out on the front bodice shoulder to give more length over the bust, and the underarm seam, also only on the front bodice, is let out.

If the blouse sags below the bust in the front, it is due to a flat chest or round shoulders. The shoulder seams are ripped and the front bodice is raised. If there is sagging below the shoulder blades in the back, the figure is probably overerect or sway-back. Here the shoulder seams are ripped and the back raised.

Armscye and sleeve problems: Be very careful in cutting out the armscye, for a very tiny cut can completely change its size. If the underarm seam of a bodice sags below the armpit (A), the armhole is too large or the shoulders slant too much. The shoulder pad may be changed, the underarm seam deepened (B), or the shoulder seam deepened at the armhole.
 
If the sleeve puffs up at the top, the fullness of the sleeve cap is not well distributed, and must be adjusted. Or the cap may be too wide or high and the sleeve seam (not the armhole seam) must be deepened at the points of puffiness.

A slightly loose sleeve may have underarm seam taken in. A very loose sleeve, however, must be re-cut. If the sleeve twists, it may be in the wrong armhole and must be changed. Or, the grain may be incorrect, the elbow too tight, the shoulder bone too prominent, or the sleeve cap too full at either the front or back. Re-cut; shift poorly placed fullness; or let out elbow darts or underarm seam at the elbow.

Square shoulders, large arm muscles, or too short a sleeve cap, may cause wrinkles from the top of the sleeve to the underarm. The lower edge of the sleeve may stick out. To fix: rip out the armhole seam, and raise the sleeve in the armhole by hollowing out the sleeve until the crosswise grain of goods is straight at armhole level. A very slight difficulty of this type may be taken care of by letting out the top of the sleeve cap.

If the sleeve draws across the arm near the level of the armpit, the sleeve cap is too narrow, the armhole seam too wide or perhaps too high, or the upper arm is too large. The seams on the sides of the armhole must be let out, the sleeve raised and the top re-cut to get extra width. If the underarm seam is too small to be let out, a gusset may have to be inserted. (Seep. 226.)

Underarm wrinkles are caused by too narrow a blouse, tightness at the underarm seams and in the armhole, or a roll of flesh at the underarm and across the back (A). The underarm seam must be released to give more room across the bust (B).
 
Waistline problems: If the waistline is too loose, the pattern is probably large or the waistline poorly fitted. Gathers or side back darts are used for the excess. The bodice must be darted to match. Also the seams may be deepened. A very large skirt is best re-cut. If the waistline is tight, the seams have to be let out, and also the darts. If it is very tight, a gusset may be put in above and below the waist at the side seams.

If the lower skirt hem pokes out in the front, the cause is, believe it or not, that the blouse is too short (A). Raise the back of skirt to even out the grain lines, then redo the waistline seam (B). A short blouse will also cause the waistline to be too high. Often it is necessary to change the yoke seams (whenever there is a yoke) or to insert a set-in belt or other piecing.

Skirt problems: Crooked or puckered side seams (A) are due to poor sewing, crooked stitching, or tight tension. The seams must be re-stitched carefully (B).

If the skirt draws at the hips or rides up (C), the skirt is too small, and the seams must be let out. The skirt may also be raised at the waistline, fitted to the bodice, and the excess material removed (D).

When the back of the skirt is too long between the waist and the hips, the grain is dropped and the side seams of the skirt swing forward. To correct: the skirt is raised at the back waistline and the excess fullness darted. In a one-piece dress, without a waist seam, the garment must be raised at the shoulders.

If the skirt cups in at the seat, the skirt is too narrow, and the side seams must be released. Also raise the waistline. Cupping of seat of the skirt may be due to the fabric weave. This will happen more frequently with such fabrics as jersey and loosely woven woolens. To prevent this type of cupping, stitch a back panel of taffeta to the inside seams at the back of the skirt.

If pleats slant, instead of hanging down straight, check to see whether the waistline seam needs lifting at the top of the pleats, or whether the skirt is too narrow in the seat.

Crosswise fold across the back means that the skirt is tight at the hips or that the figure is sway-back. Raise the skirt at the waist.

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