October 9, 2013

I'VE SWITCHED PATTERN SIZES..

...  every now and then I learn am taught something new.  That's one of the things I like about myself - I love learning and never tire of it.  A couple of months ago during one of our sewing conversations, Cecil mentioned that she thought I might be using the wrong pattern size through the shoulder and bust area.  She pointed out some information in Nancy Zieman's book "Fitting Finesse" that shows how to choose the correct pattern size for the shoulder and bust area.  Of course the book was already on my bookshelf. 

Information found on page 9

So I switched pattern sizes  - from size 16 to size 14 (when sewing knits).  I must admit t that I think I'm getting a much better fit.  Just goes to show you me what a wealth of information we I already have at my fingertips that I'm not taking full advantage of.  Shame on me!  Thank you Cecil for pointing this information out to me!   It's made a world of difference in the way my knits fit and look.   Now I've got to give it a try with woven garments...

29 comments:

  1. Nancy is a fitting goddess. She is the one who finally got me to make clothes that fit. I know you will love her techniques, Faye. Glad you found her book. That book is priceless.

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  2. I use Nancy's method of choosing sizes for both my daughter and me with good results. I have to add width through the body for me, but it's great not having to alter the whole shoulder/neck/upper chest area.

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    1. I have to add width through the body of the garment as well Angela. But it so good not to have to worry about the shoulder/neck and upper chest areas.

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  3. Whoops, not sure if I sent a half done comment. I use some of Nancy Zieman's ideas, but also a lot of others as well. Certainly the Big 4 are all far too large in the shoulder area, and the pants always too large in the leg, as Nancy points out in one of the books I own.

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    1. You are so right Sarah, there's a wealth of information on fit available to us.

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  4. I don't know Nancy's ideas but I will look her up to see if she can help me into a better fit :) Thanks for the tip.

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    1. I'm sure that Nancy's tips will be very helpful Shelly!

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  5. Using Nancy's method you will get a great fit in the shoulder and neck area. It's very difficult to alter that area and get a good fit.

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    1. You are so right Alethia it's next to impossible to make adjustments to the shoulders and neck areas.

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  6. Thanks for sharing this info.. I am ashamed to say... I have this book, I bought it on ebay a long time ago.. I glanced at the pages, and never read it.. But, I am fixing to go get it out and READ it.. ha
    thanks for sharing.

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  7. You know, I have books that probably have great info that I "forget" to use, too. Don't we all? I don't have this one though.

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    1. I am ashamed of not using the resources that I have on hand.

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  8. Sometimes using the smaller size fixes many problems for me! Congrats on getting a better fit (honestly the fit of all your garments seems great!)

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    1. Yep Kyle, there's nothing better than getting a good fit through the neck and shoulders.

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  9. I am so so so glad that I came across your blog post. I'm on a mission to learn how to fit my daughter and myself for tops. I'm doing the "Adjust the bust" class on Craftsy and think it is a good class on how to move bust darts. Trouble is that every time that I try to do the standard "pick your starting size based on your high bust measurement +2 ( for big 4 patterns), I end up with a garment too big in the neck and across the shoulders. I think our library has this book, so I am going to give it a try. I'm glad to hear about your progress.

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    1. Becky I'm so glad that this post helped you. Hope you can find the book in your library - I promise it works (at least for knits) because I've tried it numerous times. Please let me know how it works out for you.

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  10. Hooray for getting a pointer from a blog friend! Double hooray for it working out well! Hope you're having a nice October.

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    1. Thanks Marjie. Yes, October got off to a great start - I just got back home from a weeks vacation!

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  11. Love that book! My clothes actually fit with that book.

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  12. I've been afraid to use Nancy's method of selecting sizes. Know you had success with it makes me more likely to try it (eventually(.

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    1. I know what you mean. Trying new sizing is a bit scary, but I'm glad I went ahead and gave it a try. I saw you talk about this book a while ago too.

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  13. I have that book and haven't used it much although I should try Nancy's alterations method ..Because I have narrow shoulders, I've used size 12 forever ,(Since the days when size 10 was a perfect fit came to an end. Oh I miss that body, Lol) inspite of my 37' bust. I do an Fba and the rest of the areas fit quite well. I do sometimes have to add to the side seams. So glad to hear of your success . I'm going to get my book out right now and have another look. I'm now giving sewing lessons and am trying to help my students alter their patterns, This book might help. Thanks Faye!

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    1. Hope it helps you and your students Diana. I know, I miss my old body too, never knew I would.

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  14. That's great Ms. Faye!...going down a size for knits works well for just about everything. Skirts, pants, tops and dresses. I do it all the time and just assumed everyone did...I guess you really can't assume some things!!! I also use to love watching the "Sewing With Nancy" TV series on PBS back in the day! I saw it a lot more when I was back home...she's in Wisconsin which is where I'm originally from. Great post...I'm sure it will help someone else too!

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    1. I bet you miss the colder seasons Myra. Nope, I'm just getting around to trying small sizing - it was a bit scary for me.

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  15. I just love Nancy and her books and the tips she shares. And like you I love learning new things all the time. It's amazing the little things that we learn that can make such a big difference.

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