Fit Facts There are a lot of fit myths out there, We cringe when we hear such adamant statements as “X pattern company fits better than all the others.” The only way that could be true is if all bodies were identical. Marta and Pati have taught hands- on fit for over 25 years and have used patterns from all companies successfully. Pati has also had the unique opportunity of working behind the scenes with pattern companies since 1975. That was the year Vogue/Butterick licensed her and Susan Pletsch as the first sewing experts to design fashion patterns. They started by creating new Vogue dress-fit and pant-fit patterns using their “outlet” concept. In 1980 McCall’s allowed the pair to suggest fit tips and write entire guidesheets, including both sewing and fit informa- tion. Later Pati was allowed to add markings to the tissue that simplified fitting. See the new McCall's “Fit For Real People” patterns, With their over 25 years of working closely with the industry, Marta and Pati can share these fit facts Pattern companies design from a sloper or “staple,’ a tagboard master pattern WITHOUT seam allowances. They match standard body measurements, plus minimum ease of approxi- mately 243" | in the bust, 1" inthe waist, and 2” in the hip. slopers hanging irom a corresponding ressform at The ‘McCall Pattern Company 20 Because you can't try on a pattern to check fit before you buy it, patiern companies have standardized their sizing, The bust, waist, and hip measurements are the same for McCall’, Butterick, Vogue, and Simplicity patterns. Changes in body measurements are made only when these companies agree. See page 15 in Chapter 2, "A History of Sizing.” @ All patterns, European and American, are more similar than different. Marta sewed the basic bodices shown in the photos on the opposite page. We tried them on the same model the same day, Even though European body measurements are slightly different, sce how similarly they fit See page 249 for actual tissue comparison. The model's high right shoulder creates the same wrinkles above the bustline in all six bodices: Forget any minor differences in fit. They are SO minor, they are not worth mentioning, ® Once you have altered a basic pattern, you have a “body map" to altering the most fitted design you could ever sew! See Chapter 9, “Make a Body Map.” The need for alterations depends on the pattern design. Fitted patterns require more alterations than fuller designs. J) UL A fitted style may need An oversized style on the full bust and square same person may only shoulder alterations. need the square shoulder alteration, “OS © Some alterations are necessary in nearly all designs, Round and sway back and forward shoulders are examples.Living Proof that These bodices were sewn in the same fabric using the same size basic Brands Fit bodice pattems from six pattern companies. Their fit is more SIMILAR than . DIFFERENT. We photographed them all on Catherine the same day, and the he Same wrinkle pointing to her high right shoulder shows up in all the photos. Vogue Butterick McCalls | simplicity A UUUUUTCULTTEVLELTLILETT SUIT SST TTT Tee >@ Pattern companies allow minimum ease for comfort and movement in garments sewn from woven fabrics, but there are no standards for design ease. Even descriptions such as “loose fitting” give a range of case. Fashion is an art, not a science. It continually changes, so pattern design ease does too. ‘Minimum Ease Design Ease Bust: 2 Up to the Waist: 1” designer Hip: 1%" Length of patterns is based on a height of 5°5"-5'6" However, don't assume you are short-waisted if you are 5°2"; all of your “shortness” may be in your legs. See Chapter | 6, “Special Sizes.” | A _ , |- . v short petite Le Short vs Petite: Sharon and Kathy are both about 5 feet tall. Sharon, on the left, is long in the body and short in the legs. She wears a Misses’ size Without shortening the waist length. Kathy is a “ue petite.” She is proportionately shorter throughout her body, both above and below the bust and waist as well as in her legs. She will need to shorten the waist length in a Misses" pattern 22 © Pattern grading is based on an hourglass shape, regardless of size. It is possible for any size to have an hourglass figure. After doing body graphs (Chapter 8, “Analyze Your Body") on dozens of people, we have found that most women are a variation of the hourglass. They may be slightly thicker in the middle or fuller in the hips, so they are not a “perfect” hourglass, iG © Pattern companies test patterns on a 5'5”-5'6,! size 10 fit model who must be exactly a size 10 according to the measurement chart. | @ The fit model must be youthful, A mature figure may have a 34¥2" hip measurement, but more of it will be in the front and less in the back than on a 20-year-old. Youthful Body Mature Body higher, ta ‘ull dere tummy tummy | lower derriere The measurements are the same in the waist and the hip for both figures.© The more seams you have, the easier itis to alter. This is especially true in fitted garments. You can adjust a seam exactly WHERE the adjustment is needed. For example: s ® Places to Adjust: Bust Waist Tummy p Broad or narrow ® back ® ® Sway or flat oe Full or flat derriere Patterns sold by small (8-10), medium (12-14) and large (16-18) are cut for the larger of the two sizes. Keep this in mind when you are making your size decision. + Patterns are designed for a B-cup bra size. Ii the fulle-busted figure shown below used her bust measurement to buy her size, she'd buy an 18. would be huge in the shoulders and neckline. When she uses her high bust measurement {page 24), she determines that she is actually a size 10. After making a full bust adjustment to the size 10 pattern, the jacket fits perfectly. size 10 jacket altered for full bust size 18 jacket Don’t Let Ready-To-Wear Be Your Size Guide Ready-to-wear does not have to follow size standards. Why? Simply because you can TRY ON BEFORE YOU BUY! In fact, ready-to-wear ‘manufacturers can call a garment any size they want, Read about how ready-mades differ from patterns, beginning on page 14 Pattern companies still use the same sizing, measurements today that were last revised in 1972. Thank goodness! That way we always know which size to buy and which alterations to make. We simply tissue-fit to see if we like the “fashion ease” that has been added to a pattern. I'S EASY! We thank the pattern com- panies for adhering to standards. See page 15. Why can’t ready-to-wear be like patterns and stay put? Some mail-order houses would like to see body measurements on the hang tags instead oi, or along with, the meaningless size number. When sewing, you can go by body measurements and IGNORE SIZE once you've purchased your pattern!