My Perfect Sure-Fit Design Blue Print

If you read my last blog you know I was planning on working on the Sewing Workshop eShrug.  I did print out the pattern, taped it together and then drew it off on tissue paper.  I hate working with regular paper.  I always wind up with my hands cut up with paper cuts.  I am a paper cut wimp.  The only thing worse is pin rips in your hands.   One of these days I'll tell you about the tribulations of professional quilters!

I had also commented that because of the super boobage I panic when I try to combine a SFD Blue Print and a commercial pattern.  For me they are so different that I can't figure out how to work them into one pattern.  But Glenda, SFD's owner and designing magician encouraged me to just give it a try.  I decided it was a challenge so I set aside the eShrug to work with SFD. 

Now, I am very familiar with SFD.  Joy and I explored it a lot about three years ago.  But Joy has really worked with it a lot more than I have.  I tend to jump from pattern to pattern.  I have to do a lot of work on patterns to get them to fit me, so you would think that I would use a pattern multiple times once I get it to fit Nope, not me!  But recently, I discovered Louise Cuttings pattern line and I have been doing multiples of them because they seem to suit me so well.  The one thing I find with her patterns that I don't care for is that they are almost always over the shoulder and with my narrow shoulders, the shoulder is halfway to my elbow.

With Glenda's challenge to just do it.  I decided to re-make that pattern so the shoulders are where I want them.  Now, before you read the rest of this, please realize that I did not follow the instructions in the SFD book or video.  When you follow those instructions things work really well.  I promise they do.  I've just done it enough that I've started doing my own thing; not to mention when you don't read the instructions, you tend to forget the little things.  So any mistakes or problems I had are my own fault. Not SFD's

The first thing I had to do was make a new SFD Blue Print.  I've made a dozen of them, but it had been a while since I did one, so I whipped out my dress kit and my paper and made up a new one.  I remembered that the best fitting SFD that I ever did I used a 38 at the neck and shoulders; at the first armhole point I moved up to 40 and at the second armhole point I went to 42 and used that along the sides until I got to the waist.  So that is exactly what I did.  I pinned it together and checked the fit in the mirror.  Hmmmmm.......a problem, it didn't make it to the middle in the front.  Argh!  It needed an FBA!  I'm not supposed to need an FBA with SFD.  So, back to my cutting table to whip out another blue print.  This time I used the 42 all the way around until I got to the waist.  As I did this I realized that on the first one I had used the E cup instead of the F cup.  (Slapping my head. No wonder the first one didn't fit.)  So, I pinned the second one together.  Hmmmmm......., it still didn't quite meet the middle; still needed an FBA, but only an inch.  Back to the cutting table to add the extra inch.  Again, obviously, I'm not doing it right or I wouldn't need that extra FBA.  Now it met in the middle, but I had all this extra paper in the area above the bust. SFD is drawn to your measurements so it fits better than any pattern you can buy, but each body still has idiosyncrasies that you have to adjust for.  My body has lots of idiosyncrasies.  It comes from being sixty, bad posture, too many hours at the computer and sewing machine and carrying heavy purses and babies with one hip and shoulder. I have a round upper back, forward thrusting shoulders and I'm very narrow through the front, plus one shoulder is lower than the other.  That is above the waist; below the waist one word describes my body--short.

So, I took a marker and marked out all the extra that had to be removed in the front between the shoulders.  I noted the end of the shoulders needed to be moved forward an inch and I needed to add an inch for my round back.  So, I went back to my cutting table and did the third SFD.  Usually, I am not this persistent and would have just done the alterations in that second one.  OK, I would have done them to the first one and declared it good enough!  But I am tired of the shoulders never fitting in my tops, so I was determined to work out the problems and figure out what my problem is with shoulders, sleeves and armholes.  I started on the third one by marking the 38 and the 42 through the neck and the shoulder.  Then I laid the second BP on top and compared it with the changes that I knew it needed for my body.  I used the 38 at the neck, went to the 42 at the top of the shoulder and placed the end of the shoulder at 35.  The 35 accommodates the forward thrusting shoulder.  When I laid the pattern on top of the narrow chest I found that I needed to go to the 38 for the first number in the armhole and then went out to the 42 for the second number.  (Glenda, I'm sure your head is in your hands and you are wondering what I am doing to your beautiful system.  It is okay, I promise.There is nothing wrong with your system.  It is my body that is weird!)

For some reason, I picked up and actually read the instructions for those of us that need a bigger cup than the Adjust-a-Bust allows.  I was one of those that helped Glenda figure out what needed to be done.  I had already added an extension to my Adjust-a-Bust before she provided the instructions.  But as I read the instructions I found that my middle point on the AaB should be 2 1/2" from the one for the E cup instead of the inch that I had been using.  TaDa!  Didn't need the FBA anymore.  With that change, I was able to finish the front and move on to the back.

Oh, I forgot to say that I used the armhole template for the larger sizes between the two armhole points.  I liked the armhole that I got doing that better than using the design tool.

The back started with the 42 at the neck and the first shoulder point.  Then I added the 1" for the forward thrusting shoulder and found that I needed to use 48 for the 2nd shoulder point.  Coming down from there I used the 38 for the first armhole point and out to the 42 for the 2nd point.  I finished drawing the side and the vertical darts. I cut it out and did the round back alteration.  I pinned it together, tried it on and looked in the mirror.

IT WAS PERFECT!!!!!  It fit through the bust without any extra paper in the upper chest.  The shoulder seam was exactly on my shoulder and the neckline at the back set exactly where I needed it.  I was so happy!  I've never had any pattern fit me that perfectly before.  Of course, I still have to set the sleeve into it and see how it fits, but I have two inches of ease and I measured the armhole and the sleeve cap and found that the sleeve cap is 1 inch bigger than the armhole, which I believe is just right.  So, I am thinking it should be good.

I then drew off a blouse to try out the new pattern.  I have it cut out.  I kept the parts of the CLD's ABO that I liked but eliminated a lot of the extra ease (11" through the bust).  Hopefully, I can sew it up tomorrow and have a picture or two to add to the blog instead just my boring writing.

Happy Sewing Everyone!
Hugs, Phylly