COMMON FITTING

Shoulders

Should appear smooth and feel comfortable. Seam should lie on top of the shoulder. In regular styles the arm syce seam should fall on edge of the wearers shoulder. The shoulders of the garment should be wide enough so that the sleeves hang smoothly. If the shoulders are too narrow, the sleeves will pull across the upper arm and cause wrinkles. If fashion trends require the shoulders to be narrow or wider the pattern still should allow sufficient movement. The shoulder slope of the garment should match the shoulder slope of the wearer

Neckline

necklines should be large enough to fit without pulling or chafing but not so large that it doesn’t lie flat against the body in front and back. The front of the basic neckline should always be lower than that of the back.

Bust/Chest

if the garment is too small, the seams or closures are at the centre front or back are going to pull and gape open. A larger bust or highly developed chest often causes the button closure to gape open at centre front or back, also the garment may ride up because the larger bust curves takes up more length. A well-fitted dart always points towards the fullest part of the of the body curve it is intended to fit. The tip of the dart should end about an inch before the fullest part of the curve. Darts that are too short or darts that extend beyond the fullest part of the curve result in a bubble at the dart tip. Darts occurring anywhere in the garment follow the same principle. The practise of eliminating darts to speed construction creates diagonal wrinkles on the bodice front.Collar

the most important factor in the fit of the collar is the neck circumference. The circumference of the collar should be at least 1/4 th of an inch bigger than that of the neckline or just large enough for one to insert two fingers between the neck and collar. A properly fitted collar should be smooth and stays in place when the wearer moves. It should not be so tight that it pulls. A tight collar is uncomfortable and makes the neck look large. But neither should it be so loose that it gapes.Armsyces

must fit well for the garment to be comfortable and attractive. The circumference of the arm syce should be large enough so they do not pull at the front and back of the garment, but not so large that it gapes. In well-fit armsyces, the base of the arm syce is cut close to the armpit, but not so close to the armpit that it bites into the armpit. It should be cut about an inch below the armpit. This provides adequate comfort, room for movement, and close fit without wrinkles in the armsyce area. If the armsyces are too tight they are snug and uncomfortable . Armsyces in the front should be more deeply cut than at the back as most of the movements are in the front.Sleeves

that fit well are attractive and comfortable. The circumference of the basic sleeve should be loose enough so that it does not bind nor has wrinkles horizontally around the arm. A tight sleeve apart from being uncomfortable makes normal arm movements impossible. Sleeves can be as loose as one wants but only problem would be to wear the garment under a fitted jacket. A well-set jacket sleeve hangs with a slight angle towards the front. The crosswise grain at the bicep should lie parallel to the floor.Waistline

fit is essential for comfort. The waistline of the garment should not be so tight that it binds and rolls. It should have plenty of room for breathing and eating and it should return to its position after the arms are raised or lowered. It should not be so loose that it stands away from the body, droops, or adds bulk when a top or shirt is tucked in or worn under another garment. The narrowest part of the garment should fall at the wearer’s waist. If there are buttons at the waist the garment should not pull or strain at the closure. A jacket should be big enough at the waist so that a person can sit even when it is buttoned.

Hips

the fit of the hip area is critical when fitting skirts or trousers. If there is adequate room in the hip area other parts of the garment can easily be altered to fit. Garments with enough room in the hip, thigh and abdomen area fit smoothly without pulling, wrinkling or riding up. Pocket, pleats or vents that open up indicate that garment is tight in the hip or abdomen area. If the garment has excess ease in hip or thi gh area it will result in vertic al folds.Crotch/seat

trousers and other bifurcated garments require a well-fitted crotch for comfort or durability. A properly fitted crotch doesn’t cut or bind the wearer between the legs and conforms to the shape of the buttocks. There should be slight but not excessive ease in the crotch area. Crotch length generally has one inch of ease in the crotch area. The back of the crotch seam should be longer and more deeply curved than the front as the backside of the buttocks are more curved than the front. Bigger sizes require longer and deeper curved crotch lengths at the back. Diagonal wrinkles radiating from the crotch area are the result of, crotch curve not longenough to accommodate the size of the buttocks. Diagonal wrinkles in the front may also be due to the wearer’s big abdomen. Wrinkles emanating upward from the crotch area indicate a too tight and high crotch, resulting in chafing and discomfort. Wrinkles emanating downwards from the crotch area indicate a low and loose crotch; it bags and sags, restricts walking and has increased probability of ripping from strain of movement. If the rise may be lengthened or shortened, the waistband should also be raised or lowered. Rise should not be lengthened or shortened in the crotch length as the same may lead to problems where none existed.

Another important rule of the fitting apart from knowing how to fit is when not to fit. Clothes must not only fit but need to flatter as well. There is absolutely no need to fit a garment so close to the body that it looks bad, also there is no need to stick to the design if it does not flatter the body. The real expertise lies in the fact that one is able to stri ke a balance between the lines of the design and the lines of the figure. The ability to do this is a skill that one learns by training the eye to see and judge as to what flatters the body. Fitting is like sculpturing it creates a three dimensional form. Another question that is frequently asked is how many times one should fit; the answer to this is as many times as it takes to fit well.Why and how to fit?

Mathematical calculations and pattern corrections alone cannot guarantee the fine fit of the garment. They can only provide an approximation of ones figure needs.

The other points to be considered are:

The style of the garment whether it suits oneself or not.

The necessary and sufficient ease in the garment.

The posture and the individual shape of the wearer.

These can truly be evaluated only on a fabric test fit. Since only minor changes can be made once the garment has been cut on the fabric. Hence a test fit can save lot of wastage. There are times when test fit is not necessary, those are when one is sure of the style, know from experience how to adjust the pattern, have sufficient material to recut if necessary and have sufficient seam allowances to borrow in emergencies. But if one has any doubts whatsoever, then test fitting is a must.

Commonly used test material is muslin, bleached or unbleached, should be used in a similar weight to that of the final fabric. Any other solid coloured plain weave fabric like poplin in a similar weight to final fabric would do. A plain surface is recommended as this clearly shows all seams, darts and other style details. Layout the pattern cut and mark your test fit fabric with equal amount of care as you would your final garment fabric. Put the trial muslin together. The quickest way to get the effect of the finished garment without actual stitching is to overlap and pin all the seams lines. Pinning gives the same result and information, that one wants without going to the machine. It is so much faster and easier to unpin and then re-pin than to rip stitching and re-stitching.

Pins should be placed at right angle to the seam line, as in this method there is least amount of strain or pull on the seam, and it does not gape. When test-fitting trousers remember to baste stitch the crotch seam. Check the test fit muslin and make correction till fully satisfied. Mark all the corrections and the same should be transferred on the pattern for it is the paper pattern that one should use to cut the final fabric and not the test fit muslin.

Mark new notches as the old ones may not hold good after the alterations. Check the lengths of two matching seams to ensure that the alterations have not created more problems, e.g. if you have corrected the dart intake of side seam dart in the front, check to ensure that both the side seams are still equal or not and if required make the necessary changes.