Dear Gabby,
Can you share some of your biggest Fitting Faux Pas? I’m always worried about over-fitting, and I need help to figure out what are things that I definitely need to fix, and what I can let go and call good, to fix next time.
Sincerely, Fittingly Flustered
Dear Fittingly Flustered,
I’m so happy you ask! I have worked in ready-to-wear apparel manufacturing for years, and the whole industry is about fitting to the law of averages. We regularly ask ourselves in fittings, knowing we only have a few fit samples to get something right due to time and budget, what are the major issues β what is it most important to get right? Sometimes, working in a fashion category, we might only have one sample, because we are trying to get that all-elusive “speed-to-market”. If you’re working with a factory, you are sending information to people for whom English might be their second language, or even their third β so being able to communicate an issue clearly, and prioritize what is most important, is key. Sending a list of 100 points that need to be fixed is the easiest way to make sure that they won’t pay attention to any of it.
So how does this translate to sewing for yourself? It’s the same principle. If you are fitting a muslin, and make a list for yourself of 100 things that need to be fixed, you’ll probably soldier through some of it, but you may end up giving up in frustration. Patternmaking is one area where one tiny pattern change can affect several other things on your eventual garment β if you keep making changes, you may end up with a garment that isn’t what you had in mind at all, and the process can start to seem endless.
My advice? Make a list of the top 5 things. You can make a note of anything else, but for the sake of your sanity, keep it simple and achievable. You want to keep sewing and being productive β don’t let a troublesome style get the better of you!
So! What are my top list items that always need to be addressed?
- Anything that is on the top third of the garment. You’ll want to pay attention to what frames your face: when you speak to people, their attention will be focused on your eyes and face, so anything out of sorts on the upper part of the garment will grab their attention away. Remember, you want to wear the garment, and not the other way around.
- Anything that causes immobility. For example, if your armhole is too low and your sleeve cap is too long, you will have problems raising your arms. This is something that definitely will need to be addressed, unless you are planning on standing like a column for the entire time you’re wearing your garment π
- Balance. If you are wearing a dress that keeps falling backwards, and you keep having to tug it forward, that should be fixed. If you are wearing trousers that are too high at your waist and crash at your back thighs, that needs to be fixed. You want your garments to be comfortable, and you should be able to wear them without fussing at them the whole time.
And alternately, what do I think you can let go?
- Small draglines. It’s unreasonable to expect that you will be making perfection every time, and sometimes you’ll need room for movement and won’t be able to achieve a totally smooth visual. An example? A raglan sleeve when you have your arm down: you should expect to have folds coming from the underarm. When you raise your arm, however, if the sleeve and shoulder lay flat and smooth with minimal drags, you can move your arm, and it’s not too tight at the shoulder? Let it go!
- Flat front crotches. If you don’t have a CT (our RTW abbreviation for… well… rhymes with Schmamel Boe), and you can walk around without too much pulling at your front thighs, leave it alone. Crotch curves can be heinously tedious to perfect, and if you have something that looks passably good, even it it’s not perfect… Let it go!
- Swayback adjustments. Yes, they are good. But sometimes, the issue isn’t just that you have a shorter curved back β sometimes, the issue is that you need more width over your hips to help the garment relax. If you keep making the same adjustment, but it’s not solving the problem… Let it go!
As with all of the above, if what you’re doing isn’t working (“I did three full-bust adjustments and I’m still seeing XYZ problem!”) then try something else. Chances are very good that you’re overfitting a symptom, and not the disease. Evaluate the garment, ask a pro for advice, check a fitting book. If you still can’t get it, then it’s time to get down to brass tacks. You may be overfitting and it may just be time to… say it with me… Let It Go!
That said, what are the Fitting Faux Pas I see when I walk down the street that make me gnash my teeth?
- Gapping chest buttons β nooooooooo!
- Vents and welt pockets that are still tacked or basted closed β ackkkkk!!!! (I used to fantasize about carrying snips with me to catch people when I walked behind them…)
- Strap points on woven tank tops that are too tight and close together β the strap point and straps should begin and end at the same place a bra does. Otherwise this looks so awkward and uncomfortable!
- Jeans that are too tight! The leg has small tight rolls at the back thigh, there’s definitely mono-butt, and the jeans pull down when the wearer walks!!! Auughhhhhhh…
How to submit:
Email gabby@starislandxo.com.
Send an explanation of your problem with a short video or set of photos, and your contact information. Your submission will be edited into a blog post, so please note that by sending an email, you are granting permission for your video/photos and sewing problem to be shared online. You are helping the community see all-bodied individuals! There is no shame or judgment β the end goal is to help you *make* clothing that feels great and that helps you *feel* the same way while wearing it.
See more here.
xo gabby
Gabby is a technical fashion designer, fit specialist, and prolific googler. She lives in Denver, raises tiny littles, reads, embroiders, makes, experiments, fails, learns, tries again. See her on instagram @ladygrift.
Am I overfitting?
If you are asking, the answer is yes.
However, Gabby’s advice is great
Although< i would like to take issue with her Big 4
Actually, #2 "unsnipped" vents and welts: If it is not visible basting,not a problem for me. I frequently baste mine invisibly with a ladder stitch and then sometimes leave my pockets basted closed until I need them. You would have to look really close to know that it was thread keeping it closed and not impeccable fit and line
#3 I am one of those people who has her tank top straps too close (I will even move ready to wear straps closer)
It is more comfortable …for me
#1 the button thing is why we sew…sew better
#4 Having teenagers, it's a look
Excellent clarification- if you are leaving invisible basting to keep a pocket from sagging open, I totally get that. It’s more the giant X tacks that hold back vents that make me wish I had scissors… thanks for reading! π
I laughed at Fitting Faux Pas #2 – if only because I have the same uncontrollable urge to snip away those tailor tacks on vents that most people don’t realize are supposed to be removed! Let’s agree to definitely NOT carry small scissors around with us in public so we can’t give in to temptation. π
π π π good idea…
Great post. Wise advice
thank you! π
Hi Gabby. In things to fix #3, could you explain what you mean by “crash” at your back thighs. Thanks.
Hi! What I mean by crashing is: if the front of the pant lays smooth over the leg, and the back of the leg below the buttock is rippled and folded and it looks like it is collapsing. *That* is “crashing”- you’ll see the same thing at the back waist, if a swayback adjustment is needed, and the hip width is already correct- the fabric will look like it’s just kind of falling and crashing and folding down. Crashing is an industry term that means the fabric doesn’t have enough pull to hold it up over a curve and smoothly below- thank you for asking! It’s very easy to get caught up in jargon π
I too cannot avert my eyes from tacked vents being worn on the street! I worked in a clothing chain some years ago as floor manager and a person wanted a discount as the tack stitch on the back vent was coming undone (kid you not!) I advised it was supposed to come out and explained it was part of the manufacturing process and was better taken out for wearing (as respectfully as I could). Customer did not believe me and insisted she wanted it – so I offered to stitch it back in place so she could buy coat at full price (thanks to needle in my purse, and she did) I had hoped by the time she got home she would have figured the vent stitch had to be removed but as I see so many still left in, I somehow doubt it!!
OMG!!!! good for you– that needle saved a sale! how funny π π
Hi from England. Thank you for doing these videos, they are so helpful.
I’m so glad you are enjoying them- thanks for reading! π
You’re right, overfitting is quite a thing. People will redraft a pattern from scratch to address some minor drag lines. Or buy a pattern with a stated style different from what they are used to and then force it to ‘fit’ like their other ones.
Best advice I got was from a Sandra Betzina workshop: your body is more standard than you think. If you are doing more than a couple adjustments, go back to square one and think carefully about what you really should address. Then just do that.
Agree with you too about how most swayback adjustments out there are merely missing butt room π
Yes – I think there’s definitely confusion around the difference between proper fit and design styling, especially with the rise of the oversized blocky dress / top trend that’s happening all over Instagram right now.
That’s excellent advice! Fitting is not really that hard, it’s more about proportion -and you’re exactly right- butt room π
OMG – all of those things that drive you nuts drive me nuts too! The button at the boob pulling is the absolutely most egregious.
I probably should have read this whilst in the middle of wedding dress fitting hell… I ended up giving up on making my dress because I could see fitting errors EVERYWHERE and I didn’t know when to stop trying to correct.
Oh no!! Thatβs a toughy- you would obviously want your wedding dress to be as perfect as possible. Hopefully you ended up with a dress just as special as the one you were making! And maybe you can go back to the dress when youβve had some time away and repurpose it π
[…] your pattern: Maybe you don’t need to at all, hooray! If you do, try not to overfit. I pick the most glaring issues and fix them in order of how bad they areβand no more than 5 at a […]