Bigger Does Not Always Mean Bigger

That’s not a typo; you read it correctly.

What pattern drafting knowledge I possess has come to me mostly from fitting myself and from grading knitting patterns. Neither of those methods has been perfect or comprehensive. I do know a few basic principles, though. One of them is that garments do not/should not get proportionally larger when a body gets larger. Certain sections may change at a faster or slower rate than others. (Calculus, anyone?) That variation makes pattern drafting more of an art and less of a science. It’s why you’ll often hear women complain that if they buy (or make) a top that fits their bust measurement, the shoulders are way too large. For sewists, that means choosing a pattern based on their smaller high bust measurement and doing a full bust adjustment (FBA) on the bodice.

And then there are situations where even that doesn’t help.

Yesterday’s task was to make a muslin of the Itch to Stitch Iguazu top. I went into the stash and pulled out a navy blue lightweight rayon French terry which came from the Walmart remnant rack. Even though it was a French terry, the weight was similar to that of a beefy rayon spandex. I read through the instructions, which specified to choose a size based on the full bust measurement and use either the regular bust or full bust pattern pieces, depending on the difference in measurement between the high bust and full bust. Nothing odd there—that is the standard method for determining if a full bust adjustment is necessary. In this case, the full bust adjustment had been provided in the form of an alternative pattern piece.

I traced my size, lengthened it appropriately, cut out the pieces, and ran up the muslin. This is an easy sew, with only half a dozen seams. I did most of it on the serger. And then I put it on.

The top fit well in the bust. However, the cowl style is almost that of a boat neck, and the upper bodice was swimming on me. My bra straps were showing, and if I leaned over, the whole world would get a good look at the rest of it.

Is this a drafting problem? Yes and no. I am trying to be gracious to the designer and to the pattern drafter, because two women could have the same full bust circumference but have very different body shapes, and this is a conundrum I don’t know how to solve. One might carry a lot of extra weight in her arms and shoulders whereas the other doesn’t (think Dolly Parton).

And the fact that this is a top with a self-facing complicates the issue. I took a good hard look at the way the top sat on my body while I contemplated how to fix it. In the end, I added about an inch to the length of the shoulder seam on both the front and the back pattern pieces to bring the neckline in closer to my neck. I made a second muslin:

(My dress form lists to one side. The husband has tried to fix that for me to no avail.)

I am much, much happier with this one. The upper bodice now fits my shoulders well. The front of the cowl doesn’t gape. The cowl drapes a bit differently, but that seems minor to me. It’s a cowl.

[It does beg the question of why most cowl neck patterns seem to be in the form of boat neck styles? The Easton Cowl Tee is very similar. What am I missing?]

This is a wearable muslin. I may make one more iteration, though. The pattern, as presented, has waist shaping. That is problematic for me. I have a defined waist, but I am so short-waisted and have such a high hip curve that my waist comes in and goes right back out again. Tops that follow that line look bizarre on me and also make my bust look even bigger than it is. (Think sausage tied in the middle. I don’t wear belts, either.) I do much better with a silhouette that flares out gently from below the bust, even though I run the risk of it looking like a maternity top. I may eliminate the waist shaping on this pattern and make another version to see what I think. I may also play around with the front facing and make it slightly less deep.

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This is a long post, sorry. I have lots to say about fitting today.

Back in October, I was shopping in the Liz Claiborne department at JC Penney. (God bless the Liz Claiborne label because their clothes almost always fit me well.) I pulled a dress off the rack and decided to try it on even though I have a lot of problems finding dresses that fit (see sausage comment, above).

I bought the dress because it looked so flattering on me. I haven’t worn it yet because it’s more of a spring/summer style. It basically looks like Simplicity 8875:

I usually avoid empire-style dresses because of the full bust issue—that empire line sits on top of my bust instead of underneath, where it is supposed to sit. I thought I could probably puzzle out how to do an FBA on the pattern, but now I don’t have to! Whitney, at TomKat Stitchery, did a video a few years ago showing exactly how to make an FBA on this pattern. So this one is getting added to the queue. I think 2026 may end up being the year of the dress.

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And lastly, for those of you who may be wondering (coughSarahcough), the barn spider is still living in the corner of my kitchen above the hall tree. I feel an obligation to this poor creature as it has been there for four months now. I am determined to keep it alive until the spring when it can go live outside again. Fortunately, a fly or two shows up every week to provide sustenance.