Fitopedia!

Last year, I interviewed Saremy Duffy on the podcast. We had such a great conversation! Saremy has had a long and fascinating career in the world of sewing and textiles. She started out as a patternmaker, launched her own business called Chicken Boots—making bags for knitters—started a YouTube channel called Sew Sew Live, and now has written a fitting book. I have been eagerly anticipating the release of this book. When Saremy told me a review copy was in the mail to me, I could hardly stand the waiting. It arrived a few days before the bike tour, so I had to wait another week before I could sit down and take a good look.

This is the book for those of us who have ever stood in front of a mirror trying to figure out why a garment doesn’t fit the way we thought it would. Saremy’s approach completely flips the fitting process on its head. She doesn’t ask, “What is wrong with the person’s body that it doesn’t fit into this pattern designed for an imaginary ideal?” She asks, “What needs to be changed in this pattern so that it fits this particular person’s body?” Thus, a full bust adjustment is re-named “Bust Cup Small,” to indicate that the pattern’s shaping does not account for additional breast tissue. In a world where bodies are held to unattainable standards of perfection, that single change in perspective takes away the judgment and negativity that often accompanies garment sewing.

[Saremy includes an “also known as” tag to indicate the more common terminology for this adjustment, so underneath the “Bust Cup Small” entry, it says, “Also Known as Full Bust Adjustment (FBA). Each entry shows a photo of a garment exhibiting this issue.]

What really sets this book apart, though, is how thoroughly she goes into the adjustment that needs to be made. Each entry includes a list of symptoms—what strain lines, wrinkles, or gaps might be apparent in the garment to indicate this adjustment is necessary. Below the list of symptoms is a “Solution,” as well as “Other Possible Solutions.” That second one is brilliant. I can think of a number of situations where I thought the solution to a fitting problem was to adjust one area when I actually needed to adjust a different area. Cross-referencing additional solutions helps the sewist to think about the garment more holistically.

Saremy advises the sewists which pattern pieces need to be adjusted as well as advising what other pattern pieces might be affected by this adjustment. And then she gets into the nuts and bolts of making the adjustment. Darts? How large? Where? What does the adjustment look like for a raglan? What about princess seams?

Every time I open this book, I come away with another useful piece of information. And this is only the first volume! Saremy promises that she is working on a second book about fitting the lower body.

The book is available now and can be ordered on Saremy’s website and from other retailers. If you do any garment fitting at all, I strongly encourage you to add this book to your library. I know that my copy is going to become a trusted friend in my sewing room—almost like having Saremy there with me! (Do check out her You Tube channel livestreams. I love to have her on the background when I’m sewing.)