A garment off the rack is drafted for an average that does not exist. A pattern from an envelope is drafted for a standard figure with a set of standard proportions. Fitting is the process of closing the gap, and it is best done in stages rather than in one go.
Fit in stages
Do not wait until the garment is finished to try it on. Fit the shoulders and the bust first, on a partially constructed garment, because those two determine where everything below them sits. Fit the waist and the hip once the darts are in. Fit the length last, once the garment hangs.
The five adjustments
A full-bust adjustment
When the bust is larger than the pattern assumes, the front rides up and the side seam pulls forward. Slash the pattern at the bust point and spread it, adding length and width to the front only.
A narrow or broad shoulder adjustment
Shoulder width decides where the sleeve seam sits. Move the shoulder point in or out and re-draw the armhole to match, then move the sleeve cap by the same amount.
A sway-back adjustment
A curved lower back leaves a pool of fabric above the waist at the back. Take a horizontal tuck out of the back pattern above the waist, and let the hem fall straight.
A graded waist or hip
When the waist and the hip are different pattern sizes, cut the waist at one size and the hip at another, and blend the line between them. This is normal, not a mistake.
A length adjustment
A petite or tall figure needs the pattern shortened or lengthened between the shoulder and the waist, not at the hem, so the darts and the waistline stay in the right place.
Mark with pins, then mark the pattern
Pin the correction on the body while it is worn, then transfer the pins to the pattern. Marking the garment and sewing it is how a correction gets lost between the fitting and the machine.
Fitting on a form and on a body
A dress form is where you check a hem level, balance a shoulder and pin a dart without anyone standing still for twenty minutes. It is not a substitute for the body, because a form cannot raise an arm, sit down or slouch. Use the form for the structural work and the body for the final check.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Adjustment |
|---|---|---|
| Front rides up, side seam pulls forward | Bust larger than drafted | Full-bust adjustment |
| Sleeve seam sits off the shoulder | Shoulder width wrong | Narrow or broad shoulder |
| Pool of fabric at the back waist | Curved lower back | Sway-back tuck |
| Waist gapes, hip fits | Waist a smaller size | Grade the waist |
| Darts sit too high or too low | Vertical proportion differs | Length adjustment |
When to re-draft instead of alter
An alteration is worth making when the correction is local: a shoulder, a bust, a waist. When the correction changes the balance of the whole pattern, when the shoulder and the armhole no longer agree or the ease has moved from one place to another, altering costs more time than re-drafting from measurements.
Pin carefully at a fitting
A fitting means pins near the body and often near a face. Pin parallel to the seam and away from the wearer, keep pins capped or in a cushion, and never leave a garment full of pins lying where someone might sit on it.
Fit is iterative. Expect two or three rounds, and treat each one as information rather than failure.
