Fit For You: Pin-Fitting--Sew News Library

		Fit For You: Pin-Fitting Patterns
		B A R B A R A W E I L A N D
		Fit before you cut-- and reap what you sew.
		Materials Pin-Fitting the Tissue Tissue Fitting Checklist Pin-Fitting the Garment Resources

Materials

To prepare for pin-fitting the tissue, you'll need:

Scissors

1/2"-wide transparent tape

Seam gauge and tape measure

Fine-point pen

1/4"-wide elastic

Iron

Pin-Fitting the Tissue

Dressmaker's pins can be your best allies during the pattern fitting and construction of any garment. Pin-fit the pattern to your shape before you cut, then fine-tune the fit in the garment after you've cut, but before permanently stitching.

Once you've determined the correct pattern size for the garment you're making, it's a good idea to try on the pattern. "What? Try on a paper pattern?" you say. Yes. It's not difficult, and it will help you determine and refine any required pattern adjustments before cutting the pattern from the fabric. It's one of the quickest ways to be sure you cut the fabric pieces large enough or small enough in all the right places to match your figure contours. The time taken to fit the tissue to your body will save cutting time and eliminate sewing frustration later.

Follow these easy steps:

On multisize
patterns, mark
seamlines with
seam gauge.

Cut out all of the required pattern pieces, cutting carefully and accurately outside the black cutting line (not to the inside of the lines).

Press the pattern pieces with a warm, dry iron to remove all wrinkles. Working with wrinkled pattern tissue is inaccurate and will affect the fit.

If you're using a multisize pattern, mark accurate stitching lines on the tissue using a seam gauge and fine-point pen . Accuracy is important. Note: A standard metal seam gauge is 5/8" wide, as are most tape measures.

Tape pattern curves,
placing one tape edge
at seamline and remainder
in body of pattern.

Reinforce all curved seamlines with 1/2"-wide transparent tape. Cut short tape pieces and overlap them, placing one edge at the seamline and the remainder in the body of the pattern piece; clip curves to, but not through, the seamlines .

If pattern is too small, add tracing cloth equally to seam allowances, then pin-fit tissue again.

Wrong sides together, fold out and pin details such as darts and tucks. Turn up and pin hem allowances.

Pin the major pattern pieces wrong sides together, placing pins parallel to and on the stitching lines. Point the pins away from the neckline and underarm.

Tie a piece of 1/4"-wide elastic around your waist. Try on the pinned tissue, using the waistline elastic to anchor the tissue for a skirt, pants or fitted bodice, or to check the correct waistline placement (see the illustration at the top of this article).

Adjust the tissue to the correct position on your body with center fronts and backs in the correct location. Check to make sure there is ample ease where you may need it, that the darts and seams are correctly positioned and that the garment is the correct length. Eliminate any unnecessary darts (those over a full, round tummy for example) by removing the pins and refitting at the side seams.

As you evaluate the tissue fit, work in an organized fashion, making sure it's large enough to go around your curves, adding tissue and making the required pattern adjustments. (Use the "Tissue-Fitting Checklist" as a guide for pin-fitting and adjusting the pattern tissue.)

After you've made all necessary length and width adjustments to the tissue, fine-tune the position of the pins in the vertical seams to better match your contours, moving them in or out as needed and allowing for the desired amount of wearing and design ease. If the pattern isn't large enough, add tracing cloth equally to the seam allowances, then pin-fit the tissue to your shape .

Remove the tissue and mark the final pin positions--these are your new personal seamlines. Remove the pins and trim or add tissue as needed to make all seam allowances at least 5/8" wide. Note: It's a good idea to make all vertical seams 1" wide to allow for additional fine-tuning in the fabric fitting.

Cut out the garment using your adjusted pattern pieces.

Pin-Fitting the Garment		After you've carefully adjusted the pattern and used it to cut the pieces from the fabric, some sewers think the garment can just be sewn and ready to wear without checking the fit again. Not so! Every fabric is unique and fits a little differently--and remember, your first fitting was in unforgiving, non-stretchy pattern tissue! Before you do any permanent stitching:
Open seams and darts; chalk-mark along pins.		Transfer any construction marks--notches, dots, etc.--to the garment pieces. Remove the pattern pieces and staystitch the waistline and any curved seamlines, particularly the bodice neckline curve and upper hip curve in a fitted skirt or pants. If you allowed 1"-wide seams anywhere, machine baste along the seamlines to quickly mark them on both sides of the fabric. For truly accurate pin-fitting, you may opt to machine baste on all major seamlines. Wrong sides together, pin all darts, tucks and seams as you did in the tissue, placing pins accurately along the stitching lines. If you didn't machine baste to mark the seamlines, use a gauge to measure as you pin. If the garment has shoulder pads, pin them in place on the inside of the pinned garment. Wearing the undergarments and other garments (blouse for example) you'll wear with the finished garment, try on the pinned garment to evaluate the fit. Don't be surprised if you find it necessary to take slightly deeper or narrower seams by moving the pins in or out. Lightweight fabrics often cut smaller and thicker fabrics cut larger than the actual pattern pieces. You also may need to adjust dart positioning and placement. Knits and weighty fabrics can drag bustline darts lower than they were fit in the tissue. When you're pleased with the fit in every way, remove the garment, open the seams and chalk-mark along the pins in the seams and darts .

Remove the pins and use curved and straight rulers to true the marked seamlines. Your side seams may be different shapes. Like many people, you may have a rounder curve on one side of your body.

Check armhole fit and ease in a sleeve by drawing up the ease stitching and using short dressmaker pins (or sequin pins) to pin the sleeve into the armhole along the seamline.

Machine baste the garment together on the marked lines and check the fit once more before finalizing the stitching.

Barbara Weiland is a nationally known sewing, crafts and quilting author, editor and consultant. Her latest book is "Secrets for Successful Sewing," published by Rodale Press Inc. She also is a contributing author to "Serger Secrets" from the same publisher.

Resources

Pin-fitting and other fitting challenges are covered in depth in the following books, available from your local fabric or book store or your local library.

"Altering Women's Ready-to-Wear," by Mary Roehr; Mary Roehr Books & Video, 1987.
"Fabulous Fit," by Judith Rasband; published by Fairchild Press, 1994.
"Fantastic Fit for Every Body," by Gale Grigg Hazen; published by Rodale Press Inc., 1998.
"Fit for Real People," by Pati Palmer and Marta Alto; published by Palmer/Pletsch, 1998.
"The Perfect Fit"; published by Cy DeCosse Inc., 1987.


	Subscribe More Articles Past Issues