[cybele727]

Hello Ladies.

Let’s get real. I am petite, and overweight. Between chubby and fat. I kind of have an apple shape with a “deep bosom”. I look pregnant, since my pregnancy severely split my abs, so not only do I have belly fat, but well, you get the picture.

When I say petite, I lie and say I am 5″ tall. Stealing every little bit I can claim!!

Everything (except the fat from children) is to scale. Little/short arms. Little/short neck, legs, head, hands, feet. (My feet grew in pregnancy to a size 4.5/35/2-2.5).

My high bust under the arms measures between a 0 and 2. The bosom is closer to 12-14 as are hips. The V cannot be too deep. My cleavage starts only about 2 inches below that soft spot at the bottom of the throat. We don’t mind showing some cleavage, but mystery is good and giving away the goods is not! Plus, I work in Family Court and many of my (male) clients lack the requisite social skills not to oogle. Because of my shape, camisoles uncomfortably ride up to under my bust.

I have the digital pattern! Yay… this will make alterations and blending easier.

To reduce the amount of said alterations, what do I do re size?

What is the “fit” point? Hips? Bust? Do a 2 blending to the 12 for hip area with an FBA?

What do you all think?? (Besides making a muslin, which I will obviously have to do, with so much change?)

Share you collective wisdom with me, oh hive mind, that I may successfully venture into making clothes for ME!

[Nicole]

Okay, I really wish I could come over and give you a hand. It sounds like a two person job.

I have narrow shoulders compared to the rest of me and I did a blog post on that here http://fiveandcounting-motherof5.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/getting-all-continental-part-one.html

I will have a look through my fitting books today but I am glad to hear you are making a muslin. Its the best way to get a great fit. A proper muslin that you unpick and use as a pattern.

I will be back!

[Lightning McStitch]

I can offer nothing helpful as I don’t know about such things but I wanted to say how much I enjoyed the original post!

Written with honesty, great humour and I read a fondness for that body of yours in your words. I’ve learned from the question, and I’m sure I’ll learn from the answers!

[with love Heidi]

I agree with Nicole! It would be so much easier to be there to help you in person!

But we’ll do our best over the net 🙂

I suspect if you use the size 0 or 2 shoulders/neckline with a FBA you may find this is enough to prevent showing everything. I would suggest using the size 0 through the neck/shoulders because, in my experience, you are overweight you also carry a little more bulk through the upper bust area but your shoulders have generally not changed size and it will have a slightly less deep neckline.

However if this still isn’t enough coverage have you though about adding a Faux cami piece to the neckline? This is a piece of fabric that would be attached to the collar seams and sit across the neckline opening. But since it’s just a small piece of fabric added not a whole camisole then it can’t ride up and be annoying.

Remember that doing a FBA adds a little bit of width to the waist and hips, so you might want to take this into account when choosing your size.

Also you may need to add width to the sleeve especially at the bicep, but worry about this once you have the shoulders bust fitted properly.

The fitting can be a long process and rather frustrating at times, I am in the middle of fitting a jacket that is taking longer than I would like, but the final fit will be worth it and you can sew it multiple times as well as getting the idea about the basic alterations for your body.

Good Luck, keep asking questions and pop in for encouragement 🙂

[with love Heidi]

Here’s a portfolio dress, older simplicity version, on an apple figure. http://thornberry.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/he-used-to-bring-me-roses/

I thought it looks very flattering, especially through the waist and hips 🙂

[cybele727]

I do like the look on the Apple! :). I have a sewing group that can help, or I can go to my local small shop. She will help me do a fit. So I won’t totally go it alone, but must know where to start and do some of it on my own!!! Otherwise it will be the $500 dress! Haha.

I would like to lose weight and get in shape, for my health. The looks issue would be a bonus. I am not waiting to get me “perfect” to learn to sew for me. 🙂

[forkandneedle]

I made a ‘wearable’ muslin of the cappuccino the other day – and did a FBA that I thought would be fine as I am very generously endowed as well. But it ended up still too tight across the bust, the gathered part pulls sideways more than it should. So I will try again, but this time I will do a more generous FBA. I also wonder about adding width to the top of the gathered piece and lessening the overlap of the collars so that part is wider. Does that make sense? My fabric was a medium weight cotton so that probably didn’t help either.

[cybele727]

I haven’t looked yet, so I don’t understand what you mean about lessening the overlap. But it does make sense to add some material in the middle gathers. But I wonder what that will do to the rest of the dress. I might need an entire bolt of muslin to get this right!! 😉

[forkandneedle]

The overlap is at the bottom of the collar – where the two pointed parts meet. I’m not sure how it would work – I wonder about making the collar slightly longer (ie deeper)? You can’t add too much extra fabric into the gathers unless you widen the bit above – ie the bottom of the collar – as the gathered parts pulls sideways in an awkward way. It does for me anyway – but every shape would be different. Hope that makes sense.