{"id":75674,"date":"2020-09-14T08:59:02","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T12:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/?p=75674"},"modified":"2021-12-13T07:46:01","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T12:46:01","slug":"the-fitting-room-laurens-classic-shirt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oliverands.com\/community\/blog\/2020\/09\/the-fitting-room-laurens-classic-shirt.html","title":{"rendered":"the fitting room: lauren’s classic shirt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we’re excited to welcome Lauren<\/a> to the blog, to talk about her fitting journey in sewing the Classic Shirt pattern. She’ll be walking you through her muslin and adjustment process. If you typically struggle with tightness across the back when fitting patterns, you’ll definitely want to give this a read.<\/em><\/p>\n

I love the look and versatility of a classic button-up shirt, but I have never had success purchasing one off the shelf, which is why I knew the Liesl + Co. Classic Shirt<\/a> would be a pattern worthy of perfecting the fit!<\/p>\n

Truth be told, my garment sewing journey began just over a year ago, and fit has been my number 1 priority. I\u2019ve taken a few courses, tinkered a lot, and read lots of books. Pattern alterations are not difficult per se, but the challenge, for me, has been knowing what alterations are needed to address my own fit issues.<\/p>\n

My journey in creating my first Classic Shirt was slow because I was very much in the learning phase. I\u2019ll walk you through my approach and share my learnings. I hope this helps some of you with similar issues!<\/p>\n

\"Fitting<\/a><\/p>\n

Fitting the Classic Shirt: Muslin #1<\/h2>\n

To begin, I chose a size 6 based on my measurements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nMe (in)<\/strong><\/td>\nSize 6 (in)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bust<\/strong><\/td>\n35 1\/2<\/td>\n35 1\/2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Waist<\/strong><\/td>\n30<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hips<\/strong><\/td>\n38<\/td>\n38<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
High Bust- Bust<\/strong><\/td>\n0<\/td>\nRegular A\/B Cup<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Height<\/strong><\/td>\n5\u201910\u201d<\/td>\n5\u20196\u201d-ish*<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shoulder Length (measured from pattern)<\/strong><\/td>\n5 1\/2<\/td>\n4 7\/8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

[Note from Liesl: Our patterns aren’t designed for an exact 5’6″ height, but if I measured our dress form, that’s probably about how tall it would be. The drafted height will also vary a bit by pattern. For this reason, making a muslin as Lauren did (or doing a few quick measurements) is the best way to figure out if you need to alter a pattern for your height.)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Tip: I recommend taking a few measurements of your problem areas on the pattern itself before getting started.<\/p>\n

Before I cut out my first muslin I made two adjustments:<\/p>\n

Adjustment #1: Broad Shoulder Adjustment<\/h3>\n

The shoulder seam should meet the armhole roughly at the hinge point of your shoulder (keeping in mind that more relaxed fits, like the Classic Shirt, typically have a slight drop to the shoulder). From my measurements, I knew I needed to add width, so I did a broad shoulder adjustment to add 5\/8\u201d per shoulder.<\/p>\n

[Note:\u00a0See our tutorial for a narrow shoulder adjustment, which can be reversed to do a broad shoulder adjustment, here<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Adjustment #2: Lengthening the Bodice<\/h3>\n

Lengthening patterns is a standard alteration for me, as most pattern companies design for 5\u20196 height. Lengthening (or shortening)<\/a> of the bodice and sleeves is accomplished by cutting at the lengthen\/shorten line and adjusting length accordingly.<\/p>\n

The Classic Shirt is designed to be longer, so for the perfect fit, I recommend comparing the finished length to your torso before cutting. I didn\u2019t follow my own advice and ended up removing the 1 1\/2\u201d I originally added.<\/p>\n

Tip: Whenever you lengthen or shorten patterns, be sure to walk your seam lines to ensure they match up perfectly!<\/p>\n

Here is my first muslin:<\/p>\n

\"Fitting<\/a><\/p>\n

The fit through the waist and hips was great and the shoulder seam was falling in the right place. However, the fit through the chest was tight, with draglines from my bust apex to shoulder tip. Furthermore, my range of motion in my upper back and chest felt very restricted and the upper arms felt tight.<\/p>\n

Fitting the Classic Shirt: Muslins #2 – #5<\/h2>\n

Knowing what I know now, muslin #5 should have been #2. After #1, I knew the fit wasn\u2019t right, but I didn’t know what changes to make to improve the fit, so I played around with some different options on #2 and #3.<\/p>\n

Adjustment #3: Moving Up in Size<\/h3>\n

By #4, I moved up to a size 8 in a C cup, maintaining the broad shoulder adjustment. Now, all the wiser, I should have used a C cup in size 8 to begin because C cup is my bra size and the 0\u201d difference between my high bust and bust is due to a broad chest, indicating I likely needed more width in this area. Muslin #4 then became #5 when I learned a very important lesson in pattern drafting: Be sure to true shoulder seams at right angles! This leads me to the fit of muslin #5:<\/p>\n

\"Fitting<\/a><\/p>\n

The fit through the bust and shoulders was now perfect, with no pulling or draglines. The darts also looked to be fitting well (perhaps even a tad low in this photo). However, the chest and back still felt very restrictive.<\/p>\n

Finally, I had that ah-ha moment and realized that the culprit was a tight upper arm, which is clear from the back and profile photos above.<\/p>\n

Tip: Have someone take lots of photos of you in your muslins and scrutinize them for tightness, gaping and draglines to identify your problem areas.<\/p>\n

Muslins #6 and #7<\/h2>\n

Adjustment #4: Increasing Sleeve Cap Ease<\/h3>\n

On my 6th muslin, I added 1\/2\u201d ease to the sleeve cap.<\/p>\n

[Note: Liesl wrote a full bicep adjustment tutorial a few years ago, which you can see here<\/a>.]<\/em><\/p>\n

At this point, the fit was much better through the chest, back and upper arms.\u00a0The perfectionist in me thought the fit could still be improved, but I was at a loss as to how, so I reached out to an instructor of mine for a private lesson.<\/p>\n

Adjustment #5: Redrafting the Armscye<\/h3>\n

This included:<\/p>\n