The Mid-Week Update, Late but not Forgotten, The Wardrobe Project, 2016, Proportions: The Sewist's Friend

No Jingle Bells here, because we just had to cut the grass again, I am still harvesting from the herb garden. I dug up the French Chives, Thyme and Rosemary and potted them and plan to over Winter them. I'll be in touch about that.  Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and have some time to relax and enjoy family and friends. 

Still feeling 'off' but this post was mostly done so here we are, a little late, so sorry. 

I will be including some informational posts related to garment making from some of my favorite sources. Learning about construction and design has always been a passion because I am mostly self taught. Looking your best in your made clothes is important to keep you motivated to continue this project. If they do not suit your shape or are disproportionate you are not going to wear them. If you are not going to wear them why do this? That said lets discuss proportions and how you can make the most of your assets and minimize areas that you deem less than optimum.  

First, let me apologize for the smeary look of this photo, I have no idea how that happened. I think that proportion is well illustrated in this pattern. Notice the size of the collar and cuff contrast in comparison to the over all size of the jacket. The jacket is a little lower than hip length while the under-blouse hits about high hip.  At first look it is pleasing but it is balanced and could be ideal for just about any figure because it is fitted and trim. One of these days I will make this, just not this day!

 

In my point of reference article, Sandra Ericson explains the concept of the Four Rules of Proportion.

1. The proportions within one part. Her example is to look at a skirt's width in proportion to its length.
2. The proportions among parts. For this rule Sandra wants us to compare style features adjacent to each other, such as the size of embellishments next to each other.
3. The proportion of one part to the whole. This rule asks us to compare the length of the skirt or dress to our whole body.
4. The proportions of the whole garment in relation to its context. Sandra uses a wedding dress as an example. "If you want to wear a wedding dress with a train, take the church's aisle length into consideration when designing your train."

Drawing a custom croquis and finding your best silhouette are illustrated in the article. All good advice.

Fitting is a big issue for me. While my silhouette has changed with mid-life, my basic style is the same. This translates as a re-examination of my basics. I have mentioned in the past that my shoulders are small compared to other measurements. This leads me to certain types of fitting issues. I have discovered that I MUST fit my shoulders first because it is much easier to alter the pattern below the shoulders and neckline than to re-draft the shoulders. This leads me to starting with a smaller sized patterns and building up. Sad but true. I am hoping to get the rest of the body to match up with the shoulders!

This is the link to the full article. page through the look-book to page 37, worth the read. 

Paula DeGrand shows us how to do a croquis.