Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) and Other Pattern Adjustments

Whether sewing for ourselves or others, we all struggle with making pattern adjustments to handle fitting challenges. I use a combination of several techniques when adjusting a pattern, especially for a fitted garment. {Are You Wearing The Right-Sized Bra?, Getting To The Perfect Dress}

I love this article about figuring out what proportions look best on your body, especially because it focuses on full figures. DEFINING STYLE: HOW TO DRESS FOR YOUR SHAPE.

I feel a good place to start is with Nancy Zieman. Her books and videos make adjusting patterns simple to understand and do. 

Sewing With Nancy - Fitting Finesse

Yes, this series was made in 1994 so feel free to laugh at the fashion but the techniques never go out of style!


It's All About The Shoulders
One key point in Nancy's videos/books is that the shoulders are the most important area to fit because everything else is easily adjustable.

If we cut a pattern based on our bust measurement and that measurement is different than the average B cup then the shoulders will not fit. I've bought tops that were an XL to accommodate my bust only to have the top drown me everywhere else because I have a small frame. 

Nancy's method uses a unique chart that helps you choose a pattern based on your shoulder width and then helps you make any adjustments needed everywhere else (bust, waist, hips, back...). Nancy then teaches easy-to-understand techniques on how to do that. Her pivot technique is great.


Full Bust Adjustment (FBA)
Unless I'm missing something (and I'll admit I haven't looked at it in depth in years and mostly skimmed it for this post), Nancy's technique adds or subtracts size adjustments to all of the seams equally. In my opinion, this does not make sense. If you're adjusting for a larger/smaller bust, the changes should be made in the bust area! Adding or subtracting these adjustments from all the seams including the back ones makes no sense. The same idea applies to people with a larger belly and/or backside.

For example. The bust measurement for a pattern size 14 is 36". If your bust measurement is 40" then most of the 4" difference should be added to the front, right?! 


Custom Fit

The pattern for this dress was customized using the base
 pattern created through the Fast-Track Fitting Technique. 

For more fitted clothing, you'll need detailed measurements and adjustments. 

I found a great measurement format through Craftsy. Called Fast-Track Fitting by Joi Mahon It offers a very detailed measuring system. I'll be honest, making the customized pattern is a lot of work, but when you're done you have a base pattern that fits perfectly and you'll know how and where to use those adjustments on any patterns you use in the future. 

Note: I used the muslin made using this system as a cover for my mannequin. I added padding where it needed filling out and when I was done it was much more accurate than my adjustable mannequin. This gave me a better form to drape on and cut down on the number of fittings needed. I made one for each of the people I sewed for often. 

The Beginners Guide: Full Bust Adjustment by curvysewingcollective.com
Most Big 4 patterns are drafted using a B-cup bodice and it’s rare that Indies are drafted larger than C-cups. If your bra size falls outside this range, then an FBA is for you! Even if your measurements are exactly identical to those on the pattern envelope, chances are weird fitting issues will crop up with a large cup size. It’s astounding the number of these issues a good FBA can fix, from floppy shoulders to gaping button bands and armscyes. 

How to do an FBA on a dartless knit bodice. See this awesome tutorial at https://blog.cashmerette.com/2020/10/how-to-do-a-knit-fba.html 
  1. Create a muslin (sample garment) using fabric the same weight and stretch of the knit you plan to use for your garment. 
  2. Put the muslin on and measure how much the muslin's hem rides up in front. This will be your Bust Adjustment amount.
  3. Draw a horizontal line across the front pattern piece across the bust apex.
  4. Cut along the horizontal line and separate the pattern pieces by the Bust Adjustment amount. keep the pattern lined up with the front edge of the pattern.
  5. At the side seam, add a slight curve—essentially, a "boob bubble." This helps create additional width for the bust. This bit is more of an estimate, but we recommend adding about 1/2″ to 3/4″. Trace a new pattern piece.
  6. Notch the fabric at the top and bottom of the Bust Adjustment gap.
Sewing Instructions
1. Pin the Front piece to the Back piece starting at the hem and going up to the bottom notch.

2. Pin from the armhole to the top notch.

3. Stitch the Front to the Back starting at the hem and going to the bottom notch. When you get to the bottom notch, gently stretch the back piece until it lines up with the front piece, and continue to sew. When you get to the top notch, stop stretching and sew the rest of the seam as you would normally.

FBA with Bras/Corsets/Fitted tops 

One thing I found super helpful was to make/draft a pattern from a bra that fits me {Are You Wearing The Right-Sized Bra?}. I often use the underwires from my old bras that are worn out or from cheap bras that have the right size cups even though the rest of the bra is too big for me Ex. I wear a 34H, which is impossible to find cheap, but I can use the underwire from a "sister-size" bra - 34H, 36G, 38F(aka38DDD), 40DD, 42D, 44C... one of those sizes should be much more common and therefore I can find it cheaper. You can also order underwires in all different shapes and sizes online.

To make my own corsets, I've adapted patterns using the techniques listed above ^.
{Corsets - Vogue 9273, Wonder Woman Costume} I've also learned a lot from the free tutorials at the Corset Academy (I've never purchased any courses because as far as I can tell, they wouldn't be very useful for someone with serious curves but the sewing techniques are great. They have a lot of free stuff on their YouTube channel as well. 


More good articles about FBAs


Good articles about making large FBAs

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Pant Pattern Adjustment (Some Notes)


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