First Fit Right!

I'm happy to report things are as busy as ever.  We need to invest in cloning ourselves because sometimes four hands and two brains just aren't enough!  So we recruited some much needed help!  Thanks to our lovely friend and talented seamstress, Janice, we can finally start sleeping at night.  She may be regretting her decision to jump in and join our sweatshop team any day now........especially if we keep her doing plenty of hand work and wearing thimbles!

Most recently while conducting a fitting it came to our attention many people are unfamiliar with the tried-and-true process of muslins, AKA mock-ups, and fittings. Measure twice and cut once is usually the best practice anywhere it applies.  Building a garment is a little like building a house, it requires plans and engineering to get the job done right.  The importance of a fitting should not be overlooked, even if it is a bit of an inconvenience.  A professional fitting is always the best way to prevent fitting problems, but if you can't get to a professional seamstress, help from a friend will do.

When you order a Custom or Couture garment, whether a wedding dress, ball gown or a pleasure jacket, measurements are the first step.  After measurements are charted, photos, videos and notes can also be helpful.  A pattern is then developed from plotting your measurements and following many steps to achieve a custom pattern meant just for you.  Style of garment and body type are the two major factors that determine how hard or easy making your pattern will be.  Pattern drafting is the most dry and extremely technical part of our job, and like most other things, practice makes perfect!  Next a muslin or "mock-up" garment is sewn from your pattern and finally it's FITTING TIME!

The purpose of the fitting is to prevent alterations and ill-fitting clothes.  There's nothing worse than tearing up a finished jacket, heavily embellished with leather and crystals!  In my opinion it's just as costly as taking the time to get it right the first time around. This is our chance to tweak your pattern after seeing what the muslin fit is like.  Minor adjustments are to be expected and usually require only small changes to your pattern before we're ready to go to final fabric or leather. This is also the perfect opportunity for the client to comminuate about their preferences (tighter pants, shorter hem line etc.)  Think of Project Runway or Say Yes to The Dress!

The chance to check our work and fix any potential fit problems is always the best way for a designer and client to know there won't be any surprises.   We find that unless you are "Barbie" and have a perfectly proportioned body, a fitting is like insurance, which is a good thing.  I know nobody wants to be the one standing out in her class for all the wrong reasons, so although this may sound like a strange and a bit of a painstaking process, we think it's worth it!

A custom made garment is an investment, and after your first pattern is developed you may be able to avoid more fittings when you're ready for a new look. Oftentimes entire wardrobes can be drafted once your initial patterns are created, unless of course you change sizes by dropping and gaining weight or are a young growing girl. When you think of all the money you're spending, measuring right and mocking-up first just makes common sense!  Then the real fun begins with the glitter and glitz!

Heather