Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Polka Dot Blog Crush: My Secret Sewing Doubles (and Yours)

What could be better than a magic wire dress form that exactly duplicates your shape?

How about some fabulous and prolific sewing bloggers solving your fitting challenges for you?

I follow a ridiculous number of sewing blogs, and I learn so much from fabulous sewists of all shapes and sizes... Still, I will admit to get especially excited by alterations-related posts by fellow sewing bloggers who are also struggling to fit:

  • large busts with narrow frames (30F and 32G girls, raise your hands--and be careful your RTW shirt buttons don't pop off in the process!)
  • bonus points for super narrow shoulders
  • extra super duper bonus points for extreme nursing-related cup-size fluctuations

Which brings me to this week's...

Polka Dot Blog Crushes: My Secret Sewing Doubles

In no particular order:
  • Lladybird. This badass seamstress is all over sewing (and knitting, and embroidering) fitted, girly, fabulous vintage-inspired hourglass awesome of all kinds, with an awesome pottymouthed, nose-ringed flair. AND she wears the same bra size as me (32DD/E), so I was SO excited to see her recent rundown of Bombshell muslin alterations:

  • Kadiddlehopper. Katie is both a pediatrician and a doctor of fabulous large-busted sewing (a title which I have just made up). She makes an out-of-control number of perfectly-fitted tops and jackets and dresses, and I'm currently using her full-bust-adjustment (FBA) tips for my Jalie scarf top. From what I can gather, we wear approximately the same standard pattern sizes (12 up top, 14 below) AND she's also a nursing mama. Score!
  • E Made This. Elizabeth and I were pregnant around the same time in 2010*, and I just adore following all her lovely sewing adventures -- everything she makes is stylish, beautifully made and well-fitted, and she even knows how to make perfect jeans! She is all over FBAs and narrow shoulder adjustments, too.
  • K-Line. Kristin's sewing obsessions, experiments and ruminations are a delight to follow, and she is currently busting her butt to perfectly fit Gertie's Starlet Suit Jacket. She is also a purveyor of manifestos on bust size and bra fitting, which I whole-heartedly endorse. (I'm not sure of the origin of her blog title--Kristin, can you fill me in?)

*Back when I was pregnant, I used to similarly obsess over bloggers tackling maternity alterations. None of those bloggers are currently pregnant, but Megan Nielsen's DIY maternity blog is a great resource, Inder-ific is sewing for her bump and even Peter has been getting in on the preggo sewing action.

By the way, I hope you all know that women with cup size of C or more should usually choose patterns by HIGH bust measurement, not full bust, in order to properly fit the upper chest and shoulders? That is why, even when I had a 42" bust at my most pregnant, I got the best bodice fit in patterns with a bust size of 34 (with huge full bust adjustments and pregnant tummy adjustments required) -- and would have been lost in ill-fitting misery had I chosen a size 22 pattern instead of the size 14.

So, readers, I ask:

  • What's your main fitting issue, and who are YOUR secret sewing doubles? (For example: Cidell of Miss Celie's Pants mentioned recently that she has the exact same lower shape as Trena of the Slapdash Sewist).
  • Are there any other prolific narrow-framed FBA-ers out there I should be tracking? (Full disclosure--I have a high bust of 33-34", and a full bust of 38," wear a 30F or 32E bra... and current measurements are 38", 28", 38".)

UPDATED TO ADD: According to this fascinating article from the the Guardian UK:"Why are British Women's Breasts Getting Bigger? "in recent years the average bra size has expanded from 34B to 36D"--and there are more and more women with narrow band and large cup sizes. Theories as to why range from hormones in the environment to better nutrition. Another interesting quote:

"There's been a huge growth in the small back, larger cup lady, particularly among young girls," says Julia Mercer, head of fit and technology at M&S's underwear department. "The younger girls just seem to have bigger breasts now."

Which means I probably have more doubles than I even realized!

39 comments:

  1. I have no idea who my "secret sewing doubles" are, but this is such a great idea. I'm kind of a lazy sewist, though becoming a little less so. But I love the idea of taking advantage of other people's work. :) I know my hips must be large compared to my true waist, because I always have to taper tops out. I'm looking forward to reading the comments. I think I'm still figuring out what my fitting issues are.

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  2. Hi Mikhaila, I'm a member of the club, too, kinda! Maybe now's not the best time to tell you this, but I have experienced some serious cup downsizing in the aftermath of long-term nursing (four years, one kid). Before pregnancy I was a solid 32 E. While nursing, who even knows what the cup size was? I didn't go there, just wore enormous stretchy bras. Post nursing for several years and down some pounds as well, I'm now a 30D or 32C, territory I never thought to see. Narrow shoulders has never changed (but I'm lifting weights to try). Come see me at http://asewinglife.blogspot.com. Love your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. [Fingers in ears, not listening to shrinking-boob terror news...] Seriously, yes, I have heard that can happen... and they have even shrunk a lot already now that she nurses somewhat less--two months ago I wore a solid 32G and before that a 34H... but I'm just going to see where the measurements fall and just make the most of it!

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    2. P.S. I just subscribed to your blog.

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    3. Awesome to have you! I didn't say my m-ments before. Going from memory here, I have a 31" high bust, 34.5" full bust, 27-28" waist, 36" hip. I am a true, proportional petite (with a saggy bustline!) and I'm 5'2". I think I'm a more middle aged version of Lladybird, though I never looked as svelte as she does!

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  3. I totally have to read Kadiddlehopper and E Made This - which I haven't come across. I'm looking for all of the full bust support I can find! :-)

    In truth, I was SO excited when you started your blog because I've not seen another blogger whose dimensions (and frame) are so similar to my own. My dimensions are 37 / 37.5 (depending on the bra and time of month), 30, 38. What makes us similar, as I see it (and of course I know you only from pictures) is that we are both small framed people with those dimensions. (How tall are you? I'm on the small side of 5'4")

    I'm embarrassed to tell you that I came up with my blog name in 3 seconds and should have checked on other sources having the same name. But I had no followers to begin with and had no sense that I would ever be read by anyone other than my husband when I started my blog. It was just a means to an end - one needs a name to have a blog. Because my name is Kristin, and K-Line rhymes with A-Line, I thought it would be fine. The fact that a shipping magnate has the same name is really irritating. But I've got a strong readership now, that knows me by a certain name, and I don't want to mess with that.

    Marketing 101 anyone? :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm 5'6", but I have a short upper body (short-waisted) and longish legs. And I have no idea why I didn't figure out "A-Line skirt" and "K-Line" rhyme... I've been puzzling over that for ages.

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  4. i love this! makes me want to put my sizing out there and find out who my twins are. i feel like nettie & i share a kabooky (sownbrooklyn) and mokosha and i share the same technicolored brain... but to have a double with a short waist, square broad shoulders and a spread out 34B would be delish.

    kristin, your explanation of your blog title is HILARIOUS.

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    Replies
    1. ooh, I hope you find your doubles! I'm also short waisted but we have opposite shoulders and booties (I barely have either!)

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    2. Great post Mikhaela!!! Oona, I may be your body double (I'm 34, 36, 39) short waisted, big booty...the only difference is that I have narrow shoulders :)

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  5. Hey thanks for the shout out, and especially for introducing me to K-Line and Lladybird! New body doubles!! Yay!

    For the record I am: High Bust - 33, Bust - 40 to 38 (depending on when I nursed last!), Waist - 27, Hips - 37. I have a narrow front chest, but a broad back, which is a total nightmare for pattern sizing, but I'm slowly figuring it out. I'm average height, but it is all in my legs, so I end up having to shorten bodices, usually just above the bust, but sometimes at the waist, too.

    You know, maybe publishing our "stats" would help our body double sewing sisters find each other... Hmmmm.

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    Replies
    1. I'm average height too (5'6") but also short-waisted and long-legged. I think my bust size also varies based on when I last nursed, too... making super-fitted woven tops a bit confusing to fit.

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  6. I am a full-busted rectangle (34D) with very small hips (34-30-36). Sarai Mitnick's posts on adding to the waist were a revelation.

    I wish I had a sewing double!

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    Replies
    1. I hope you find your double! I feel like I have seen some bloggers who have that same type, but I can't remember who they are off the top of my head.

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    2. Forgot about shams!

      She's an FBA wizard:

      http://communingwithfabric.blogspot.com/

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    3. I'm coming to this very late, but Jane W, as well as having the same name, you may be my almost body double. I'm 32E - 29 -36! x

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  7. Oh, your little blurb about me just made me blush so hard. Made my day, you! But don't you dare tell me I'm an E... I just recently came to terms with being a DD, no Es here noooo haha

    Now I want to know who all my body doubles are! I'm 36-26.5-36 (sometimes 27" waist, if I eat a lot that day hahahahahaha) and I'm 5'2". My high bust is 32"-33". Most of my alterations (other than the bust, I mean) are for petites, or a protruding rear end.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DD sometimes = E. It just depends on which bra company you are buying from! Check out HerRoom's Universal Cup Size finder--it explains how sizes are equivalent across brands, including European bras. By their sizing, I'm a "32 D2"--which in some brands is 32DD, and in others is 32E.

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    2. And I only wish I had your rear end alterations to make! But sounds like otherwise you are pretty much the same shape as me, just petite and a bit slimmer.

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  8. UPDATED TO ADD: According to this fascinating article from the the Guardian UK:"Why are British Women's Breasts Getting Bigger? "in recent years the average bra size has expanded from 34B to 36D"--and there are more and more women with narrow band and large cup sizes. Theories as to why range from hormones in the environment to better nutrition. Another interesting quote:

    '"There's been a huge growth in the small back, larger cup lady, particularly among young girls," says Julia Mercer, head of fit and technology at M&S's underwear department. "The younger girls just seem to have bigger breasts now."'

    Which means I probably have more doubles than I even realized!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting, although I can't help but wonder if that's a change in the way women are choosing to fit their bras---smaller band sizes with larger cups---rather than a physical change in the base population. All the bravangelists I've read (K-Line included) advocate a smaller band and larger cup-size for many people than the "standard" calculators and traditional fit method would advise. (Most calculators tell me I'm a 34B, some a 34AA, but the "bravangelist" method would put me in a 32C or 30D)

      I haven't found any real body-doubles, although there's people I read for the sway-back, others for the small bust, others for the square shoulders...

      As far as I can tell my breasts are *exactly* the same size after nursing (which I did for about five continuous years...) as they were before. I was hoping for a permanent increase, but all in all they held up marvelously, so I shan't complain.

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    2. Yes, but you also have a super-flat stomach and can still wear low-rise jeans... :)that ain't happening for me!

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    3. Anecdotally, teenage girls in the last decade look nothing like when I was in high school (early 90s). I think it's environmental toxins, hormone-stuff, and the science points in that direction. But who knows?

      I'm 32C, 33" high bust, 28" waist, 38" hips, 5'8" with long torso and white girl booty.

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  9. This is a really great idea! Seriously, who wants to start up a sewing double match-up site?

    Also, any other small-busted pear shaped girls out there? I'm 5'6", 31 bust (most patterns only go down to a 33 now - boo!), 26 waist, 36 hips.

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    Replies
    1. Boo to limited pattern sizing, seriously! I also wonder why most bras only go down to 32-inch band... I'm not very small AT ALL and I wear a 32-inch band (but SHOULD wear a 30, really)... so what are genuinely small-framed women supposed to do?

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    2. *waves* Hi Shona! I kinda am. I'm a 34" bust (with virtually nothing filling it - AA cup size. Not that they make bras that small. Hmmm), 30" waist, 40" hip.

      Many other SBA's out there?

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    3. We're pretty close, Shona, except I'm way shorter than you (5'1"). I haven't measured for a while but I'm about 31.5" bust, 27 waist, 38 hip, a bit more of a pear than you.

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  10. narrow shoulders,full bust here too.43,31,43 with a 36 upper bust and just a bit over 5'2"(swayback too, with a booty).I like learning new and different ways to fit things nicely and seeing people with well fitted clothes.

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  11. There's a company in my town called "K-Line Gutter Installation and Cleaning". I'm guessing that's not where she got her blog name from LOL.

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  12. oh wow! I have one of those wire dress forms (just for decor, don'tcha know) and I'm pretty sure it is solid lead wire! I have to keep people from trying it on when I have parties- tell them to go wash their hands. I know- what a hostess!!
    and I may be oonaballoona's double 10 years in the future. (15# bigger, shoulders slopier. the good news, booty still going strong) If only I could find my own current or future-double!
    [36-30-38 rectangle from the front, curvy in the side-view]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. oh how frightening! dressmaking with a side of lead poisoning! my mother once had an art teacher in college who actually died because of too much exposure to toxic chemicals (he was always pointing the tip of his paintbrush with his mouth--bad idea).

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  13. That's interesting your comments on body doubles... because I definitely fall in the small band/large cup category (32D) I miraculously fit into Burda size 36 patterns with no alterations other than to adjust sleeve and hem lengths (I'm 5'1".) I like looking for other short sewing bloggers. I read a mix of sewing and fashion blogs, where I'm mostly interested in how to get the proportions of shrinking a garment for a small frame right.

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  14. Trena is one of many petite doubles, even if she's not a my busty sister. I've learned a lot from her though about dressing proportionally. I read her blog for ages before I discovered that she's actually an inch shorter than me. She styles herself so well, it's not readily obvious that she's short. Yikes, looking at your measurements, I think I really need to go down to a size 30 band...and my 32 has seemed a little loose lately. The only store in town that has 30s only sell swanky bras though, so I'm sure if I went in there, they'd only show me $100 bras. I need to figure that one out...

    I think my most annoying alteration is my flat seat. I can get most of the baggies out, but I haven't found that magic pattern that allows me to get rid of all of them. Granted, it's about 100% better than RTW, but we all want to sew things better, right? I have a couple of patterns with princess lines in the back...I think they would be promising.

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    Replies
    1. Oh yes, I forgot to mention a flat seat... aside from the petite thing, you and have the exact same issues all over!

      And I SHOULD wear 30-band bras but tend not to because I also can't find them (especially not in nursing bras).

      And Trena is super-inspiring, and I covet most of what she makes despite our opposite figure types.

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    2. Aw, y'all are so sweet. I don't know that I'm such a whiz at styling, I think I'm just short but reasonably proportional. The first thing almost everyone who knows me online says when they meet me in person is, "You're so short!" LOL It's hilarious.

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  15. Thanks for the shout-out! Now I guess I better sew more maternity clothes, eh?

    I definitely need to become more comfortable with an FBA adjustment. I don't think of myself as super ample, but I am at least a c-cup non-pregnant and non-nursing (I am in deep denial of how enormous they get in the early days of nursing), and the darts on clothing always seem to point to a higher, perkier place ... I've successfully done an FBA on less fitted items, but still need to tinker before it will be right on a more fitted garment.

    That dress form is made of LEAD? Wow.

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  16. You sound like my double, Mikhaela. I am 5'6" with a high bust of 33", full bust 38", waist 29" and hips 39". I was just fitted last weekend into a 34E (Panache & Freya brands, which the fitter said fit tighter than other 34's)so my back might be wider/bust smaller than yours, but we are very close. I have been making size 14 patterns, but end up with too much room in the shoulders. I almost always lower the dart by an inch. I have been writing a lot lately about choosing styles that fit the narrow frame/bigger bust. Thanks for addressing this topic!

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  17. Just got pointed your direction by Katie / KID MD, glad to have found you! Another double here, 5'4" and 38-29-38 last time I measured. Currently wearing 30GG, which sounds scarier than it looks. I hope :) I'm very short waisted and narrow in the shoulders, ridiculous swayback. I haven't had too much success with patterns but have gotten reasonably competent drafting myself. Now that I know a bit more about fit adjustments I should give patterns another shot.

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