Fitting the Back (Understanding Shape)

This week, I wanted to concentrate specifically on the back bodice fitting. The back of the body is obviously challenging due to the fact that we simply can't see what's going on back there. When you twist to view the back or even move your arms, you automatically change the way the garment hangs. So, what are you to do? Well, I have a couple of suggestions.

First of all, have your body measurements handy.

Of course, you'll need help to take your back body measurements, but these don't change by very much over time, so one good measurement session should be valid for quite a while. You'll need your shoulder width, your across back, and your center back neck-to-waist measurements to get you started. You're going to use these body measurements to guide you in choosing a pattern in the correct size and assessing the pattern for fit. To learn more about how to do that, you can grab your copy of the Perfect Fit Guide and watch the Fitting Fundamentals video series.

Secondly, take some fitting photos.

This is a method that I used as a fit technician in the fashion industry to communicate with our overseas factories. You're going to take a front, side, and back view of yourself using a tripod or your camera set on a stack of books. This will reveal the most glaring issues so you can tackle them one step at a time. To help you take the best fitting photos possible, you can download the free guide.

Fitting the back of the body on your own will require a lot of trial and error, so you'll need to have time and patience to get it right. But perseverance generally pays off, so stick with it. Now that you have some idea about how to go about assessing the fit of the back, let's take a look at how the back bodice pattern relates to the body.

I've prepared a short draping exercise to help you understand what fitting elements are required for the back bodice and what happens when these are inadequate or eliminated from the pattern.

Before we get started, let's consider the shape of the back of the body. Just like the front of the body, there are hills and valleys. The hill, or the highest point of the back above the waistline, is at the across back level or at the level of your shoulder blade. The valleys, or the lowest points of the back, are at the neckline, the shoulder, the armhole, and the waist. Where you have hills, you will have dart points, and where you have valleys, you will have dart volume. Darts, or their equivalents, shape a flat piece of fabric into a three-dimensional form, allowing for the space needed for those protruding body parts.

Now, let me demonstrate how that works with the little draping lesson I told you about. Watch the video now to see how it's done.

I hope this provided new insight into fitting the back. Next week, we’ll cover other fit issues on the back bodice and how to assess and correct them. See you then. Bye for now. 

All My Best,
Alexandra