Change of Course on Fitting

I firmly believe that one should know when it is time to stop pursuing an idea, trash it all and start over from another direction.  If you like the “outside the box” metaphor, then I envision holding a lit match to the box and setting sail in another direction.  I’ve been struggling through several garments trying to apply all the FBA (Full Bust Adjustment) principles for my XL bust.  I’ve had some excellent help from Curvy Sewing Collection and I’ve read virtually every tutorial available and my XL bust defies fitting.  I finally developed a muslin that fit (tightly) around my full bust but the fit of the rest of the bodice was awful.  The shoulders were horrible, the waist was a nightmare, and the darts were so large and pointing at the wrong angle.  This is not going to work for me.

Enough is enough.  Time for another idea.  I have a couple of shirts that are RTW (Ready To Wear) and fit very, very well.  I purchased them from plus-size fashion retailers.  Plus-size clothing retailers have obviously done some work in the fitting department or they would not be in business and would not be selling garments to the masses.  So I’ve set about tracing off a pattern from these two garments.  These garments will at the very least provide a starting point to tweak rather than force me to start from scratch and build a fitting bodice from the ground up.

I’ll let you know how it goes.