In Part 1, I focused on all the adjustments I tried for the shoulders. In this section, I will focus on changes to the armhole. Preparing the Pattern As a reminder, I'm loosely following J Stern's bodice workflow, but I am ultimately trying to find a process that works for me. This is by no... Continue Reading →
Fitting Workflow for the Sage Tee – Part 1, Shoulders
I've refined my workflow for fitting pants over the years, but I lack experience and confidence when it comes to tops. As the weather warms up, I want to revise my t-shirt pattern again. The long-sleeve shirts I made a few months ago were OK, but the fit never felt great. This four-part series will... Continue Reading →
A Guide to Measuring Your Full Hip Circumference: The Flaw of Averages
In the 1950s, Lieutenant Gilbert S. Daniels led a study that collected measurements from over 4,000 US Air Force pilots, such as height, weight, and chest circumference. The researchers used these measurements to calculate average values to design a new cockpit. Surprisingly, when Daniels compared the cockpit dimensions with the average measurements, he found that... Continue Reading →
A Guide to Measuring Your Full Hip Circumference: Poster Board
I read about this method first from Kennis Wong, “You’re doing it wrong: Why your hip measurements don’t work,” Itch to Stitch Blog, March 1, 2016. In her post, she quotes the Frabjous Couture blog and a textbook: The Frabjous Couture blog is no longer available, but I was able to find the post on... Continue Reading →
A Guide to Measuring Your Full Hip Circumference: Yardstick
In this post, I will discuss a second way to measure your body for pants. The previous method had some validity concerns as it only considered the widest part of your torso, which doesn't provide information about the relationship between your waist, hips, and upper legs. Relying solely on your widest circumference to determine your... Continue Reading →
A Guide to Measuring Your Full Hip Circumference: Only Use Hip Circumference
Hello again. This is the second part of a two-part series. In the first part, I outlined some important objectives I believe any process should prioritize, especially when measuring, sizing, and fitting pants because these fundamental goals help improve accessibility and inclusivity. In this post, I will use these objectives to evaluate the first of... Continue Reading →
A Guide to Measuring Your Full Hip Circumference: Making Methods More Accessible and Inclusive
Welcome to a two-part series that aims to teach everyone a simple technique for measuring and determining your pant size. Finding a new-to-me method got me thinking about how I evaluate techniques and what makes a technique "good." In part one, I'll introduce key objectives that any method or technique should strive to achieve to... Continue Reading →
AI Headshots: HeadshotPro, TryItOnAI, AISuitUp
My headshot is rather old, and I wanted to see if AI could give me an updated, usable headshot. So here are my results from three separate companies. TL;DR HeadshotPro gave the best quality photos, TryItOnAI was the most accurate to my face, and AISuitUp wasn't even close. Mind you, I uploaded the SAME self-portraits... Continue Reading →
Reusing a Screen-printed Design from a Sweatshirt
We received adorable sweatshirts as a Christmas present, but the sweatshirts didn't fit great. Ryan looked like he was wearing an oversized halter top with ¾-length arms, and I looked like I was wearing a too-small dress. Obviously, I needed to save the design and put it on something we could wear! Here's what I... Continue Reading →
MYOG: How to Sew a Lapped Zippered Side Pocket
I was stumped on how to design a side pocket for our rain jackets, but eventually, I got it figured out. Inspiration A common method is to inset the zipper, leave it exposed and add a shield at the top to prevent water from getting in. The zipper shield is a great idea for zippers... Continue Reading →
Basic Trousers with Front Dart
I have used a self-drafted trousers pattern for Ryan for some time because I've never found a pattern that does him justice. Ryan is 6 feet 5 inches. His inseam is 37 inches. He currently has a 32-inch natural waist and 42-inch hips. He's like a piece of paper, broad from the front and back... Continue Reading →
Review of a Slash and Overlap Method to Alter Patterns for Knock Knees
One of the cool features of VStitcher is being able to move the avatar into different positions. One of the positions I thought would be helpful to understand fit is a subtle knock-knees stance.