September 9, week 3

   

In Class:

A fitting is the process of testing and refining a garment’s fit on a body to ensure comfort, proportion, and proper shaping.

A muslin toile (also called a mock-up or a muslin) is a test garment made from inexpensive fabric that replicates the pattern. It’s not meant to check proportions, fit, balance, and style before cutting into fashion fabric. Making a toile saves time, fabric, and frustration later because adjustments can be tested and visualized without risking expensive material.

Fitting Process:

1. Observation and Assessment

  • Check the placement of Horizontal Balance Lines (HBLs) to see if the garment hangs evenly. Horizontal Balance Lines act as “checkpoints” during muslin fittings. If they tilt, rise, or dip, it shows you where the garment is not balanced on the body and what adjustments are needed.  These should be marked on the pattern and transferred to the muslin before it is sewn.  Any of the following guidelines can be used as HBL: cross front, cross back, bust, 2” above the waist, waist, high hip or low hip.
  • Confirm that side seams are vertical and align with the body.
  • Locate and evaluate bust apex points.
  • Confirm that the waistline is in the correct position.
  • Evaluate the neckline and armholes for accuracy and overall appearance.
  • Check the placement of the shoulder seams.

2. Reading the Fabric

  • Observe how the muslin “speaks”: wrinkles, pulls, draglines, folds, and bubbles reveal stress or excess fabric.
  • Horizontal, Vertical, Diagonal wrinkles.

3. Manipulating the Muslin

  • Cut/slash to release tension and allow the fabric to spread.
  • Pin or tape closed to remove excess ease.
  • Always mark directly on the toile so changes can be accurately transferred back to the pattern.
  • Document whether each correction applies to both front and back, or only one side.

4. Transferring Adjustments

  • Trace the original Moulage 1 pattern onto a clean piece of paper.
  • Incorporate the corrections from the toile into the traced copy using a different colored pencil/marker.
  • This adjusted version becomes Moulage 2—a refined pattern that moves closer to the final fit.

This video demonstrates how to add HBL (horizontal balance line) to an existing commercial garment pattern. The pattern used in the video is for a fitted dress but the same logic can be applied to a bodice sloper or moulage.  This video is for future reference when you need to add HBL to a more complicated commercial pattern.

Homework:
1. Watch Fitting & Troubleshooting (28:47 mins) chapter in Patternmaking Basics: The Bodice Sloper.

2. Begin reading the assigned pdf documents (to be shared via email).  DO NOT SKIP THIS. Extract important information from the readings in your notebook.

3. Thursday is in-class fitting day.  Students who do not get fitted in class on Thursday will need to sign up for a fitting outside of class. Sewn up Moulage 2 is due on Week 4.