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Monday, December 13, 2010

My Very Own Body Graph

Up until fitting my Crepe, I found the idea of a body graph (recommended by the book Fit for Real People) to be overkill. First off, the need for butcher paper put me off (of course, I've since thought of a ton of things you can use instead: Swedish Tracing paper, wax paper, freezer paper, the reverse side of wrapping paper...the list goes on & on).

When I fitted my muslin, I was sure that there is something up with my shoulders. But I wasn't sure what (other than they were uneven, but that isn't too big of a deal according to FFRP). Which lead me to doing my own body graph. I recruited DH to do the majority of the work ;) it turned out pretty well. And it was quite easy considering the insight that it gave.

It took me quite a bit of digging through FFRP (comparing my proportions to the "ideal" proportions) to get it all figured out, but now that it's done, I think I've got it down.





I found the wiggly silhouette to be distracting, so I uploaded a picture & photo-shopped the important things. You can click on the picture to see it all nice & big. The red dotted lines are the box that FFRP describes. It goes from my shoulder dots to my full hip dots.

The blue dotted line is my own. I connected from my shoulders, to my waist & out to my full hips to get a good idea of my overall shape. My shoulders & hips are both 14.5 inches. Which puts me pretty well in an hourglass shape.

Here's more specifics that I discovered:
  • I have a slightly long head (never would have guessed)
  • My shoulders are slightly broad
  • Both shoulders are sloping (more so my right than my left)
  • My right shoulder is lower by 3/4"
  • My waist is average
  • My left hip is both fuller & 1" lower than my right
  • I have long legs for someone of my height (which I always suspected, but never confirmed)
FFRP recommends sewing up a sloper (a very fitted basic pattern to aid in fitting) next. I think this would be a great idea, but I don't really like the idea of sewing something I won't be able to wear. I'm sure I'll find it worth my time at some point. But for now, back to the Crepe. I should get to altering my muslin now.

2 comments:

  1. Wow! Your body graph looks great!

    Ben and I tried this and we ended up bickering; I thought his marks were inaccurate and he thought that I moved too much. Seriously, it took us HOURS.

    I never thought to Photoshop the map. It eventually fell off the wall and I threw it in the trash. Too bad that I can't remember the insights that I gleaned from it.

    Does the shoulder information help you with the Crepe pattern?

    I also don't like the idea of sewing a sloper and walking away with nothing. Like you, I'll probably sew one up eventually, but right now, the Crepe pattern is so much more interesting. Can't wait to see your muslin!

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  2. That is too funny about you & Ben bickering! I had a fit of giggles while Austin was tracing me & he kept giving me dirty looks. :) Next up I'd like to wrangle him into making a dress form like yours. We'll see how that goes.

    I think the shoulder info will help with the Crepe pattern, but the alteration for sloping shoulders involves cutting off the sleeve, which makes me nervous. I'm going to have to just do it, I think.

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