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.