For years I’ve sewed with Vogue and then Butterick because the sloper, or imaginary woman they design for, fits me almost exactly. I’ve been wanting to try some of the independent patterns, but is there any way to tell about the sloper without actually investing in the pattern and making a muslin? I hate to waste time on muslins and the patterns are expensive!
For example, my grandmother has used some Sewing Workshop patterns, but she says they’re made by different people who are all using different slopers. So just because one fits you that doesn’t mean the others will. That would frustrate me.
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Replies
Snappy, I don't know whether independent designers use particular slopers or not, and I've never heard that you can get a copy of their sloper for fitting purposes. However, I do know that Sewing Workshop patterns are multi-sized, so you could pretty easily do some flat-pattern measurments and see which size you want to use. Also, many of their styles are designed to have quite a lot of ease, and really require it to look the way they should. Since a close fit all over is not such an issue, you could consider making a muslin of, say, the neck and shoulder area, with the top of the sleeves if desired, and work out fitting issues there. The rest of the garments, in most cases, probably won't need lots of alteration--mostly just lengthwise, from what I've experienced.
Carol
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