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Kwik Sew tops pull towards the back

blingy | Posted in Fitting on

I spent the last few days sewing one sweatshirt/causual knit top after another.  I made several using Kwik Sew #3045.  This is a big, raglan sleeve unisex sweatshirt.  I am wearing one of them now and since I put it on all I can feel is the neckband against my throat in front.  I am constantly tugging at it to bring it down in front.  I have made NO alterations or adjustments.  How can I stop this?  I also use Kwik Sews’ #3344, which is another big sweatshirt thing but without raglan sleeves.  For this one I add .5 to the back at the shoulder and remove .5 from the front to try to keep it from pulling back but what do I do with the pattern for the raglan sleeves?  If I pull the top so it feels comfortable around my neck then I can feel it pulling at my back armpits.  I don’t get it.  Any suggestions.  I don’t understand how I can buy any RTW and not have any problems at all with fit yet absolutely everything I make has some quirk that makes me not want ot wear it.  I would someday like to make things for other people yet if I can’t get things to fit me,well….especially a big sweatshirt!

Replies

  1. Teaf5 | | #1

    Have you tried fitting the pattern pieces to the readymade tops that fit well?  If you are lucky enough to have two tops that fit well, you can make a strong basis for comparison.

    Turn the RTW top inside out,  mark the center of the neckline and the hem with pins, and pin one side of it flat on your ironing board or cork board.  Lay the corresponding pattern piece on top, pinning at the center front or back, and run your fingernail down all the seams, which will crease the pattern along the correct lines.  Trace the crease with a pencil or marker (take care to remove it from the original garment first!)

    You can also use gift wrapping tissue or waxed paper to trace patterns off RTW tops.  Then compare the commercial pattern pieces to the traced patterns and note where the differences are.  In my case, the shoulder seams are always an inch shorter, and the center front neckline drops lower, although patterns from different companies may need additional alterations.

  2. GailAnn | | #2

    I've wondered that, myself......why RTW will fit when a carefully chosen and sewn pattern has a "quirk".  Gail

    1. User avater
      blingy | | #3

      I think I have found the solution.  If I do a rounded shoulders/rounded back adjustment to the pattern this very annoying problem goes away.  I just don't understand why everything needs this adjustment yet all RTW is just that, ready to wear, with NO strange pulling!

      1. Teaf5 | | #4

        Maybe RTW manufacturers have come closer to fitting real bodies because we won't buy their clothes if they don't fit well.  Or maybe we feel that RTW is more likely to fit because we buy only the ones that do and leave the many that don't on the racks.

        The pattern companies don't really have a direct connection between sales and fit because the purchaser feels it's her problem, not theirs, and many of us are very optimistic and keep buying more patterns in hopes that they will work. 

        Our rate of success is probably similar to the manufacturers' rate, but it feels worse because we spent so much more time and effort on making each piece.  But take heart--even if our garments don't come out perfectly, we're still occupying ourselves and our time in a positive way.

        1. jjgg | | #5

          Teaf,
          I don't know. Probably 90% of people I see are walking around in clothing that doesn't fit properly

          1. Ralphetta | | #6

            You are SO right.  What other explanation is there for the muffin-top?

            That reminds me of something that really bothers me.  The lack of proper mirrors in dressing rooms.  I don't expect much if I'm shopping at a discount store but it really upsets me that customers don't see anything wrong with shopping at better department stores not equipped with mirrors that allow you to see your backside.  People just don't seem to think it's important to see what their butt looks like.   I couldn't believe that no one complained to an upscale store that remodeled their lingerie department and carefully fastened mirrors flat against 3 walls of each dressing room.  What a waste! You could only see your front, no matter which mirror you looked in.  I wanted to see how my bra looked in profile.  Obviously, I was the only customer who thought of this revolutionary concept.

          2. GailAnn | | #7

            The last year that I worked in an office, I bought a brand name, expensive to me, suit in an upscale department store.  It seemed OK in the dressing room, but the first day I wore it to work.....Oh, Boy!  I was uncomfortable all day.  I never would have accepted fit and workmanship as shoddy as that in something I had made myself.  Gail

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