This week I’ve got a special treat for you. This month we’re covering the topic of fitting knits so I thought you might enjoy a glimpse inside my online course The Custom Stretch Kit Bodice Block. This course teaches you how to draft a custom size t-shirt to your personal body measurements using the stretch ratio of your chosen fabric. It’s loaded with valuable information about knits and custom knit pattern making and I can’t resist sharing a piece of the information I know you can all use.

The stretch ratio of a knit is extremely important when it comes to getting a successful fit. In order to eliminate the darts on a knit garment, you must use negative ease and the stretch ratio of the fabric to force the fabric around your body contours. If you’re not using the fabrics ability to stretch, you will be left with draglines and folds that you must become comfortable with or manage in some other way. Over the next few weeks we’re going cover these...

Over the past couple of weeks we've been diving deep into sleeve fitting. In the first video of the series we talked about the armhole shape and size and determined how to assess if it will be a good foundation for your sleeve. In the second video of the series we talked about the sleeve itself and determined how to assess if it will fit into the bodice armhole correctly.

This week I want to demonstrate how to asses and trouble shoot the fit of the sleeve in a "real life" sample so I'm sending a big THANK YOU to Jill who has allowed me to use her photos in this video. I have no doubt that this example will help someone else struggling with fitting sleeves.

While this example is a knit sleeve, it represents the same issues that are found commonly in woven sleeves as well. Watch the video for a demonstration on how to assess the sample for fit and direction on how to adjust the pattern to follow.

Here are the links to the resources mentioned in this week's video:

The...

Have you ever wondered why you have those draglines under the bust on all your T-Shirts? No matter how hard you try, you can never seem to be rid of it!

In some cases this is caused by a need for a full bust adjustment, but if you've already completed your bust adjustment and still have this problem, I've got some insight or you.  In this video, I tell you exactly why it's there and what you'll need to do to eliminate it.

After you've watched the video, let me know if you've had this issue and what you did to solve it. Leave your comments below if you've got some insight to share!

If you missed the demonstration on how to make a bust adjustment on a T-Shirt, watch this video now.

If you are interested in creating your own Custom Stretch Knit Bodice Block, you can explore the online course by clicking the image below.

All My Best,
Alexandra