Loving your Curves

Loving Your Curves

Jill Ralston for Fabulous FitÂŽ

Index Beautiful Plus Sizes

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Love Your Curves!

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Easy Lifestyle Ageless Clothes

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CONGRATULATIONS, GINGER! Head designer: Star Trek Continues, Web Series...

As a plus size girl, I struggle with finding formal dresses that won’t show my bra straps. The flip side of that coin is that I also struggle with finding supportive ‘decorative’ or convertible bras. As a result, my bra straps have been peeking out from under my spaghetti straps for years at weddings, nice dinners, the theater - so I decided enough!

This gorgeous maxi dress is a breeze with the Fabulous Fit system. First, I placed the bra I wanted to wear with my formal gown onto the base dressform. For this design I used a standard balconet bra from Torrid and a cheap adjustable dressform torso from Joannes. Next, I filled the bra with Fit pads so that it would hold its shape, then placed the Fit cover over top. After this, I padded out the torso as usual to my measurements.

While drafting this dress, I used a nice thick stretch pleather to block out the edges of where the bra lay underneath. I basically traced the braw with my pleather strips.

Once I was happy with the coverage, I began drafting the silk sections. It is important to note that the ‘cup’ pieces of the silk fabric MUST be cut on the bias to appropriately stretch. For my silk I chose a gorgeous lightweight silk georgette print, also from Joannes. I made it a point to V the waistband up under the center chest, to give a tighter and more flattering silhouette.

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VERY EXCITING THAT GINGER IS TAKING PRE-ORDERS ON THIS DRESS! Gingerholley.com While drafting the skirt, I made sure to keep it a little loose around the body, padded with the Fitting System. This is an 8 gore flare skirt simulating a maxi cut. I had to do it that way because of fabric shortages, but I was still able to achieve the billow I wanted. This skirt also has side-seam in seam pockets, because women are people too and we have needs. Needs!

When it came time to attach everything together, I serged the silk pieces separately, then connected them to the stretch pieces using a Janome Cover Pro coverstitch machine. While attaching the skirt to the waistband, I let the waistband act as a gathering elastic so that the dress did not need a zipper closure. For the final step, I top stitched the stretch pieces and hemmed the bottom of the skirt - but not too much.

This dress came out exactly as I wanted; it simulates a plunge neckline, tricks the eye into accepting an empire waist even on someone who is not very small in the midsection, and most importantly it will not show a single bra strap.

Now if I only had somewhere nice enough to wear it!

GINGER! AMAZING!! AND ADDING SILK TO LEATHER WAS CERTAINLY A WIN! ONCE! NO MISTAKES!

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FITTING PLUS CLOTHES...

Creating your body on the dress form is absolutely the beginning of sewing plus sized clothes. The most important areas to watch for are, bra straps, as Ginger pointed out. Drawing attention to the curves that work, and letting the fabric fall straight on the grainline is key. Notice the areas where you move. Give yourself room to breathe and laugh. Create armholes that are not restricting, or cut too high, and layers of fabric that flow, rather than compress.

Notice only the pressure points where your body moves. This is where you will need ease in the fabric, which is slight gathering to create fullness over a curve. This slight gathering can be done at any curve, anywhere, and then pressed out to be completely invisible.

Our bodies are all so different, but the rules are all the same. (I will keep saying this.) The different body types used in the pictures represent a target market of 24 to 35 and since I am way beyond that age group…let’s extend this to “ageless, timeless clothes”.

If the bust is lower, make sure the form is smaller and build out the bust with the Bust Pads at the lowest position.If you need to raise the shoulders in order to make the bust even lower; then bump up the shoulders with the Shoulder Pads to elongate the bust. If your bottom got flatter; build out the thighs and the bottom on your dress form will match. If your waist does not exist; create “no torso” with the Side Back Pads.

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Building Proportion I love the way the jacket hem is just below the curve of the stomach and upper hip curves.

The jacket fits perfectly at the armcrease and the shoulders. Here’s the catch. The jacket isn’t buttoned and the balance of the shoulders would be ruined if it were.

ALTERATION:

Front and back seam only. Alter the collar to match. This is the jacket to be recreated in everything from sweatshirt fabric to silk, because the proportions are perfect for every curve. Is this jacket size too small for her? Yes. Some things about this jacket work for the style though...so why not just add to the parts that need more fabric? The jacket gives her size a higher armhole, a snug shoulder line, tighter sleeve, and perfect length. By measuring and re-creating every line that works, and then adding to the front and back seam for width, you will be able to re-create what you love about this jacket. Since the jacket size was cut for a smaller fit model, the sleeve will also be cut for a shorter elbow position.

EASY FIX: Cut the sleeve horizontally at the wide part of the arm, between the elbow and shoulder where the vertical line of the arm is straight, and then lengthen the sleeve to match the bend of the elbow.

The sleeve is important in movement, of course, but most of the problems that will ever arise are in the bodice. This is where balance starts.

SOME COMMON MISTAKES TO WATCH OUT FOR With only slight alterations, and a dress form that matches the movement areas of the body, you will see how every curve can be addressed to be comfortable, and flattering: whether you are showing your curves or not.

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Allowing for the fabric to circle under the natural armhole will keep the fabric smooth over the curves without creasing or pulling under the sleeve. Starting at the shoulder line, always, fit the bodice first; making sure that the bust area has enough ease to follow the curve, without pulling on the sides.

If you aren’t creating clothes with a tight under bust shape, then focus only on the body curves that you will be addressing when you pad your dress form.

BUST LINES CAN BE MADE HIGHER OR LOWER BY POSITIONING THE PADS AT YOUR VERTICAL MEASUREMENT

IF YOU WOULD LIKE HELP FITTING PLUS SIZES, PLEASE EMAIL US AT info@fabulousfit.com Thank you!

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Ginger Holley: Costume designer and series wardrobe supervisor for the award winning web series Star Trek Continues!

Ginger Holley Design GingerHolley.com Film work at StarTrekContinues.com

GINGER HOLLEY. MARVEL COMICS INSPIRED BLACK PANTHER CONVERTIBLE PLEATHER DRESS. Claudia Harris Photography

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I chose three types of thick stretch pleather; One matte, one dark silver, and one black metallic, for a subtle addition of depth, and one rubberized embossed. I then also chose a novelty black and silver lightweight knit for the skirt section. Before I started on the particulars of the pattern, I drafted a very simple princess seamed body con dress that stopped at the knee using my Fabulous Fit System. Then, once the front, side front, side back, and back of the princess seam dress were on paper, went back to the fit system to mark out something that was reminiscent of the extremely complex design of the Black Panther costume. While the real costume numbers in the hundreds of pieces, I managed to keep my dress down to a mere 50!

Feeling very accomplished with my blocking, I then traced off the shapes I had outlined on my dress form to the previously patterned princess seam dress. Once that was done, I labeled each piece with which section it belonged to and what texture fabric it would be. Then I cut the pieces apart and added seam allowance to all of them.

Once everything was cut out, I began to put them together.

I used ONLY my Janome Cover Pro cover stitch machine for this entire project, alternating from a single to a double needle stitch: Single to connect the pieces, and double to topstitch down each seam, pinning every seam allowance flat. The most important thing about the construction of this dress is the order in which the pieces must be attached. I was very careful to never attach a piece into another piece before top stitching if there was no way to go back and do it after. This is an intuitive part of the process and just takes visual awareness as you go through the pieces, and is not something I personally find worth planning out ahead of time.

To add a third dimension in the stitches, I also placed double rows of top stitching at a half inch away from several seam lines to mimic the addition of yes, even more

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pieces. Once all of that was done, I turned and stitched the neck and armholes down, added a single piece circle skirt to the bottom of the princess seam dress, and hemmed. I mimicked Black Panther’s necklace with some spike trim, which I attached to the pleather with contact cement for a more secure hold.

The reason the final photo looks like 2 dresses is because technically, it is! A little bit of elastic in the circle skirt seam line, and voila - the dramatic mermaid evening gown becomes a cute skater dress with a black waistband! Not only does converting from the skater to the mermaid go great from day to night transitions, but converting from the mermaid to the skater goes from rather hot to much, much cooler in the span of just a few seconds without having to go hide in the bathroom and strip!

I am obsessed with the exact precision of the fit of this dress. It makes me feel super sexy and proud of my curves, and I love that I can go from wining and dining straight to fighting with the avengers just by hikin’ up my skirt! :D Ginger...You are amazing. We love your spirit, we love your clothes, and we want more!!! EVERYBODY GO TO: www.gingerholley.com!! You will love Ginger as much as her clothes!

Attention to detail...

Not only does the fabric sway and move over Ginger’s curves, but every shape is followed to the shape her body, The bust

on the bodice of the pleather is

shaped and molded by the gathers at the shoulders, and then spread out over the curves of

the bust line, caught by the high seam under the bust. When you

see the shape on your dress form, the fabric and fantasy will show you where the curves should be for your shape...

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Not only has Ginger finished each piece with her signature detail, but the broader scope of her designs have a purpose in curves and proportions. Her clothes are about being powerful.

Everything has purpose, a curve, a detail and a flow.

Proportion is one of the most important design details of anything you will create.

It’s all about the body that you are hanging the clothes on and how you will feel when you wear them. Take the time time to look at your body proportions in the mirror and check for yourself. There are a million numbers that can be added and subtracted for your best proportion...but nothing will give you the feeling in your clothes like seeing your proportion for yourself.

SUCCESS IS NOT A MYSTERY

Building the Bodice...

As you can see, Ginger is a professional in every sense of design, but her steps and ideas are an inspiration to all. Ginger loves curves and works with them. Her pirincess line dress is a perfect example of breaking the rules when you understand

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the fabric. A princess seam line, is always said to go over the bust point...unless you play with the fabric and shape it to the front, of the bodice; as you can easily see on the green and print dress. Obviously, this was not her first try creating dresses. The shaping over she shoulders of the purple dress and the flow of the print shows seriously thought.

Notice in her planning how she always starts with the bodice, and builds around the curves.

LOVE THE LEATHER AND PLEATHER! THANK YOU SO MUCH, Ginger!

PLEASE LET US KNOW YOUR QUESTIONS AND CHALLENGES...WE WILL HELP YOU! info@fabulousfit.com

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THANK YOU LYNDA! Clothes by Lynda Bunne cheweyleathers.com

attention to detail and simplicity!

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In working with hundreds and hundreds of people, I am always seeing that “universal power” of the pencil skirt.

Simple small details in fittimg the pencil skirt, give it power. and comfort... every time! The skirt details...

• balanced and secured at the waist across the stomach • follows the shape of the curves of your hip line.

• Proportioned hemlines above or below the curvature of the leg • Ease added where needed for movement

love the pencil skirt!

The best way to start with fitting detail is to go back to your most basic pattern...one more time.

Once your skirt is secure at just the right waist point and the upper hip is eased over the stomach...you can change the look to shorter, longer, or fuller, without ever changing the comfort of your favorite piece.

Here’s How...

Pencil skirts lay flat against the stomach because the darts and side seams shape the body. The shaping also gives a nice lift to the butt.

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Keeping this in mind...here is the fitting sequence for skirts.

• start with the anchor at your most comfortable waist point • shape the body to match your curves at the hip line adding darts over the curves

in the front and back • ease thighs, upper hip or stomach to accommodate curves • check proportion, and skirt hem circumference

starting with the waist...

• Identify your most comfortable waist position to check your

“Comfort Zone”. You can check this from the position of your sweat pants after you roll them down for comfort, or any other pants, or comfortable waisted clothes, that you might grab without thinking. Start your skirt at your most comfortable waist position whether it is above the waist ,below the waist, or spot on the waist.

• Pin the muslin to the dress form as the pattern was intended,

according to your size; changes will be made from here.

• Shape the darts front and back • Mark and pin the darts evenly to contour the curves of the

upper hip line • Ease fabric over any area that pulls • Remove extra fabric from any area that gapes ; shaping

always to the curves of your body on the dress form

things to remember...

• Ease can be placed at any curve; upper hip (or love

handles), lower thigh, or back hip for “super curvy”.

• Press the ease carefully to smooth the fabric over the curve • Curve the side seams to the middle of the leg; between the knee and top of leg.

• Use darts or elastic across the back of the skirt for added comfort.

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assymetrical bodies...

follow the shape at the anchor, not the hemline...

Once you address the anchor at the waist or upper hip positions your skirts and pants will move; always following the flow of your comfort zone.

• Start all alterations for assymetrical bodies at the anchor point, for movement

and comfort.

• Ease fabric over curves at any point • ADD, OR SUBTRACT, TO THE BACK SEAM AS NEEDED FOR THE UNEVEN

SIDES. One side of the skirt will need more fabric; adjusted by adding extra fabric to one side at the back seam. Match side seams to side body on the dress form.

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Assymmetrical bodies might have different pressure points for movement, than the pattern allows for, but the adjustments are the same. KEEP THE GRAINLINES STRAIGHT. When fabric pulls across any area, you’ll feel the pressure or twist. By releasing the fabric of the pull, and replacing it with ease, the fabric will fall naturally over the curve.

keep the grainlines straight...

For every action there is a reaction. Design takes its own path when you focus on the grainline or go with a mistake.

Whatever the curve, the ease or the adjustment, you cannot go wrong when you follow the grainline.

I hope you enjoyed this! Please drop us a line at info@fabulousfit.com We would love to hear your challenges and comments! info@fabulousfit.com

Thanks so much, Jill & the Fabulous Fit Team Thanks again, Lynda Bunne, at chewyleathers.com for sharing your fabulous, timeless, clothes!

All Rights Reserved Š (thank you!)

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Wishing you fabulous clothes!”

The Fabulous Fit Team