Sewing for Susan: Self-drafted vs. Commercial Patterns

Meet my client, effervescent New Yorker Susan D!

I'm going to be making some summer clothes for Susan -- a sleeveless dress, an A-line skirt, perhaps a blouse -- in the coming weeks and, having received Susan's permission, have decided to share the experience with you. 

Susan is a professional woman who loves the outdoors and is an avid golf player.   Because she's petite (5'2"), with a short waist and a wide back, Susan often has a hard time finding clothes that fit her well.

Susan's full bust is 39", (true) waist is 32 1/2, and her hips at their fullest are 38 1/2.  She wears a 38B bra.  Below (and above) Susan is wearing a princess-seamed cotton pique sheath dress from Talbot's in a 10 Petite.

There's considerable pooling just below Susan's waist: the back torso is too long.

I'm excited about creating clothes for Susan and I've decided to work from a self-drafted sloper based on Susan's measurements rather than from a commercial pattern.  (The garments I'll be making will be basic, classic shapes.)

I'll be using Dorothy Moore's excellent Pattern Drafting and Dressmaking, a vintage (1971) book I experimented with a few years ago.  I find it extremely clear.







Susan and I have talked about fabrics and she's especially fond of a cotton Ascher floral print, a vintage reproduction, from my stash.  I think the yellow flatters her (I suspect she's a summer) but I'm wondering if the scale of the print might be too large -- thoughts?



You may recall that Gertie (who's about 5'7") used the same fabric to make a dress in 2012 using McCalls 6503.



Over the next few days I'll be working on slopers, which I hope to try on Susan next Monday.  Then we'll take it from there.

What I'd love to achieve is a less rectangular look for Susan.  I think a soft print in a more flowing fabric with a slightly looser fit would look lovely on her.  Since she works in a professional environment and is over 40, girly (or excessively vintage-y) looks aren't quite right.

I'd love to hear your ideas, if you have any.  If you have a similar build to Susan's, what works for you?

Do you agree that it makes more sense to start with a well-fitting self-drafted sloper (which I can use for future garments for Susan) than to work from a commercial pattern needing a lot of adjustments? 

Have a great day, everybody!