Custom-made skirt

I’m really enjoying the pattern classes I’m taking. I must admit, it was a bit confronting in the beginning. Sure, we had to take each others measurements, I was prepared for that. And that each one of us had to go and stand in front of the class so we could determine where our lumps and bumps were to decide where the darts should go, I could live with that as well. Eventhough I was marked as a hollow-back girl. Literally, of course, not the Gwen Stefani kind. Hey, I’m married after all 😉

At that point, silly me even thought the hardest part was over. I had been scrutinized, now I could draw my pattern and take that hollow back into account. Easy peasy. Of course, I had totally forgot about fitting. And believe you me, when you say the word fitting, you should hear thunder and see lightning to indicate how ominous it actually is.

So, I had to make my first skirt. In muslin (or left-over fabric), so it could still be altered and perfected afterwards. And once again, I would have to go in front of the class to be scrutinized. Oh boy. I made sure I’d had enough sleep, focused on a positive mood and put on my skirt. And my thick skin. I was ready for battle.

Now, you may ask yourself why we had to go through all this hassle again. Wasn’t the skirt already made to fit? Well, it was. But only in theory. And that theory does not take your actual built into account, or your standing posture, or how one side of your body is not necessarily exactly the same as your other side.

The picture below comes from Posture for a Healthy Back: What is Good Posture and shows you what kind of postures there are. And each of these postures influence how you wear a skirt (or any other garment, for that matter).

For me, the conclusion was that I was not symmetrical. My hip is a bit higher on one side, which makes that my skirt is a bit higher up on one side as well. My standing posture also sways back a bit, which makes my skirt look a bit longer at the back than it looks on the front. These ‘faults’ had to be taken into account in my pattern as well. I also had to adjust my side seams a bit, so they were in the middle of my hip. That’s because I have more bum than belly. Which is a good thing 😉 And that was all!

To be honest, I considered myself lucky. True, some people were a lot better off, having to change nearly nothing. But others had their skirt cut over their bellies, or over their thighs, to indicate where extra fabric was needed. A very good practice, but I was just glad that my underwear wasn’t suddenly showing.

So yes, the conclusing is that I’m a hollow-backed high-hipped girl, which actually means that I’m a bit lopsided and slightly out of balance. But from now on, noone will be able to tell that any more from the way my skirt looks.

How about you? Do you have good posture, or do you recognize yourself more in the other postures?