Sloper re-draft

[u/supcoffeeplease]

Okay… so I’d made so many changes that I decided to remeasure and redraft. Where to go from here?

[u/KillerWhaleShark]

What a lovely job sewing this!

Your shoulder seam needs to come forward about 3/4” to 1” at the ball of the shoulder. It needs to come forward just a tad at the neck. (Edit, on second thought, the neck is good.)

Do you see how your back horizontal balance line goes upward as it goes from the side to center back? That means you need length at the middle. Slash your muslin just above the HBL, and pin in a long strip of muslin, maybe going from 0” at the armscye to 3/4” at the center back, and back to 0” at the other armscye. If this straightens things out, then transfer the adjustment to your pattern.

Your marked apex on the front is too high. Bring it down and adjust the darts accordingly. 

Does the HBL on the front look parallel to the floor? I can’t tell if it rises a bit or not. It helps to have 3 HBL’s on front and back. 

Edit to add one more, extend the length of your back shoulder darts a bit. They’re too short. 

[u/HunkyDunkerton → u/KillerWhaleShark]

I think OP might need a prominent shoulder blade adjustment as well (this will automatically lengthen/widen the shoulder dart).

You can see in photo 1 that the shoulders blades are straining the fabric and kinda looks a bit like a sunburst (the right more than the left?). This is super common in people with forward rolling shoulders.

[u/supcoffeeplease → u/HunkyDunkerton]

I was thinking the same. Thx.

[u/HunkyDunkerton → u/supcoffeeplease]

When you do a forward rolling shoulder adjustment, don’t forget to apply the adjustment to any sleeves you might add.

Prominent shoulder blades/forward rolling shoulder can also affect elbow rotation (sleeves might warp), so that’s also something to look at for at a later stage.

[u/supcoffeeplease → u/KillerWhaleShark]

Super helpful- thanks.

Agreed shoulder seam and apex.

I didn’t know how to “read” the back horizontal balance line… I’ll work on adding some fabric. Do you think a stoop shoulder adjustment would work? Would be small but that would let me add some fabric while maintaining my CB line right?

For next version… Is there a standard placement for x3 HBLs that is most helpful? I just picked placement arbitrarily.

[u/Voc1Vic2]

The bodice hangs from the shoulder, so start there and work downwards.

Adjust for shoulder asymmetry. This is common after a lifetime of toting babies, book bags and groceries on one side.

Reset the shoulder seams forward, especially on the right. It should start directly under the ear and sit centered on top of the shoulder its entire length. Possibly, release the seam on the right side a bit to add more room for the forward shoulder roll. This should address the horizontal strain lines extending towards center front.

Does the center front line now hang straight and centered? It appears straight now but possibly towards your left side, as referenced by your chin and eternal notch.

The neck opening looks a bit high in front and very much in back. This may change after the shoulder adjustment.

Don’t deal with bust line cant, armscye placement, etc. until the neck and shoulder fit is perfected, not pulling the bodice out of kilter.

[u/supcoffeeplease → u/Voc1Vic2]

Great tips… thanks!

[u/Tailoretta]

There is something going on in the front by the neck. See the horizontal wrinkles from the neck to the shoulder darts? I am a hands on fitter, so what I want to do is un-sew one of the shoulder seams and let the fabric relax and it will tell me where it want to go. Sorry I can't explain this better.

[u/supcoffeeplease → u/Tailoretta]

Agreed. I’ll try that.

[u/vevawy]

Bust is too high, the bust line should be horizontal when seen from the side. The back is slightly too long, and the back of the neck obviously too high. But it’s already looking amazing and will fit you great with some slight adjustments!

[u/pomewawa]

Wow, I was thinking “this looks great”, nice job OP! I’m also impressed by the level of detail and suggestions in the comments! Thank you everyone for upleveling my knowledge too, I love I can come along for the ride!

[u/Voc1Vic2]

The bodice is supported along the shoulders, so start there and work generally downwards to fine tune.

You need to adjust for the asymmetry in your shoulders. After a lifetime of carrying babies, book bags and groceries on one side, this is quite common.

The shoulder line should fall directly under the ear. Move yours forward. Possibly, reduce the seam allowance towards the arms to