Man alive, this fitting lark is a tricky business. My first shirt (garment 1) was OK but feels a bit twisted when worn, and the button bands hang out to the sides when it is left open. I manipulated the dart to the side seam but there was clearly a big problem with the subsequent muslin. The front pieces also swing way out to the sides and I had to put in additional darts half way up the centre.

Back to the drawing board – several times. Although it has taken ten days, the final muslin is straight and comfortable.

I hestitate to include the next image but it documents my struggle and how frustrating it can be to get a garment to fit well. Six attempts until I got it right.

Lessons learned:

1. Get the side seams of a garment right before taking in a waist dart. Waist darts should be as small as possible and should not be compensating for side seams that are too wide.
2. If a paper pattern has a huge waist dart, something is probably wrong unless you have the figure of Dolly Parton (I don’t)

So, finally, it is time to tackle the actual shirt. The effort to get the muslin right is worth it for the sake of a wearable garment, but it is a little exhausting sometimes.

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