What Shape Are You?

re: What Shape Are You?

AnnaM — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:19:34 GMT

sorry about the misspellings and errors above. The worst is "fooling the EYE",( not "fooling the dye")

re: What Shape Are You?

AnnaM — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:16:08 GMT

I checked in with my dressmaker colleagues at our monthly meeting of the the Association for Sewing and Design Professionals. I showed them the picture of Bertha with her red dot, and read them the paragraph about measuring front neck to waist to crotch. None of us has ever heard of such a measurement guideline for waist position "high" or "low". Knitwear and sewed clothing designers use a standardized, average back-neck-to-waist length, versus body size, not height!
Of course this is totally unhelpful, as lots of folks have posted above--but that is where "long" and "short" waistedness comes from. Height, shape, proportion, and "fooling the dye" will all affect the placement of the waist on any garment. I think it IS rocket science! But Sandi love, that dress form with the red dot is a red herring! Your picture gallery of how to find your waist is the best help. But where any one places the ribbing on one of these spring sweaters is;better based on trying on a soft garment that works, and playing with the placement of the waist curve. PLUS looking at yourself analytically in the mirror (shudder). My solution? make and appointment with a local good dressmaker for a consultation! Check whether he/she is a member of ASDP. Ask for help with styling for your body, and for the best place to put the waist curve.

re: What Shape Are You?

BarbM — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 14:04:27 GMT

I've been knitting for more years than I care to think about, but this is the most helpful stuff I've ever read on fitting.

Thank you.

Barb Meyer

re: What Shape Are You?

MelissaB@2 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:21:15 GMT

Help! I don't think I see my issue here!
I'm long from my shoulder to my bust line. My bra strap is always on the last notch and empire things that I buy readymade hit me above the bust. How do I fix this issue without making my armhole huge???
Thanks
Melissa In OR

re: What Shape Are You?

Cinders — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:15:40 GMT

Well I measured and I'm equal in both lenghts so does that make me equi-waisted?!

re: What Shape Are You?

HelenJ@2 — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:46:29 GMT

Hello, found the site and signed up. I have recently been taken up on my offer to teach 6 children at the local junior (7-11) school. As i have only ever taught 1 at a time before any suggestions please? I start in April after the Easter holidays.

re: What Shape Are You?

Lynn G. — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:12:31 GMT

P.S. I think Katie H's comments are very helpful and right on the money.

re: What Shape Are You?

Lynn G. — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:58:02 GMT

There seems to be a lot of confusion here, but my 1st impression after reading your e-mail was that, unless you are allowing for "belly fat" to count a lot in the lower measurement, very few women would have a longer waist to crotch measurement than the measurement of the collar bone all the way to the waist. It's possible, but I think the definitions you used today would put most people in the long-waisted category (as evidenced by your conclusions about Bertha, who is supposed to represent the average person, right?). I agree with those who are using other starting points at the "top," and I agree more with those who are isolating the section between the bottom rib cage and the hip bones as the best way to determine "long or short-waistedness." Regardless of terminology, I am 5'2", and I have short legs, a super-long torso, and a long rise. I am a "petite" by commercial definitions because of my height and short leg length, but I have a terrible time finding anything that fits because most commmerical pants are far too short in the rise for me to sit down comfortably and most commercial tops assume that if you are short, you must have a short torso. Nope! If I didn't have a curvy hourglass shape, and if my rear and hips were not the two places where I carry almost all of my meager body fat (I weigh under 95 pounds), then I would do better when teen clothing, but, alas, my hips are too wide, my waist too narrow, my torso and rise too long. I look cute in teen pants but cannot sit down! I have no idea how this info translates into knitting garments since it is rare for patterns to be written small enough even for my most basic measurements.

re: What Shape Are You?

Julierose — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:59:59 GMT

Hi Sandi--I have frogged way too many sweaters--I knit them and then they look AWFUL on me. i am hoping that this measuring will be a help to my finding out just what looks good on my now-zaftig (!!) figure. Thanks Julierose

re: What Shape Are You?

GraceJ — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:05:23 GMT

I work in technical design and the terms ?long? or ?short waisted? are completely new to me, which is why I asked for clarification in the first place. In my experience, unless you are referring to waist circumference, the waist is a point of reference for other torso measurements.

In technical design, the torso is usually measured from "center back neck" to the "waistline", and then from the "waistline" to the "high" and "low hip". For pants, the waist to crotch measurement is referred to as the "front" or "back rise". The rise is not used in patternmaking for tops; instead the high or low hip is. On a standard* size 8, the length from CB neck to waist is about 15.75? and the waist to low hip is about 9?. This is a standard base measurement (not "normal" or even "average", since there is no such thing!) and is not considered ?long waisted.? Personally, I think that term is confusing and more than a little misleading!

PS. I think Bertha is a Petite, which explains why the empire style line on the Printed Silk Cardigan falls on her natural waist.

*http://www.simplicity.com/section/fittips/meas_charts/MeasCharInches.pdf

re: What Shape Are You?

SharonL@3 — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 21:59:58 GMT

Very interesting information. But I'm puzzled: by my measurements, I am long-waisted, but whenever I knit a sweater for myself I have to shorten the underarm length by at least an inch so that it isn't too long (I'm also 5 feel tall). This seems to be a contradiction . . .

re: What Shape Are You?

EleanorM — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:35:10 GMT

Making a duct tape dress form is easy. However, I discovered that it is easy to over-stuff it, as duct tape stretches. My husband helped me make one, but it wasn't good for fitting the waist or hips, as I overstuffed it, I am going to make a new one using the paper shipping tape. This material takes a while to dry, but when you are done it is hard and can't be accidentally stretched out of shape.

re: What Shape Are You?

AlisonM@2 — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:32:50 GMT

what shape am I? Blob shaped unfortunately. I have yet to find useful advice to suit my rather lumpy/wobbly frame. A kind friend once decribed me as a rather over comfortable favourite pillow/cushion. At least I'm cuddly!

re: What Shape Are You?

LaurieR — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:23:30 GMT

Speaking of dress dummies... here are some directions for making your own duct tape dress form. That'll give you an even better idea of what your curves look like.
http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00002.asp

re: What Shape Are You?

veeknits — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:02:14 GMT

Sandi, how about some suggestions on making your own dress dummy match your own measurements? I have mine wearing one of my bras!
Vee L.