Tailors and Seamstresses of Marrach

Page 03: Fitting Bodices
Page 04: Fitting Skirts
Page 05: Fitting Chemises
Page 06: Fitting Dresses
Page 07: Fitting Girdles

Page 08: Fitting Shirts
Page 09: Fitting Tunics
Page 10: Fitting Vests
Page 11: Fitting Pants

Page 12: Fitting Aprons
Page 13: Fitting Belts
Page 14: Fitting Cloaks
Page 15: Fitting Scarves

Page 16: Fitting Other Accessories

Hello. This is my book on how to fit clothing.

It's important to fit clothing appropriately to a person because clothing says a lot about a person. It tells you what they do, what they like, if they care or don't care about their look and it can tell you their rank or station. Lots of people will judge a person by the clothing they wear.

Also, clothing tells you a lot about the seamstress and tailor. It tells you how skilled they are, how much they care about their work and how much time they took in making the piece of clothing. A very skilled tailor or seamstress will often leave their mark on a piece of clothing they have made.

In the rest of this book, I talk about how to fit the most basic pieces of clothing. Also, these are only my thoughts on things that have worked for me.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard bodice is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit a bodice well, you need to get the following measurements:
-From the top of the back of the neck to thhe waist
-Across the back from shoulder to shoulder<
-Across the middle of the back
-Across the front under the bust
-Across the front over the middle of the buust
-Waist size

A bodice is designed to fit closely to the body and shaping to the curves of a woman. The bodice should be snug in back but not too tight. The front should have a one to two inch gap, stopping it from closing completely without a leather thong.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard ankle length skirt is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit an ankle length skirt well, you need to get the following measurements:
-Waist size
-Distance from the waist to the ankle

A skirt is designed to flow full and loose about the legs. The skirt waist should be snug without being tight. You should add one to two inches to the waist to allow a person to sit down. Skirts should be ankle length but full. This means you should add one to two inches to the measurement of distance from the waist to the ankle.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard chemise is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit a chemise well, you need to get the following measurements:
-Across the back from shoulder to shoulder<
-Distance from the shoulder to the ankle -Waist size
-Hip size
-From the shoulder to the wrist
-Around the widest part of the arm

A chemise is designed to be loose around the body. It is an undergarment to both a dress or a skirt and bodice. It is not designed to be fitted like a dress. It hangs loose and shapeless. You need to make sure it is the proper length, is not too loose or too tight over the shoulders and the sleeves are full and long enough.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard dress is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit a dress well, you need to get the following measurements:
-From the top of the back of the neck to thhe waist
-Across the back from shoulder to shoulder<
-Across the middle of the back
-Across the front over the middle of the buust
-From the shoulder to the wrist
-Around the widest part of the arm
-Waist size
-Hip size
-Distance from the shoulder to the floor -Distance from the waist to the floor

A dress is designed to flatter and accent the best parts of the body. You can look at it as a fitted chemise or putting a bodice and skirt together, only with a floor length skirt. It is OK to treat the top and bottom parts of the dress separately, but you have to remember that they go together in the end. Also, it is important to know what the dress is for. Keep that in mind as you tailor it. The waist should be snug without being tight. Also, you need to make sure it is the proper length, is not too loose or tight over the shoulders and the sleeves are full and long enough.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard girdle is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit a girdle well, you need to get the following measurements:
-Waist size
-Hip size

A girdle is a women's belt worn round the waist to emphasize the line of the wearer's hips. It much wide than a man's belt, usually three to six inches wide. Many women like to wear it snuggly, which is fine, but remember that they have to sit down and eat in it. So, add the extra inch to the waist size length and remember the hips need room to move, too.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard man's shirt is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit a man's shirt well, you need to get the following measurements:
-From the top of the back of the neck to thhe waist
-Across the back from shoulder to shoulder<
-Chest size
-Waist size
-From the shoulder to the wrist
-Around the widest part of the arm

A standard man's shirt is the basic masculine undergarment. It is usually worn loose around the chest, across the shoulders, arms and waist while it laces at the chest. The sleeves should be slightly longer than the distance from the shoulder to the wrist. The fit is the same across the chest as it is the waist, so the shirt is usually looser around the waist and can be worn loose or tucked into pants.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard man's tunic is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit a man's tunic well, you need to get the following measurements:
-From the top of the back of the neck to thhe knee
-Across the back from shoulder to shoulder<
-Chest size
-Waist size
-Hip size
-From the shoulder to the wrist
-Around the widest part of the arm

A standard man's tunic is a simple long-sleeved, slip-on garment of knee length. It is usually worn loose around the chest, across the shoulders, arms and waist. The sleeves should be slightly longer than the distance from the shoulder to the wrist. The fit is the same across the chest as it is the waist and the hips, so it needs to be a loose garment to allow a person to move. You can fit it closer to the body where it is wider at the chest than the waist but remember the man has to be able to both sit and walk in it.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard vest is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit a vest well, you need to get the following measurements:
-Across the back from shoulder to shoulder<
-From the top of the back of the neck to thhe waist

A vest is designed to be a sleeveless loose over-garment for shirts. It can be worn open or closed. It should fit comfortably over the shoulders and back while fitting slightly looser in the front to allow a person to move easily.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard pair of pants is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit a pair of pants well, you need to get the following measurements:
-Waist size
-Distance from the back of the waist to thee top of the back of the thigh
-Distance from the front of the waist to thhe top of the front of the thigh
-Outer leg length from waist to ankle
-Inner leg length from top of the thigh to ankle

A pair of pants is designed to fit closely to the body while letting a person move easily. The length of the pants should be about one inch longer than the ankle so it does not ride up. The backside of the pants needs to be roomy enough to let a person sit down but not so roomy it droops when they stand up. You should add one to two inches to the waist to allow for a person sitting down. The front of the pants should lay flat and not bunch up.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard apron is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit an apron well, you need to get the following measurements:
-Distance from back of neck to top of the cchest
-Chest size
-Waist size
-Hip size
-Distance from the collar bone to the knee

An apron is a protective outer garment that covers the front of the body. You have to make sure it is wide enough at the three main points: Chest, waist and hips. It has to be long enough to reach the knees. Make sure the neck tie is long enough so it does not choke the wearer and the waist ties are long enough to circle the waist comfortably.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard cloak is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit an cloak well, you need to get the following measurements:
-Around the neck
-Across the back from shoulder to shoulder<
-Across the front from shoulder to shoulderr
-Distance from the shoulder to the knee or ankle

A cloak is a sleeveless, hooded outer garment which fits closely at the neck and hangs loosely over the shoulders, extending to the knees or ankles. A cloak is pretty easy to fit as long as you make sure it fits correctly over the shoulders and around the neck. It should be loose but not too loose. A cloak should be big enough to cover the whole body and close in the front. Most cloaks fall to the knee, but some fall to the ankle.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard belt is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit an belt well, you need to get the following measurement:
-Waist size

A belt is designed to hold up pants or keep shirts from being too loose. A belt should fit snuggly to the body but also have two to three inches of extra material to allow the wearer to adjust it to the body. This includes them wearing extra clothing, sitting down and loosing or gaining weight.

[A simple, but clear, drawing of a standard scarf is diagramed at the top of this page.]

To fit an scarf well, you need to get the following measurement:
-Across the back from wrist to wrist

A scarf is designed to be worn around the neck for warmth. It is usually six to twelve inches wide, depending on the size of the person who is wearing it and how wide they want it. A good measure measurement for the length of the scarf is the distance across the back from wrist to wrist. That way, it will not be too long or too short.

[A series of simple but clear drawings of a hat, a pair of gloves, a pair of slippers and a pair of boots are diagramed and labeled at the top of this page.]

The fitting of other accessories such as hats, gloves and shoes cannot be done by the simple tailor or seamstress. They need special work by people who specialize in them.

Hats are fitted by the Hatter.
Gloves are fitted by the Glover.
Slippers, shoes and boots are fitted by the Cobbler.

Remember, this book only covers the most basic of clothing. For fancier clothing, you will need to read a book that covers those pieces of clothing.