Hey Everyone,
Over the past two months, I’ve taken a deep, immersive dive into bodice drafting and fitting. I’ve been reviewing multiple drafting methods, creating new bodice and torso slopers, and teaching a mix of in‑person and Zoom bodice fitting classes. All of that hands‑on work has sparked a handful of real epiphanies—time‑saving strategies, smarter ways to measure, and better checkpoints for evaluating ease before you commit to cutting.
With all these discoveries, I knew it was time to update my Efficient Work Flow for Bodice Fitting workbook. And in this post, I’m sharing three of the biggest improvements that will make your fitting process faster, clearer, and more accurate:
- Time‑saving tips that streamline your workflow
- A better method for measuring sleeve cap height directly from your muslin
- A simple way to double‑check ease before cutting out your sleeve
My goal is to help you fit with confidence—and have a little more FUN along the way
Time‑Saving Tip: Skip the Forward Ball of Shoulder Adjustment (At First)
While teaching my in‑person 3‑Day Bodice Fitting Class in March, I had the rare luxury of watching students move through the entire workflow—choosing a starting size, identifying body‑specific adjustments, prepping their pattern pieces, and finally cutting out a half muslin. Once we reached the “Blue Zone” fitting stage (Upper Back, Neck, Shoulders, and High Bust/Chest), I noticed something important: we were spending time on an adjustment that didn’t actually need to happen at the pattern stage.
One of the most common body‑specific adjustments I look for is a Forward Ball of Shoulder—when the shoulder joint sits forward of the neck. There is a great pattern adjustment for this: lengthening the back armhole and shortening the front armhole so the seam aligns with where the shoulder actually sits. It’s not difficult, but it is time‑consuming.
Here’s the epiphany:
Because I already have students add extra fitting allowances above the shoulder seams, the muslin itself gives us the room we need to make this adjustment during fitting instead of on paper. You can simply let out the back armhole and take in the front armhole right on the muslin—achieving the exact same result without the extra drafting steps.
In other words, you don’t need to do the Forward Ball of Shoulder adjustment on the pattern before cutting. The fitting allowances do the heavy lifting, and you save time without sacrificing accuracy.
A Better Way to Measure Sleeve Cap Height
The next epiphany came once the bodice was fully fitted and it was time to move on to the sleeve. For years, I’ve relied on my standard body measurement for cap height—measuring from the tip of the shoulder down to the bicep. It’s a solid starting point, but during this round of deep‑dive fitting, it hit me: that measurement doesn’t always reflect the style you’re fitting.
Even though the top of the sleeve cap doesn’t shift much in set‑in sleeve designs, the base of the armhole absolutely can. Depending on the style, the armhole might sit a little higher or a little lower, which means the drafted cap height may not match the beautifully fitted armhole you just created on your muslin.
So instead of relying on one “standard” body measurement, why not let your muslin—your perfectly customized, body‑specific muslin—tell you exactly what the cap height should be?
Once I started measuring the distance between the armhole stitching line/shoulder seam intersection and the base of the armhole directly on the muslin, everything clicked. The sleeve cap height suddenly became more accurate, more intuitive, and more aligned with the actual garment you’re fitting.
I’ve included step‑by‑step instructions in the updated workbook, including tips for measuring when you’re solo‑fitting. And if you prefer to see it in action, you an check out this tutorial that walks you through the process.
Double‑Checking Ease Before Cutting the Sleeve: The “Bear Hug” Measurement
Finally, this last insight came straight from my own fitting table. I was working on my Perfectly Fitted Shirt, and something just wasn’t right—the armholes were being pulled out onto my shoulder instead of sitting neatly where they belonged. My first instinct was to blame the shoulder seam length. A too‑long shoulder seam can push the armhole off the body, so it seemed like the obvious culprit.
But after a closer look, I realized the real issue wasn’t the shoulder seam at all—it was the width of the sleeve cap. The cap was effectively dragging the armhole outward. And this is the tricky part about sleeve fitting: there are so many variables to juggle.
- Does the sleeve fit into the armhole?
- Does the cap have enough ease?
- Is there enough ease at the bicep?
All of these interact, and if one is off, the whole sleeve can misbehave.
That’s what led me to take a new measurement—one I’m calling “The Bear Hug.” If you wrap the tape around your body across the high bust, over the outside of the bicep, and across the upper back (like you’re giving yourself a big hug), you get a single measurement that represents the space your body actually needs inside the front, back, and sleeve combined.
When I compared my Bear Hug measurement to the pattern, I discovered I was ½” short of what the pattern pieces required—and I had zero ease. No wonder the armhole was being pulled out of position. After double‑checking my high bust and upper back measurements, it was clear I needed a bit more ease across the upper back and additional width in the sleeve cap—without changing the cap length, which was already perfect.
Once I made those adjustments, the difference was immediate. My fit muslin felt more comfortable, the armhole sat exactly where it should, and—best of all—I could breathe again.
This technique isn’t included in the updated workbook, so if you want to see exactly how it works, I’ve linked the Fab Fit Friday LIVE here. (Just between you and me, I thought I was going to compare cap height and range of motion during this LIVE. My Perfectly Fitted Shirt Pattern had a shorter cap height than the torso draft I was working on. Before I went live, I realized that there wasn’t much of a different in range of motion… and these two patterns had “different issues” (stay tuned for more on that).
Bringing It All Together
These three discoveries—saving time by delaying certain adjustments, measuring sleeve cap height directly from your fitted muslin, and using the new Bear Hug measurement to confirm ease—have completely streamlined the way I approach bodice and sleeve fitting. Each one came from real‑world teaching, hands‑on experimenting, and a whole lot of curiosity. And now they’re all part of my newly updated Efficient Work Flow for Bodice Fitting workbook.
If you’ve already purchased the PDF, you’ll receive this updated version for free—it’s my way of saying thank you for being part of this learning journey with me. And if you’re new to the workflow or want to dive deeper into these techniques, you can grab the updated workbook here. (There are a few more tips in the update that I did not share here.)
I’ve also linked video tutorials throughout the post so you can see these methods in action. Whether you’re fitting yourself or helping others, I hope these insights make your process smoother, more intuitive, and a whole lot more FUN.
Let’s keep making garments that fit beautifully and feel amazing to wear
