Q&A
PLUS-SIZE SEWING
By Barbara Deckert
I have a wide upper back. Every time I sew a top, it's tight around my shoulder blades and midback. I'm left with a puddle of fabric at my back waistline. How can I fix this problem when I follow a pattern?
Staci D.,
e-mail
A broad upper back is a common figure variation that's easy to accommodate. Make sure to purchase the correct pattern size. Instead of purchasing by bust size, take a chest measurement by keeping the tape measure above the fullest part of the bust. Use this number as if it were your full-bust measurement and ignore the waist measurements for the time being when selecting a pattern size. Then adjust the pattern for cup size if you're smaller or larger than a B cup. This should give you a pattern size that fits your overall skeletal frame.
Next, check the back pattern piece, or pieces, to determine if the back width is adequate. With your arms at your side, measure from armseye to armseye across your back using a tape measure; find a helper to accurately measure this area. Divide the resulting number by two for the distance from the center back to the armseye seam (where the notch is on the pattern). Add 1/2" to 1" to the measurement for wearing ease, depending on how closely you want the garment to fit. Compare the resulting number with the width of the pattern from the center back to the armseye seam (A). For princess-seamed garments, add the width of the back and sideback pieces from seamline to seamline at the notch level. The garment width must be wider than your upper back width to avoid tightness and strain.
If you're only slightly broad through the back, widen the upper back at the armseye. For example, if you need to add a total of 1" in width, add 1/2" to the width at each armseye; start at the shoulder and taper to nothing at the notch (B). Baste in the sleeve and adjust the fit as needed. If the upper back is too wide, sew a wider seam allowance on the back pattern pieces only and trim away the excess during a basted fitting. If you have excess width in the waist area, fit the garment by taking in equal amounts at the back-waist darts or back princess seams, the center-back seam, if any, and the back side seams as needed.
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