After letting the muslin rest for 2 weeks, I’m back to measure and tweak it. As we know, my right shoulder to my waist is one inch shorter than the left. So what options do I have to look more balanced? Here you can see the 1/2 inch drop.
Starting with the last pinning and purple marking lines:
Let’s re-pin that right shoulder seam to remove the extra 1 inch. Pinning equal amounts on the front and back makes the horizontal lines of the gingham straight.
The other alternative is to add a shoulder pad at least 1/2 inch thick.
Looks better already! But what if I don’t want to add a shoulder pad in every garment?
Leaving the shoulder pad in, I decided to take in the side seams a little. The bust darts need a little tweaking too.
Here are the new shoulder seam lines for the right shoulder:
The left side doesn’t need much more:
After unpinning , I mark the new side seam lines in red.
If I was going to make this blouse without a shoulder pad, here are the seam lines I would use.
Comparing the shoulder seams you can see that the right side would be sewn at the size 16 line and the left shoulder at the size 18. What does this do to the sleeve when it gets attached? Well, that comes later once this bodice is machine basted. I will also make new fronts in muslin fabric so everything matches and has the same drape.
Maybe you don’t have sloping shoulders or one lower than the other. Maybe you have more squared shoulders and patterns fit great right out of the envelope. But maybe you have fitting issues with your bust where the ginghan rises or droops or drag lines appear. I have a friend and new model who has these issues and soon I will introduce her along with photos from her pattern making sessions with me.
In the meantime, Mr. Mole has brought in a little harvest from the back yard…pears and peaches and Asian pears and red onions.
Thank you for following along, next time should see the muslin/sloper ready for sleeves! Almost Fall in this hemisphere and Spring in others…can you feel the change?
fit for a queen 
Thank you So Much! I am bookmarking All of these for future references. That harvest of fruit and vegetables look yummy!
Happy you are following along and you can compare my way to any future techniques from others. I love watching videos of fitting and pattern work to gain new ideas!
I am enjoying the process and looking forward to the sleeves! Also, I am envious of your Asian pears and all the other goodies that come out of your garden year-round. I know that they don’t materialize out of thin air; they are the product of consistent hard work.
Half the battle is getting to the fruit before the birds do!!! Now I have a fridge full of pears ready to give away but at least the peaches can be frozen for later.