The Selfish Seamstress has a disproportionately large waist. It’s nothing that can be corrected with crunches or dieting; I’m simply built like a cylinder. And before you make any diagnoses of body dysmorphic disorder, I’d like to point out that I’m basing this on (somewhat) empirical evidence. For example, according to the Big 4 size charts, I’m size 4 in the bust and hip, and between a 10 and 12 in the waist. Even as a scrawny, smallest-in-my-class kid in elementary school, and a 90-pound ballet dancer/cheerleader(!) in college, every time I had my measurements taken for a costume, the teacher or costumer would say, “Wait, that can’t be right,” and I would have to assure them that it was indeed, and that my waist really was that much larger than those of my dancer peers, and yes, that’s just my anatomy, and no, their expressions of shock at my huuuuge waist measurement were not doing wonders for my self-esteem. Smaller-than-average hips plus smaller-than-average bust plus larger-than-average waist is sort of the opposite of “curves.” Instead of of having “curves,” I have what could be referred to as “straights.” As one might phrase it nicely, “She’s not fat, she’s just big-waisted.”
And although I’m shaped like the world’s fastest hourglass, the only real inconvenience of this shape is the occasional need to alter patterns at the waist. Dresses, jackets, and tops are usually fine without alteration; wearing ease seems to accommodate me and my monstrous midriff just fine. But skirts and pants occasionally need a little extra room, probably because the waist of skirts or pants need to be close fitting such that they actually stay up. I’m currently making slow progress (sewing time these days is very limited) on view B of Simplicity 2451, which is going fine construction-wise but is starting give off a vague air of frump:
After holding the tissue paper pieces of the yoke up to my waist, I could see that I was going to need to add a little room just to the waist edge and that the hip would be fine. No pics from the skirt, but here’s an example of how I did this on my Vogue 1051 alice + olivia pants. I first traced the original yoke pieces onto scrap paper, made some slashes through the curved parts, and spread them at the waist edge to add about 1/4″ to each piece. If you slash each piece 4 times like I did, then you only need to spread the slashes open by 1/16″ at the waist edge. Add all these tiny slashes together and that’s an extra inch added to the total circumference of the waistband (16 slashes of 1/16″ each.) Notice that the bottom hip edge of the yoke remains the same because I didn’t need to add any extra at the hip. The purists would then trace the new shapes onto paper and work from those, but I just used the slashed pattern pieces and some scotch tape directly on my fabric.
Here you can see the difference between the original pattern pieces and the edited ones. It doesn’t look like much, but it makes a difference. You’ll also notice that a little bit of the curvature of the yoke is lost. If your waist is large-ish in proportion to your hip, this is what you want. Think about a making a cuff to go around a cylinder versus a funnel – you’d need a straight strip of paper to go around the cylinder, but a curved piece to go around a funnel. And if you’re closer to a cylinder than a funnel, then you need a straighter waistband.
Now that we’ve gone through the instructional portion of this post, I’d like to get to my real point. Much in the way that it didn’t exactly feel great when my dance teachers would stare in disbelief at the tape measure wrapped around my teenage midsection, I’m never exactly overjoyed to find that a pattern fits everywhere except for in the waist, where it is woefully small. Other deviations from the standard are addressed with names that sound somewhat flattering; you might need to alter your pattern to accommodate a “full bust” or a “swayback” or “sloping shoulders.” Or perhaps you are “petite” or “tall.” Nothing sounds good about having to alter a pattern on account of having a larger than average waist.
Obviously the Selfish Seamstress is about as perfect as one can be, physically and otherwise, so she sees no need to saddle herself with unflattering terminology. I’m therfore introducing… the FWA. Yes, I’m now going to refer to my pant and skirt edits as a “Full Waist Adjustment.” Doesn’t that sound all womanly and curvy and voluptuous? I want people to sigh with envy when they read that I had to alter a pattern by doing a 2″ FWA. People should read my blog entries, look down doubtfully at their own sad, deficient middles and wonder why they weren’t blessed by the gods with the kind of midriff endowment that the Selfish Seamstress has. Pre-teen girls should look at photos of me and wonder when their waists are going to develop. Guys should meet me at parties and then have this kind of conversation on the following day:
Guy 1: Dude, did you meet that Elaine chick last night?
Guy 2: Seriously, I know. She was like [makes crude gesture of putting his hands in the space on either side of his waist] out to here. [Two older women at the next table look over disapprovingly]
Guy 1: Daaaamn, I could not stop staring at her waist. It was driving me crazy. And she knew it too. She knew I was into it.
Guy 2: Whoa, dude, did you hit that?
Guy 1: Pfft, I WISH! Seriously, the last girl I went out with was, like, 23″ max. And that was AFTER eating. It was pathetic. Her face was okay though.
[Ugh, and for those of you who are about to comment something stupid like, “Haha, I have the exact opposite problem! Patterns are never small enough for my 22″ waist! It’s so inconvenient- I eat whatever I want, and my waist just stays tiny! Even my doctor says I have to gain weight, and I don’t even exercise!” you should know that my eyeroll switch is always triggered well before my envy switch. First, allow me to congratulate you not only on your figure but also on your complete freedom from self-awareness; second, yes, you can use this trick to make the waist of a pattern smaller- just overlap the pieces slightly at the waist edge rather than spreading them apart; and third, I think there are some other, more interesting blogs waaaayyyyy over there that you might want to check out.]
68 comments
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August 24, 2011 at 9:42 am
Claire (aka Seemane)
ROTFLMAO :)
I too require much FWA when it comes to patterns – and I thank you kindly and most profusely for sharing with us the correct terminology for said pattern adjustment.
Note to those currently lacking the need for a FWA – a discreet underlayer of batting/wadding around your mmidriff may be your closest ally in the future in order to attain the perfect Selfish-Seamstress-Alike figure. That, or you need to chuck out the Spanx ladies :D!
August 24, 2011 at 9:42 am
Toby Wollin
Elaine – it’s always something. My sister is, from all popular ‘beauty approved’ measurements, perfection: 5’11+ in her socks, incredibly thin (I think she might take a size 10), looks terrific in everything. Her complaint? She can’t find anything in skirts or dresses that actually goes down far enough – the proportion between the foot to the knee and knee to the hip measurement is not ‘beauty approved’, so every skirt or dress is a mini, no matter what the fashion is. She has, (drumroll) Low Knees. I keep telling her that learning to sew would be a great advantage to her – she could make things that actually fit and are long enough. No good.
August 24, 2011 at 9:47 am
Elizabeth
I put away a yoked skirt muslin last year and haven’t looked back at it. I think, I too, needed to make a FWA on that pattern. I refuse to however. Oh and btw, I didn’t do any exercise to get this awesome cylindrical waist I have now. Nope, all it took was a nice steady diet of ice cream, steak and fried foods. Easiest diet ever!
August 24, 2011 at 9:54 am
Lucy
As someone with the coveted 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio (and resultant fitting problems), and who owns and loves and fully intends to make Simplicity 2451 in the near future, I would like to point out that you do not have a monopoly on schadenfreude ;-)
In other news, yoked skirts FTW, non?
August 24, 2011 at 10:01 am
Anonymous
I too need a FWA. I believe we both share that other awesome gift of “petite height”. Which means our normal sized internal organs must fit into a smaller defined space, hence, we get the genetic gift of full waists. Others should be jealous that their organs are floating around, lost in space, with no close companionship.
August 24, 2011 at 10:16 am
Lynn
I too, am built columnar, and have been from childhood – Love the term FWA! Thanks!
August 24, 2011 at 10:19 am
Funnygrrl
I love your comments on having a cylinder body! I’m the same…just a larger cylinder. I just told someone that I started sewing because I was built like a papertowel roll.
Go, Cylinders!
August 24, 2011 at 10:28 am
CGCouture
I feel your pain, I need the “FWA” on most patterns too. Especially ones for the top half, I can usually deal on waistbands and such, though this skirt pattern is especially curvy. Be sure it’s the right length too, this one comes out kind of long if you don’t have extremely long upper legs.
August 24, 2011 at 10:30 am
Kerry
I have the same issue as you – thick waisted. I guess in theory we could opt for the pattern size that corresponds to our largest measurement and then draft the rest of it down (bust and hips), but it’s easier to just attack the waist. I have to do this too, but I tend to gravitate towards pants and skirts that sit below the waist to avoid this.
My bigger fit problem is my large rib cage. Seriously, I have the upper rib cage of someone twice my size. I have to taper the seam allowance from 5/8″ at the underarm to 3/8″ or less until I get to my last rib, then I can taper back to 5/8″. I assume it has to due with my freakishly large lungs (not sure if it’s genetic or from years of being an endurance athlete) but for whatever reason I am barrel chested, so I have to do a LRA (large rib adjustment).
August 24, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Stephanie
I’m barrel-chested, too (thanks, Dad), but only on the front. I almost gave up on sewing until I figured out that while the size chart says “16”, I’m really an 18 front at the bust level, and a 12 – 14 across the back. The multiple alterations and tweaks still drive me crazy, but the end results are getting better.
Selfish One, this line cracked me up: “Simplicity 2451 … is starting give off a vague air of frump.”
August 31, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Juli
Kerry & Stepahie–You two ladies sound like me, but I was a swimmer. Plus, as I get older, the girls keep getting bigger, and I have to do an FBA as well. I look normal and well-proportioned from the front, but from the side–my above-the-waist isn’t pretty!
Thank you, Ms. Selfish, for enlightening me on how to improve the fit on these issues. I’ve always just added on the side for the FWA, and it never did fit well. I love a yoked waist, and made Burda 7652 awhile back, increasing the waist size by angling out two sizes bigger. That made it TOO big, and I had to take it back in some. So the waist fit, but it didn’t lay right. I think your method will alleviate this problem. This makes me excited to try another skirt pattern. Yeah FWA and Thank You!
August 24, 2011 at 10:33 am
Carina
I have the exact opposite problem, but not as you describe! I’m a 29″ waist and a 39″ hip, meaning a 10″ different between the two measurements (which I believe means I’ve officially ‘got back’ – heh) so no trousers ever fit me because the waist is big enough to fit someone else in but the bum and hips are tight as… I need to start making more trousers. I think this is the most appropriate and cost effective solution…
August 24, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Lucy
Yes! The reason for my absurd proportion (above) is not because of a tiny waist per se. It’s because of the 42 inch hips….
Definitely with you on the trousers. My additional woes come in the form of a swayback and being 6 foot tall. Remind me, why did the likes of us EVER buy RTW?
August 24, 2011 at 6:27 pm
jadestar
Great post! In reply to Carina. I have a similar problem, but a 31″ waist versus 45″ hips :( plus a sway back, tall alterations, pear shaped, heavy thighs and a large posterior. Fitting is lots of fun:)
August 24, 2011 at 10:40 am
Jennifer
I have the same problem. Unfortunately, my waist usually dictates what fits, and when I gain (or lose, phff) waist it always goes there first. I am going to have to start calling this adjustment FWA too! Much nicer if I say so myself!
P.S. I had the same problem with my dancing/cheerleading coaches. Way to make a teenager feel good about themselves.
August 24, 2011 at 10:41 am
rena
OT, glad you’re back!
Rena
August 24, 2011 at 11:40 am
PepperToast
As a fellow cylinder I choose to look at it this way. I was a gymnast and all around athlete since I was a wee lass. So, my obliques are developed (yay core strength) thus contributing to my waist size and my rear and hips are pre-pubescent thin (in MY mind heh heh!). I don’t need a FWA, but rather a RHH&RA (rock hard hip & rear adjustment). No matter that the pattern sizes say my waist is large. I choose to see it that way. You know, glass half full type stuff.
August 24, 2011 at 11:44 am
aliesje
FWA! I adore it! I don’t need it, but my sweetheart does. I had been calling it full belly adjustment (the other FBA). But FWA it is!
p.s. i’m so glad my parents put me into music!
August 24, 2011 at 11:50 am
LinB
Instead of “mwha ha ha ha ha” as a sinister laugh, I will now use “fwa ha ha ha ha ha.” In your honor. “FWA.” “Low knees.” You people crack me up.
August 24, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Vannerz
Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m big everywhere, not just in my waist. =]
August 24, 2011 at 12:22 pm
birdmommy
I had been referring to it as a ‘narrow hip adjustment’. Thank you for guiding me out of ignorance.
August 24, 2011 at 12:36 pm
Ruth
Well, I do have the exact opposite problem, and it’s no joke. It’s not my waist that’s big, it’s my bust and hips. Think of those shirts and jackets from the store that fit you just fine and now imagine how enormous I look when I grab one off the shelf with a waist proportion meant for you and a diameter sufficient to accommodate my *ahem* upper girth.
Bodies are full of shit, that’s all I’m sayin’.
August 24, 2011 at 1:33 pm
BeckyW
Loved: “the world’s fastest hourglass”
I hate to brag, but I also am gifted with a full waist. Loved your post!!
August 24, 2011 at 2:24 pm
woolcat
Oh Elaine. I love you. This post made me entirely happy.
I actually just worked out for myself that my yoked skirt I made last year looks weird because I just went up a size at the waist by changing the side seam, – which did not give me the straighter yoke piece I needed, so it sticks out weirdly over the tum – not a curve that I wanted to emphasize, thank you.
FWA will become the new standard. i think I will go through my copy of Fit for Real People and update the terminology with a sharpie.
August 25, 2011 at 4:19 pm
niceheart
I did this too, to Simplicity 2451 – altering the side seam, that is, with similar results. I’ve decided to wear it with a shirt over top. And yes, it’s a bit frumpy that way. It’ll be FWAs for me in future.
August 24, 2011 at 2:32 pm
rosesred
lol! I had to put my tea down really quickly or risk ruining my laptop while reading this post. Instead of a full waist, I usually need a tummy tuck in any pattern I make. Took me a while to be o.k. with that, but I’d rather add 2″ to a pattern then have a pair of pants that won’t fit.
August 24, 2011 at 3:19 pm
Hannah
. I think you might find that your waist is a totally normal size, and you’ve just been gifted with lovely slender hips. Although, I put my own waist to hip ratio fitting problems to by small waist, rather than my wide bum!!
August 24, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Anonymous
Oh well. I (navel of the world) have always thought that I am the only person having trouble with a not-so-tiny-waist. It got even worse after my pregnancy… So thank you for this great tutorial!
August 24, 2011 at 4:48 pm
June
I had a round little potbelly as a baby, a full tummy as a little girl… At my slenderest, I was still built like a totem pole from bust to hip. I’m Asian, too, wonder if that’s part of it. Post-twin-pregnancy, my waist-to-hip ratio is now 0.9!
August 24, 2011 at 4:51 pm
StillTraveller
Love this post, it made me laugh so hard. Love your blog and glad you’re back!
August 24, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Becky
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I, too, suffer from cylinder syndrome, altho mine might be more from age than a short waist. But, an FWA is a blessing. Thank you!
August 24, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Louise
“shaped like the world’s fastest hourglass” had me giggling out loud (at work, oops)
August 24, 2011 at 9:31 pm
amberelayne
Hello, my name is Amber and I need a FWA!
Hello Amber!
This is great! I thought it was only me! Bit curvy but my waist has ALWAYS been out of proportion to the rest of me. Admittedly, not in a way that only the Slefish Seamstress can be, as perfect as you are, but one in a slightly squishier kind of way :)
I’m currently doing that pattern too and have the same problem. I am now going to go and slash that bad-boy up and wear my FWA with pride!
August 24, 2011 at 9:52 pm
TOS
I’ve been making the mistake of just adding to the side seam, and then not being happy with the results. I’m going to try the multi-slash FWA next time, thank you!
August 24, 2011 at 10:41 pm
Tanit-Isis
This is a much better method of doing it than my usual (which is just angling out to the next size up at the waist). Yay!
Also, I shall be proud to be an adopter of the FWA.
If I ever make more waist-fitted skirts, anyway. It doesn’t seem to be a problem for dresses and I generally dislike waistbands that fall at my natural waist…
August 24, 2011 at 11:12 pm
Mary
Awesome tip for making this pattern alteration! I’m sure I can put it to good use because I always need an FWA. Can’t wait to see your finished product! By the way, do you do stand-up?
August 25, 2011 at 4:10 am
thornberry
I love that you are are back posting and I LOVE the term FWA – because I am also in need of that adjustment! There are many of us – and we are not given the amount of attention that we deserve in my opinion!
August 25, 2011 at 6:54 am
Colleen P.
FWA it is then, and I shall immediately stop referring to my body shape as “an egg on chopsticks”. I’m also going to implement your fantastic FWA, as I have been so disappointed with the fit when I adjust the pattern the “normal” way. Thanks for posting the visual as well, you could describe it to me all day and I still wouldn’t see it.
August 25, 2011 at 9:23 am
Tory
Elaine, I have the same figure type. Thirty-odd years ago, when I was a skinny-mini, I had a lovely willowy figure – with a full waist. No matter what I did, that waist stayed full. In time, I came to realize it was just my figure type. My proportions are/were closer to a man’s than Mae West’s. After 4 kids, the waist, rib, and hip proportions remain the same – except larger. I *never* have to worry about my rump looking large because my waist is so smaller. Hurray for championing the FWA!
August 25, 2011 at 9:42 am
Alexandra
You have been MISSED. This is just the sort of wisdom that I count on from you. While I am a larger person overall from you, I have the same problem with patterns. FWA it is! No longer will I feel bad for adding several inches to the waist; I will be excited and proud! You rock.
August 25, 2011 at 9:45 am
Sewing Princess
The reason why I love pattern drafting is that I don’t have to fit into any kind of size proportions. I can have my own waist ,hips and bust…and just draft the pattern around it. The painful part starts when I decide to use Burda patterns… than my hips are too wide, I am too short, etc.
August 25, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Sara
i have the exact same issue. i am shaped like a tree trunk. at least it’s a natural form. and hey, as far as adjustments go, it’s typically a fairly easy one.
August 25, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Chrisrx
I am glad you have come to grips with your anatomical uniqueness. But I have a much more important matter to discuss.. In a previous post you mentioned a fabric stores in London. I will be in that city in October and I NEED NAMES AND ADDRESSES!!!!!!1 Please…
August 26, 2011 at 5:48 am
Claire (aka Seemane)
Chrisrx – check out these posts about Goldhawk Road fabric shopping in London :-
Melissa (FehrTrade) – http://www.fehrtrade.com/article/140/london-fabric-shops-goldhawk-road (includes Melissa’s map of the area) and http://www.fehrtrade.com/article/444/save-goldhwak-road,
Karen (DidYouMakeThat) – http://didyoumakethat.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/fabulous-fabric-fandango/
My own Google map of Central London sewing/fabric stores (e.g. Berwick Street area etc.) http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=211972882160178133389.0004a91fac8f27a91dd43&msa=0
And for planning your public transport around London (buses/tubes) try: http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/user/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en
And for walking around London: http://walkit.com/cities/london/
August 27, 2011 at 3:51 pm
Chrisrx
Thanks a million!!!
August 25, 2011 at 7:46 pm
JillyBe
Your posts always manage to make me FWAhaha. Out loud. Really. Thanks.
August 26, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Anonymous
I am so glad you are BACK. I laughed so hard I almost spilled my tea on my keyboard.
Write a book PLEASE!!!
Thanks for taking the time to do this.
August 27, 2011 at 6:29 am
Sally
Great post! I too need an FWA, especially on vintage patterns. I’m just thankful that an FWA is easier to do than an FBA, which I definitely don’t need…
August 28, 2011 at 11:32 am
LaLaaLove
Full-waisted – I love it! :) I too, am full-waisted, and shaped like a 10-year old with boy with hips.
August 28, 2011 at 4:09 pm
Rachel
I need an PWA also so thank you for your tips and new terminology! Well, and of course, for making me laugh:).
August 29, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Stacy
I can fully commiserate with you, and do need to do FWA on my patterns as well. Isn’t genetics great? No matter how much I diet I will never be an hourglass. My measurements are all over the board when it comes to sizing, so altering is unfortunately always a necessity.
August 29, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Susannah
Lovely to have you back, Ms Selfish (I was going to write to Vogue Patterns and accuse them of misrepresentation).
I’ve made Simplicity 2451 (also with a FWA! ), but view C. In a nice Navy cotton/spandex blend, it came together pretty easily, and looked great (made in a rush in an Australian winter, for a fantastic trip to Paris in the summer!). Worn with a white top, and a red sweater, I felt I blended in (enough for some tourists to ask directions in halting french!). But I think view B has the potential to achieve an aura of frump if one is not careful with the fabric choice.
August 31, 2011 at 8:32 am
Fitting a Yoke Waistband | zilredloh.com
[…] This was the perfect tidbit that I needed to help in my search for other potential alterations. Afterward I came across another post this time by The Selfish Seamstress not for a waist reduction, but for a FWA. […]
August 31, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Kathy
Catching up to your FWA post a few days late, but after gleefully snorting coffee out of my nose while reading, I felt the need to comment.
Thank you so much for coming up with this delicate term for the curve-challenged among us – FWA.
In the past I’ve done all my sewing using size 8 on the top and size 14 on the bottom, but that left me with huge folds of extra fabric around the hips. Fine for a circle skirt, not fine for a pencil skirt. Straight cut-chemises and shirtdresses with no waist have also been my friends.
Now, however, I am developing a belly bump that has nothing to do with procreation and everything to do with middle age. Or possibly sitting and snacking more than I exercise. Anyway, what is a nice name for the big belly bulge adjustment I’ll have to start making on my skirt patterns? Or should Ijust go with maternity styles from now on?
August 31, 2011 at 11:04 pm
Misty
Yay! I need FWAs too! With my short haircut (well, and even when my hair was long but I worked in an auto parts store), I’m often mistaken for a young boy. Not exactly flattering, and not really helpful since I’m actually a science professor and I have a hard time getting any respect as it is.
Glad to have you back, Selfish. I’ve missed your posts. In the meantime, I’ve been teaching myself to sew. How’s the new job at the foreign university treating you?
September 5, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Tia Dia
Ha ha! This post totally cracked me up! And I will say this: it’s much better from a fit/fashion perspective to be the fastest hourglass than the slowest. Less fussing and, it seems to me, more styles look better on a piece of celery than a butternut squash/eggplant with baby potatoes stuck to the top!
September 7, 2011 at 12:23 am
JT55
Cylinder does sound better than my personal description: brick on toothpicks. No time to sew from scratch these days so I simply rip off all waistbands and hope my non-existent bum can hold things up.
September 21, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Janice
There’s always something! There’s a 10 inch difference between my waist and hips, and before I learned how to sew if it fit me properly in my waist area it was always too small in my bust and hips area.
I’m so glad you are back to blogging and sewing!
October 25, 2011 at 5:01 pm
conejitoasesino
Preach, girlfriend! FWA over here too! Thanks for the informative post. Too little attention is paid to us full waisted femmes. Sad thing because not only are we gorgeous but we’ll survive the zombie apocalypse better than those wasp waisted waifs will. lol!
November 4, 2011 at 1:13 am
Simplicity 2343 pencil skirt – remarkably practical! « no time to sew
[…] I also made a FWA (“full waist adjustment”), term and technique courtesy of evil genius The Selfish Seamstress (rebranding successful!) . Looking at the curve of the waistband, I realised that in no way would […]
November 4, 2011 at 9:06 am
Burda 9-2006-115: Stretchy and giraffey « The Selfish Seamstress
[…] neck doesn’t gape (thanks to a SBA that I did on the pattern, and which I am thinking about rebranding as a DBA – Dainty Bust Adjustment) but it is a risky cut when not pinned, and one that I […]
November 8, 2011 at 1:54 am
alice
Loved your post, couldn’t stop laughing. I too have need of an FWA, always have. Well, one short period of time excepting. When I took my yoga teachers training – nine intense weeks of 1 1/2 to 2 hours of yoga daily, required to eat totally vegetarian, no rock and roll or scary movies – oh, wait, those last two were hard but didn’t effect the bod. Well, after nine weeks of that I had a firm, slim trim, curvy body for the first time in my life. And I just couldn’t keep up with that level of effort, nor could I believe the body looking back at me in the mirror. Who was that girl? So I’m totally into adopting the FWA, I mean, who would go for the daily torture? No steak? No eggs? No John Mayall or Talking Heads? Sorry, I just can’t do it. FWA it is. Thanks for the humorous and informative post. I’m with you girls, all the way.
April 18, 2012 at 5:58 pm
Another Piece of the Pattern Fitting Puzzle « Little Postcards
[…] shape is not the ideal hourglass but columnar—as Selfish Seamstress coined it so aptly, I need a FWA (Full Waist Adjustment). Not only that, I have a pot belly. At my thinnest I had it, and it […]
July 18, 2012 at 4:52 pm
Simone
So so glad I am not th only cylinder needing FWA out there was starting to feel like a freak. Although unlike many of your other commenters I posses no sporting abilities what-so-ever I am just built like a boy tiny bust, tiny hips and no waist to speak of :( so sick of making FWA in all my patterns any tips on adding 5inches in the waist of a dress would be greatly appreciated.
October 6, 2012 at 10:38 am
Vikki
Thank you so much! I’m built like a cylinder also – I work out (martial arts, running, weights), but no amount of exercise will ever give me a waist. I was looking for a way to adjust a pattern since the size I would wear through the waist is 2 sizes larger than the rest of the pattern. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one!
January 12, 2013 at 6:56 pm
lhmcreative
Love it. I have to make the FWA all the time. Great post! What about the “pooch” in the front? FPA? LOL!!!
October 24, 2014 at 1:15 am
SarahLizSewStyle
My shape too – at age nearly 60 I don’t ever think the curves will arrive – on the plus side, when you get to my age, you can have menopausal revenge – those defined waists on hourglasses go – and they have large hips too. We stay slim and svelte :) And who cares if another inch arrives – the basic shape stays the same.
November 13, 2014 at 4:00 pm
Keck
I’m almost as late to the party as the last commenter, but still want to express my appreciation for this post which I found while trying to figure out the FWA for myself (thanks for the help!). I refer to my body type as “Tuscan column”. It means that I can wear a tube top equally well as a top, a belt or a skirt. Evolutionary perfection, even if the pattern companies don’t agree.