Do you have fitting questions about a current project you're working on? When you put on a fitting muslin, are you unsure of what needs to be done? Do you need feedback on whether the changes you've already made are going in the right direction?

Sarah offers online fitting help via email. For one $40 session of online fitting help, Sarah will give you fitting advice on two successive muslins of the same garment. All you need to do is register for an online fitting session through Paypal by clicking the button below. Be sure to print or write down your registration confirmation number.

Then take four photos - front view, back view, right side view, and left side view - of yourself (or the person you're fitting) wearing the fitting muslin, being sure to follow the muslin guidelines and photo guidelines below. If you have questions about a specific area of the garment, such as a neckline or sleeve, rather than general fitting questions, you may submit four photos of the area of concern.

Send these photos to Sarah at sarah@sarahveblen.com. In the email, please include your name, the registration confirmation number, the pattern number if you're working from a commercial pattern, and any specific questions you have. Sarah will respond within three days, giving you advice on how to fit the garment. Then, after you make the fitting changes, send in one more set of photos to Sarah, just as you did before. Please submit the second set of photos within one month of when Sarah sends you her initial remarks. She will look at the changes you have made and make one more set of suggestions. For further help, or help with another project, you can purchase another session of online fitting help.

One Session of Online Fitting Help

Muslin Guidelines

Please note! Having your fitting muslin clearly marked with a horizontal balance line (HBL) and the center front is extremely helpful to Sarah. Information about marking and sewing a fitting muslin is on pages 33-34 of her book, The Complete Photo Guide to Perfect Fitting. You can also download this short tutorial on marking and sewing your mock-up.

Photo Guidelines

For all four photos, the arms should be at rest and by your side. If you are taking photos of yourself wearing a fitting muslin, it's best if you can get someone else to take the photos, or put the camera on a tripod and use a timer. Another option that yields less accurate photos of the fitting muslin but works in a pinch is to stand in front of a mirror and take a picture of your reflection in the mirror; however, holding the camera changes your arm position and sometimes your stance, which changes how the fitting muslin sits on your body.

Be sure to take the photos with the camera placed at the same level as the garment. If someone is taking the photos for you, this means he or she may need to sit or kneel down. Taking a photo while standing up looking "down" on the garment skews how the garment appears, preventing Sarah from offering good advice. Use the following example as a guide. If the photos are skewed, Sarah may need to ask you to re-take them.