further into the fitting abyss

After yesterday's discouraged fitting post, I thought "hey, 'Fit For Real People' is a good book and I should try using it, even if it is time consuming".

So I tried. The sad result is I have some ideas of how to correct the pattern, but I'm confused and unsure. For example I think I need to straighten a dart, but maybe I was supposed to lay the pattern differently on my body, making it straight? Same thing for other alterations. After trying out the tissue, it looks like a sad wrinkled and torn piece of paper. *sigh*.

But for the purpose of being productive I've decided to follow this plan:

1. Buy more fitting books from Amazon with my gift certificate (see list below).
2. Eat cake.
3. Take a break.
4. Add some excess fabric in the seam allowance in several key areas.
5. Position the darts only after cutting and trying out the fabric - before sewing.
6. Cut and try out the front and back before cutting and adding the full skirt.
7. Read "Fit for Real People" a bit more. 
8. Stop being such a perfectionist... Just sew already.

Here are the books I ordered:

This is a fitting book I mentioned in my previous post, which looks good. I think it is based more on taking measurements and altering the pattern accordingly rather than fitting on the body. It uses a technique called "pivot and slide" which should be interesting to learn:

Pattern Fitting with Confidence / Nancy Zieman

This is like "Fit for Real People" except it is about pants, which I find to be the hardest article of clothing to fit.

Pants for Real People: Fit and Sew for Any Body
(Sewing for Real People series) /
Pati Palmer & Marta Alto

This I think is a reprint of the Singer sewing library book, got good reviews and should be comprehensive and interesting:

The Perfect Fit: The Classic Guide to Altering Patterns

And a fun etiquette book, I hope:

As a Lady Would Say: Responses to Life's Important
(and Sometimes Awkward) Situations (Gentlemanners) /
Sheryl Shade