Shoulder pads. The thick and the thin of it

Shoulder pads come in many shape and colors. They can be covered or uncovered. You can buy them premade or make them yourself. Covered shoulder pads are most often used in unlined jackets or shirts. Plain shoulder pads are mostly used in lined coats and jackets.

The type of shoulder pads used would depend on the type of sleeve that the garment has. The most common types of shoulder pads are dolman, raglan, and set in sleeves. They come in they come in thickness of ¼ inch to 1 inch on the average.

Doing a tailored jacket with shoulder pads is made easy with Pattern Master Boutique (PMB). Have you ever bought a commercial pattern and the instructions say that you need ½ inch shoulder pads only to find out while constructing your garment that you really need 1 inch shoulder pads? That is because your shoulder slope is different from the standard use by the commercial pattern.

PMB gives you control of this situation and it is very simple to do. If you go to setting while planning your garment, you can choose what size shoulder pads you would like to use.

My favorite size shoulder pad size is 5/8 inches. I have sloping shoulders and I like my jackets to look more like I have squarer shoulders. People who have less slope would want to use a thinner shoulder pad.

Sometimes one shoulder might be slightly lower than the other shoulder which is my situation. One solution for this is to use two different size shoulder pads. In the jacket on the right I used a 5/8 inch shoulder pad and a 5/8 and a ¼ shoulder pad that I whip stitched together before attaching. The style was for a set in sleeve.

For a blouse I would choose a ¼ inch shoulder pad, depending on the weight of the fabric I would consider a thin set in shoulder pad or a molded shoulder pad. Again, the choice is a combination of personal preference, your shoulder slope, the type of garment you are making, and the drape of the fabric.

So why use shoulder pads? Many reasons: To remove wrinkles from your garment, balance shoulder height, to smooth out boney shoulders, or to give your jacket or blouse a professional or expensive look.

The challenges of sewing

I have been working on two jackets.  One is has a build up collar and the other is part of a Chanel sew along.  I have learned that PMB 4 and PMB 5 are not the same for me.  The neck on PMB 5 was way to large for my neck.  The opening of the build up collar required some modification but it is now wearable. 

My Chanel sew along has presented with some interesting challenges.  I am using a boucle of unknown fabric content.  I originally thought it was wool and Cashmere but as I have watch it grow I believe it might be alpaca or Llama.  I have spent the evening do as Tim Gunn would says:  "Make it work."]