In Praise of the Seam Allowance
Customers admire the fabric; I worry about the seam. A garment taken in and out at the side seams three times over fifteen years has quietly outlived its owner's changing body, and that is only possible because whoever sewed it left room to breathe.
When I draft, I add a centimeter wider than habit wants. The shears can always take more away. They can never put it back.