Adjusting sewing patterns is a fundamental skill for any sewer looking to achieve a perfect fit. This guide will walk you through common pattern adjustments, from lengthening and shortening to widening and narrowing, ensuring your handmade garments look and feel custom-made.

Why Adjust Sewing Patterns? The Quest for the Perfect Fit

Ever felt that your store-bought sewing patterns just don’t quite fit right? You’re not alone! Adjusting sewing patterns is a crucial step that transforms a generic pattern into a garment tailored specifically to your unique body shape. This process ensures comfort, enhances the garment’s aesthetic, and boosts your confidence in your sewing projects.

Understanding Your Measurements: The Foundation of Pattern Adjustments

Before you even think about cutting fabric, understanding your body measurements is paramount. Accurate measurements are the foundation of successful pattern adjustments. You’ll need a flexible tape measure and perhaps a friend to help you take precise readings.

Key measurements to focus on include:

• Bust: Measure around the fullest part of your bust, keeping the tape measure parallel to the floor.
• Waist: Measure around your natural waistline, which is typically the narrowest part of your torso.
• Hips: Measure around the fullest part of your hips and rear, keeping the tape measure parallel to the floor.
• Inseam: Measure from your crotch down to where you want your pants to end.
• Back Waist Length: Measure from the prominent bone at the base of your neck down to your natural waistline.

Comparing these measurements to the sizing chart on your sewing pattern will reveal where adjustments are needed. Remember, most people are not a standard size across all measurements.

Common Sewing Pattern Adjustments Explained

Once you have your measurements, you can begin to identify and implement necessary pattern adjustments. These common alterations will address most fit issues.

Lengthening and Shortening Patterns: Taming the Vertical Fit

One of the most frequent adjustments involves altering the length of a garment. This is essential for both petite sewers and those who are taller than the standard pattern size.

How to Lengthen a Pattern Piece

To lengthen a pattern piece, you’ll typically add length to the hemline or at designated lengthening/shortening lines. These lines are usually marked on the pattern with double or dashed lines.

1. Identify the Lengthening/Shortening Line: Find the marked line on your pattern piece.
2. Cut and Spread: Cut along this line.
3. Insert a Wedge: Insert a piece of paper (or a pattern-drafting ruler) between the cut edges, spreading them apart by the desired amount. For example, if you need to add 1 inch, spread the edges 1 inch.
4. Redraw Lines: Redraw the cut edges to create smooth lines. Ensure you maintain the grainline.

If there isn’t a specific line, you can add length to the bottom hem, but be mindful of any design elements like pockets or pleats that might be affected.

How to Shorten a Pattern Piece

Shortening a pattern piece is the reverse of lengthening.

1. Identify the Lengthening/Shortening Line: Find the marked line.
2. Fold and Overlap: Fold the pattern piece along the line, overlapping the sections by the amount you need to remove. For instance, to shorten by 1 inch, overlap the pattern by 1 inch.
3. Redraw Lines: Redraw the cut edges to create smooth lines.

Again, if no specific line exists, you can fold at the hem, but consider the impact on design details.

Widening and Narrowing Patterns: Addressing the Horizontal Fit

Horizontal adjustments are crucial for accommodating differences in bust, waist, and hip measurements. This often involves full bust adjustments (FBA) or small bust adjustments (SBA), and general widening or narrowing of the pattern.

How to Widen a Pattern Piece

To add width to a pattern piece, you’ll usually split the pattern vertically and spread it apart.

1. Draw a Vertical Line: Draw a line from the shoulder down to the hem, or from the bust point downwards, depending on the garment.
2. Cut Along the Line: Cut along this line.
3. Spread Apart: Spread the cut edges by half the total amount you need to add. For example, if you need to add 2 inches to the total circumference, spread each side by 1 inch.
4. Redraw Lines: Redraw the side seams and any other affected lines, ensuring they are smooth.

This method is often used to increase the overall size of a pattern, particularly in the bust or hip areas.

How to Narrow a Pattern Piece

Narrowing is the opposite of widening.

1. Draw a Vertical Line: Draw a line from the shoulder down to the hem or bust point.
2. Cut Along the Line: Cut along this line.
3. Overlap: Overlap the cut edges by half the total amount you need to remove. If you need to reduce the circumference by 2 inches, overlap each side by 1 inch.
4. Redraw Lines: Redraw the side seams and any other affected lines.

Full Bust Adjustment (FBA) and Small Bust Adjustment (SBA)

These are specific types of horizontal adjustments that address the difference between a standard pattern’s bust measurement and your actual bust measurement.

• Full Bust Adjustment (FBA): This involves adding extra fabric primarily in the bust area to accommodate a larger cup size. It often requires splitting the pattern at the bust point and spreading it.
• Small Bust Adjustment (SBA): This involves removing excess fabric from the bust area to create a more fitted silhouette for smaller busts. It typically involves folding out excess fabric.

These adjustments can be complex and often involve redrafting the upper portion of the pattern. Many online tutorials and pattern companies offer specific guides for FBAs and SBAs.

Practical Examples of Pattern Adjustments

Let’s look at a couple of scenarios where pattern adjustments are essential.

Scenario 1: The Tall Sewer with a Short Torso

Imagine a sewer who is 5’10" but has a shorter-than-average torso. They might find that a standard pattern’s waistline hits too low.

• Adjustment: The sewer would need to shorten the pattern through the torso area. This could involve using the lengthening/shortening lines on the bodice front and back pieces, or by folding out excess length from the side seams.

Scenario 2: The Pear-Shaped Figure

A sewer with a smaller bust and a larger hip measurement might find that a pattern fits well at the bust but is too tight at the hips.

• Adjustment: This sewer would need to widen the pattern from the hip area downwards. They might also need to perform a small bust adjustment (SBA) if the bust is too large.