ADAPTING PATTERNS If you've decided to dress-make because you're frustrated with high street clothes not fitting well ,then you will probably need to learn some basic pattern alteration skills Getting the fit right is trial an error, and PRACTISE! Give yourself time, and allow yourself to make some mistakes. Even as a professional seamstress I still make some rookie mistakes and boo boo's! ALWAYS use your actual body measures, and compare to the size chart of the pattern company you've chosen! Please don't assume your high street size is your pattern size, sometimes it might be, but more often it's not Before you get started, try on some of the clothes in your closet that don't fit you well and analyze where the fit is poor. Making a note of these issues will help you think about what fitting skills you need to learn. If you're making for yourself you don't need to learn every alteration under the sun! Take some time to understand ease and how finished garment measures can help you really fine tune the fit of clothes and sizing Suggested further reading Perfect fit-Simple clear photos. Although dated, it’s an easy to use book Fit for real people -this book has lots of fitting tips for all figures but doesn’t include trousers. The Authors -“Palmer Pletsch” are also pattern designers for McCalls and their patterns all include fitting tips and alterations lines not found on other patterns Create the Perfect Fit- A recent acquisition which has a fresh approach to fitting Essential tools Paper scissors Tape measure A pencil/some coloured pencils A french curve or fashion ruler Seam measuring gauge Dressmakers tissue paper Scotch magic tape Fine dressmaking pins Length of elastic or black tape( waist length) A full length mirror and a hand held mirror Nice to have tools Sellotape dispenser-­‐ makes a handy pattern weight Wrist pin cushion Cardboard Cutting Mat . N0 8 N0 1 How to choose your correct pattern size The most important thing to remember about sewing from Commercial patterns is that the sizing is VERY DIFFERENT to High street ready to wear sizes. Generally pattern sizes are about 2 sizes smaller than British High Street sizing. The only way you can get good fitting clothes from a pattern is to compare your own body HOW TO MEASURE YOURSELF measurements with the size chart provided on the pattern. For example if you wear a UK 10, then you may need a pattern size 14 in vogue, a 16 in burda, and an 6 in a collette pattern. The sizing varies across all pattern companies, so always start with your own body measurements I like to think of this as Step 1 in the process, as depending on the amount of ease in a pattern I may choose a bigger or smaller size based on my personal preference for how loose or tight I want the garment to be. Use my blank measurement chart below, to make a note of your own measurements You need to make a note of an CLOSEST PATTERN SIZE MY MEASUREMENTS TO MY MEASUREMENTS unfamilar measurement on your personal chart, which is the high bust. 1 Make sure you’re wearing close-fitting clothes This helps determine whether or not BUST WAIST HIPS like a vest top and tights, or underwear. you need to make bust adjustments to ▼ HIGH BUST: THIS IS YOUR CHEST MEASUREMENT AND IS the pattern. REALLY CLOSE UNDER YOUR HIGH BUST ARMPIT, ABOVE THE FULLEST If your full bust measurement is bigger FULL BUST 2 Tie a piece of elastic snugly around your PART OF THE BUST LINE. than your high bust measurement by WAIST waist, and move about a bit. This will help ▼ FULL BUST: TAKE THIS AROUND THE FULLEST more than 6.5 cm (2½ in.), then you’ll you find your natural waist. Even though HIP PART OF YOUR BUST. need to do a full bust adjustment fashion dictates that clothes rarely sit right BUST LINE. (FBA). Use your high bust on the natural waist these days, patterns The last three columns on your personal chart refer to the pattern size measurement as your pattern size in closest to each of your body measures, and this will help you ‘blend’ have all been cut from this measurement, between pattern sizes. For example, you may be closest to a 10 on the so that’s the one you need to use. your personal chart Otherwise use your full bust. bust, a 12 at the waist and a 14 on the hip. ▼ WAIST: THIS IS YOUR NATURAL WAIST 3 Make sure the tape measure is firm. Too tight MEASUREMENT; TAKE or too loose and you’ll get the wrong size. THIS AT THE POSITION OF Using Finished garment measures to refine size selection THE ELASTIC YOU TIED AROUND YOUR WAIST. All clothes need wearing Ease! This is the extra you need to allow for movement. For example if you cut a skirt to exactly the same size as your body measures, then it’s impossible to breathe or walk! You need all your clothes to be 4 When you take the measurements, keep a little bigger than you, so they’re comfortable to wear. Minimum wearing ease is a matter of taste, but as a roughde the tape measure horizontal, and try and look you need 1.5 inches at bust, 1 inch at waist and 1.5 inches around the hips straight ahead. Now for STEP 2 : ▼ HIPS: TAKE THIS These are the main measurements you’ll AROUND THE FULLEST PART OF YOUR BUM. need to determine pattern size. BUST LINE. When choosing a size, you should consider the amount of “Design Ease” that’s been allowed in a pattern. Design Ease is the amount of extra fabric in the garment over and above your own body measurements. If you compare your actual measures plus wearing ease with the finished garment measures for each pattern you use, you’ll be able to see how fitted or baggy the garment will be. You can choose to go up a size if the pattern has come up tight, or down a size if the pattern seems very loose. CL' s Top Tip: Use your tape measure around your body at the finished garment measurement to really see if this is the size that suits you. N0 2 Demystifying pattern markings If you’ve never used a sewing pattern before, you may be baffled by all the marks and symbols printed onto the pattern. Pattern terminology is a bit like learning a new language. Unlike a language, however, there’s a limited number of terms or symbols to learn, so it’s really quick to pick it up. These are the HOW TO BLEND BETWEN SIZES main things you’ll be looking out for on sewing patterns: GRAINLINE ARROWS NOTCHES This long, straight line with arrows at These little triangles are positioned one or both ends is pinned parallel around the outer edges of your to the selvedge of your fabric. This pattern pieces. They help you know ensures that all your garments will how to join the pieces together. Once hang correctly without any twisting. the paper pattern with all the writing on it has been removed from the fabric, you’ll need these guides. As Most of us need to blend several pattern sizes to get a PLACE TO FOLD good fit This indicates that the edge of the a general rule, single notches are pattern needs to sit flush with a fold used to denote the front sections of a Let’s say your hip measure is close to a 14, But you're a in your fabric. garment and double notches are used 10 at the bust, and a 12 at the waist. on the back. Once you’ve cut out your CUTTING LINES pieces, make sure you snip these little The outside edges of all the pattern markers into the edge of your fabric. Using a curved ruler draw a new shaped line between pieces are indicated on multi-sized the bust to waist, and then between the waist to the hips CIRCLE WITH A CROSS THROUGH IT hips to the bust. Your pattern is now tailored to your patterns by a series of solid and This symbol marks the main fitting own unique body! dashed lines. These will be numbered by size. Where there are lots of sizes lines on the body, i.e. the bust, waist marked closely together, it can be and hip. Sometimes the finished THIS ILLUSTRATION SHOWS PART OF THE confusing. Go over the cutting lines garment measurements are printed PATTERN PIECE FOR THE BACK OF A FITTED for your size in coloured pencil before alongside these symbols. DRESS IN THREE SIZES – 10, 12 AND 14. THE you trace. BLUES LINES ARE THE PATTERN LINES FOR TRIANGULAR LINES WITH CIRCLES EACH SIZE; THE RED LINE IS OUR HAND-DRAWN LENGTHENING/SHORTENING The outside lines of the triangle BLENDING LINE BETWEN SIZES, SHAPING THE indicate the stitching lines for darts. DRESS FROM A SIZE 10 AT THE BUST, THROUGH LINES Darts are used to create shaping in A SIZE 12 AT THE WAIST AND A SIZE 14 AT THE This is the position at which that’s HIPS. best to either add an extra bit of paper your garments. to make your pattern longer, or to fold the pattern to make it shorter. By PARALLEL LINES WITH CIRCLES lengthening or shortening along these AT BOTTOM AND A SINGLE lines, you won’t disrupt the proportion ARROW IN BETWEEN – TIP of the pattern’s design.