pattern alteration
I have been sewing since forever (I made my first wrap skirt with mum’s help when I was eight) and there was a long period when I used to sew almost all of my own clothes. About 15 years ago, I was on a real sewfest for many years and made stacks of really nice work clothes, teaching myself lots of tricky techniques and getting really professional results. That lasted for many years and then due to various reasons I put the sewing machine aside for quite a long while before getting back into it like a crazy person about five years ago.
For the last four years I have sewed many, many children’s clothes (for my own kids as well as millions of things for my business which started off as children’s wear only) and many bags and other things besides. I honestly feel like I have the know-how to sew almost anything I want to. Sewing for Red Instead has been keeping me busy of course, but over the last few months I have really felt the calling to sew myself some clothes again. Funny thing was, the few things I have sewn for myself lately just haven’t been quite right. I wasn’t getting the amazing results I used to back in the early 1990s. I was getting frustrated and couldn’t work it out.
Then I realised something very obvious. Last time I sewed all my clothes, I had a little size 10 body with small and perky b00bs and everything I sewed fit me wonderfully, without any changes to the pattern. Fifteen years and two pregnancies/extended breastfeedings later, things had changed a bit. Of course, I realised that my body had changed but I for one didn’t know that pattern companies draft all their patterns for a B cup. Until recently it never occurred to me that there was something called a Full Bust Alteration (FBA) and that as a D cup, I ought to be making this easy change to all my patterns before cutting the fabric.
When I sewed so many of my own clothes years and years ago, there was never any need to tissue fit a pattern (pin the pieces together and try it on) to check the fit, and make any necessary changes. Now that I have my Pinny (my body form) I was able to make changes to the pattern and then go to Pinny and see exactly what that change had done and know that the finished garment would fit me properly. Usually I would just keep sewing along until the end and then wonder why things didn’t fit as they should. Dumb, Deluded, I know.
I also learned that there are lots of other things I could do to my patterns to make sure they fit me properly. I have found this book to be excellent: Fast Fit by Sandra Betzina and really recommend it if you want to learn all about different body shapes and how that translates to flat pattern alterations. It’s been really interesting and helpful to understand exactly what is happening with the pattern and how you can cut a flat piece of tissue apart at all the right places to make a better 3D fit for your body.
The other major thing that I realised was this: I was cutting my patterns at a smaller size than I needed, because of, yep you guessed it, vanity. I would take my bust or waist measurement to see which size I should cut out, then look it up on the back of the pattern. I would find that I ought to cut an 18 and freak out! “No, no, no!” I would say to myself, “that can’t be right, I am a (RTW) size 14 so that is the size I will cut” and funnily enough, things haven’t been fitting so well. Adding a cm all around when cutting or overlocking (serging) with an almost zero seam allowance took care of some of the wrong-size issues but I have since found that forgetting about the numbers (vanity!) and just cutting the size the pattern said I needed seems to work much better! Will wonders never cease?
I decided to start on a fairly simple item to try out my alteration skills. After resolving to cut the pattern at the correct size even though it was much bigger than my RTW (ready to wear, ie. shop bought) size, I realised that the size range on the pattern I had bought was too small for the size I actually needed to cut out. I needed to cut an 18 and the pattern I had only went up to 16. So I consulted my handy dandy manual and made lots of changes to my pattern, tissue fitting on Pinny as I went. Tissue fitting works wonders, try it and see!
The pattern is Simplicity 4076 and I was making the round necked long sleeved tee with the gathered neckline, bottom left illustration.
This pic shows the alterations I made to the front pattern piece. The darker (red) area shows the original front pattern piece and the lighter (pink) area shows where I have altered the pattern to bring it up a couple of sizes and to allow for a full bust and rounded tummy. I also added 10 cm length to the front and back pattern.
I sewed it up in some op-shop (thrifted) oatmeal double knit that cost me all of $3, so there was no pressure. I used a twin needle on the hem and sleeve hems and bound the neck with self fabric, again using the twin needle for the RTW look. This is how my tee turned out:
I am pretty happy with it, especially as the pattern I had started off crazy small for me. I know I could have just bought the pattern again in the correct size to save myself some trouble but I still would have had to do the FBA and doing it this way, I really learnt a lot. I think the bunching up in the middle is due to the way I was standing and not to too much fabric at the centre - I had just run back from setting the camera onto auto and was trying to smile and act natural all at once.
If you have kept reading all the way to down here, thank you very much! I hope this was helpful for anyone else whose figure may have changed over the years, but their pattern cutting hasn’t caught up!
Next I think I will make another one of these, in a jersey (I think this pattern would benefit from a more fluid knit) and I have already made an alteration to the sleeves to fit better. I am not so fussed on the bell shaped sleeve so I have made it more of a regular sleeve shape, as well as slashing and spreading at the top of the sleeve head to give a bit more wearing ease in the upper arm area. I think I could also add another 5cm (10?) to the length too.
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tags: 4076, alteration, bust, fabric, Fashion Sewing, Fast Fit, fba, fitting, full bust alteration, grading, handcrafted, handmade, knit, pattern, pattern grading, red instead, resize, resizing, Sandra Betzina, sewing, sewing machine, Simplicity, Simplicity 4076, slash and spread, tee, tshirt, work
I know I could have just bought the pattern again in the correct size to save myself some trouble but doing it this way, I really learnt a lot. * This post appears in a more detailed form over at my blog here, so please have a look there if you are interested in pattern alteration (including Full Bust Alteration or FBA) and want some more information. - Jen
I feel your size delusion problem! Just six years ago I was a five! A month ago I was a 16, and I just couldn’t take it anymore and am dropping weight- 33 pounds so far.
Now I just wish I had your talent for sewing so I would feel less guilty about all the new clothes I am going to have to buy in a few months!
I love that shirt! I think it would wear much better in a loser (stretchy) knit as well- I see them in the stores just like that. I prefer the longer length as well to cover up my “mommy pooch”. I think the sleeves would look great in a “boy tee” length as well. The shirt is really flattering on you. Great job!
I’m on my third scoop neck version-isn’t that a great pattern? Looks great on you.
I know just what you mean about sizing and fitting issues, I refused to sew clothes for a while because I just could not accept the sizing. Thank goodness for the internet pointing me to some great books like the one you have.
Thanks for the hint about upsizing the smaller patterns-I have more that I’d like hidden away.
Wow!! I have that sewing machine!! well, not excat same but very similar!
This was so useful to read! I’m just starting out learning how to alter patterns and I really appreciate those suggestions. Can’t wait to check out the Fast Fitting book.
I’ve just become interested in sewing, and have run into my first
problem. I bought a pair of white jeans with an elastic waistband and found that although the waist is perfect the rest of it is a size or even more too big. Can you suggest the right way to alter the pants without changing the waist?
Your help would be most appreciated, Lily