Chapter 11 - Patterns And Their Adjustment

How to Select the Correct Pattern Size

When you buy your pattern, don't ask for the size you wear in a ready-made dress. You may find that you will need an entirely different size in a pattern. So that you will get "made-to-order" fit easily and quickly, follow the instructions below in choosing your pattern size.

1. Take your measurements or have the salesgirl take them for you. (See next page.)

2. Check your own measurements against the scale on next page. These are the standard measurements found in any pattern catalog at your favorite store.

3. It is usually best to buy the pattern size nearest your bust measurement and then make the other necessary adjustments.

Exceptions to this are: A. Your hips are unusually large in proportion to bust measurement. In this case, buy according to hip measurement and adjust top section to your measurements. (Consult pattern instruction sheet for directions.)

B. The pattern has a complicated skirt section. Order the pattern size nearest to your hip measurement because it will be simpler to adjust the blouse than the skirt in this case. (Consult pattern instruction sheet for directions.)

Note: If the difference between your hip and bust measurements is so great that the above method seems inadvisable, order two size patterns. It will then be fairly simple to make the necessary adjustment at the waistline.

How to Measure for Patterns

1. Bust: Measure bust around largest part. Hold tape easily; do not pull too tight. Do not let it slip down in back.

2. Waist: Measure natural waistline. Hold tape easily, do not pull too tight.

3. Hips: Measure hips about seven inches below natural waistline. Tape may be drawn fairly tight.

4. Sleeves: Measure length of arm from armpit to wrist. Do not pull tape too tight.

Scale of Measurements for Women's and Misses' Patterns

Size                     10 12  14 16 18    20     40 42 44 46
Bust                     28 30  32 34 36    38     40 42 44 46
Waist                   24 25  26½ 28 30 32     34 36 38 40
Hips                     31 33  35 37 39    41     43 45 47½ 50
Sleeve length       16¼ 16½      17 17½18  18  17¾ 17¾17½17½ (underarm)

Scale of Measurements for Sub-Teens' Patterns

Size                               8                     10                    12                 14
Bust                              28                   29                    31                 33
Waist                            23                   24                    25                 26
Hips                              31                   32                    34                 36
Waist length                  13½                 13¾                 14                 14 ½

Scale of Measurements for Teens' Patterns

Size                              10                   12                    14                 16
Bust                              30                   32                    34                 36
Waist                            24                   25                    26                 28
Hips                              32                   34                    36                 38
Waist length                  14¾                 15                    15¼              15½

Scale of Measurements for Junior Patterns

Size                              9                     11                    13                 15
Bust                             30½                 31½                 33                 35
Waist                           23½                 24½                 25½              27
Hips                             32½                 33½                 35                 37
Waist length                  15                    15¼                 15½              15¾
 
Scale of Measurements for Half Size Patterns

Size                      l2½        l4½            l6½         l8½            2O½ and larger
Bust                     33          35              37           39              41
Waist                   27          29              31           33              35
Hips                     37          39              41           43              45
Waist length         l5¼        l5½            l5¾         16              l6¼

For the petite figure, up to 5'l", there are patterns scaled proportionately.

Scale of Measurements for Boys' Patterns

Size         1          2       3       4       5          6       8       10     12     14
Chest      20        21     22     23     23½     24     26     28     30     32
Waist      l9½      20     20½  21     2l½      22     23     24     25½  27
Hips                                               24        25     27     29     31     33
Neck                                                          11½  12     l2½   13     l3½

Scale of Measurements for Men's Patterns

Chest                  32     34     36     38        40        42     44        46        48
Waist                  28     30     32     34        36        38     40        42        44
Neck                   l3½   14     l4½   15        l5½      16     l6½      17        17½
Sleeve length       32     32     33     33        34        34     34        35        35

There are two types of patterns to choose from: printed, which have all guide line directions printed on the pattern, and perforated, which have little holes, or perforations, usually in three sizes. Before you choose a pattern, consider first your ability to sew. If you are a beginner, do not start with a garment that has difficult lines and a great many details. Choose a style suitable for your knowledge, skill, and needs. Buy a skirt pattern by the size of your waist, and a blouse or dress pattern by the size of your bust. The usual measurements for women's sizes are shown in the chart above.

Buying according to bust measurement is very important, for it is much easier to alter the waist and hips than it is to change the bust. If your bust is 33, most often a 16 pattern, which is cut for a 34 bust, will be your best choice. Commercial patterns are cut a size smaller than ready-to-wear garments.

All your measurements should be taken very carefully, and written down. Do not hold the tape too tightly.
 
Measurements Needed to Check the Pattern

1. Bust: Measure fullest part of bust, keeping tape parallel to the floor. Measure both front and back between side seams.

2. Chest width: At a point six inches down from shoulder seam at neck line, measure from armhole seam to armhole seam.

3. Back neck seam: Measure along back neck line, from shoulder seam to shoulder seam. Stand tape on edge to measure a good curve.

4. Upper back width: Measure straight across back from top of one armhole seam to the other.

5. Width across shoulder blades: At a point seven inches down from shoulder seam at neck line, measure from armhole seam to armhole seam.

6. Blouse length, center front: Measure from base of neck straight down to waistline.

7. Blouse length, center back: Measure from collarbone at back of neck to waistline.

8. Blouse length, over bust: Measure from middle of shoulder seam, over bust, straight down to waistline. Keep tape parallel to center front.

9. Blouse length, over shoulder blades: Measure from middle of shoulder seam, over shoulder blades, to waistline. Keep tape parallel to center back.

10. Armhole depth: Tie a cord around your chest, level with bottom of armhole. Measure from shoulder seam at neck line straight down to this cord. If one shoulder is higher than the other, measure the high one.

11. Shoulder height: Measure from shoulder seam at top of armhole, down the back to the cord tied around your chest.

12. Underarm length: From the cord tied around your chest, measure from armhole down to waistline. Or measure the underarm seam length if you are wearing a dress.

13. Shoulder length: Measure from base of neck to top of armhole line.

14. Sleeve length: Measure from top of armhole, down over the elbow with arm bent, to wrist bone. Also measure distance from elbow to wrist bone.

15. Sleeve-cap length: Tie a cord around your arm, level with the bottom of the armhole. Measure from top of armhole seam to this cord.

16. Upper arm (or sleeve width): Measure around fullest part of upper arm. This is usually at bottom of armhole. Also record distance of this measurement from the top of the armhole seam.

17. Elbow: Measure around elbow, with arm bent.

18. Waistline: Measure snugly where you want the belt to be. Take both front and back measurements between side seams.

19. Hips: Measure at widest part of hips or thigh, whichever is larger, keeping tape parallel to the floor. Record distance of this measurement from the waistline.

20. Skirt length: Measure from the waistline to bottom of the skirt or desired distance from the floor—at center front, center back, and sides.

Check the style version you are going to make on the outside of the envelope, then take out the guide sheet, and find what pieces you will need for this version. Take them out and get ready to alter the pattern to fit you. It's a rare person who will be perfectly fitted without some changes. The whole problem in fitting is to adjust material to the rounded lines of the body. Since you cannot slash into the fabric, you must alter the paper pattern.

To measure the pattern, pin in all darts, tucks, pleats, etc. Pin the front and back bodice pieces together at the side seam, one over the other, flat. Do the same with the skirt pieces, and pin them together at the waistline. Be careful to note seam allowances, and special margins on some patterns. Do not include them in your measuring. Measure the pattern from center front to center back along the waist seam line, through the fullest part of the bust, at the hips seven inches below the waist, and at all other measurements on the chart above. Compare these with your own measurements, but remember that you are measuring only half the pattern. In addition, you must have additional allowances for ease, usually three inches for the bust and hips, one inch for the waist, ½ inch at elbow and front and back waist length. Note what adjustments you must make. Example:

                  Your                      Pattern                            Necessary
                  Measurements        measurements                  change

Waist         27 inches             14½ inches (29 inches)       Take off 1 inch
Bust           34 inches             18½ inches (37 inches)       No change
Hips           38 inches             20 inches (40 inches)          Add 1 inch

Your waist is 27 inches and you need 1 inch for ease. The figure in the parentheses (29 inches), is the actual measurement after you have doubled the half figure. You must, therefore, make the pattern one inch smaller in the waist. Thirty-four-inch bust plus three inches for ease is 37 inches, therefore, there is no change. Thirty-eight-inch hips plus three inches allowance for ease is 41 inches. Therefore, you must add one inch.

All the more common alterations are illustrated in the following pictures. These are a few very important points to bear in mind.

1. In lengthening and shortening, always make fold or slash perpendicular to the grain lines of the pattern (shown by the arrow or perforation) or to the lengthwise grain line.

2. In allowing for increases or decreases in width, always have folds or slashes parallel to center front and back lines.

3. If one piece is changed, alter all pieces which must be attached to it, so that the pattern will still fit together perfectly when you are finished.

To shorten waist: Make a tuck between waist and bust.

To shorten skirt: Make a tuck between hip and knee.

To lengthen waist: Slash pattern between waist and bust. Insert tissue paper, pinning at edges.

To lengthen skirt: Slash pattern between hip and knee. Insert tissue paper, pinning at edges.

To shorten sleeve: Make tucks between shoulder and elbow and between elbow and wrist.

To lengthen sleeve: Slash pattern and insert tissue paper, pinning at edges, between shoulder and elbow and between elbow and wrist.

To widen shoulders:

a. Make a spreading lengthwise slash from shoulder to waist. This includes alterations for bust and chest.

b. Make a right-angled slash from shoulder to armscye (armhole) to include alteration for chest.

c. Make a right-angled slash from shoulder to center of armhole (for shoulder alteration only).

To narrow shoulders:

a. Make a straight slash from shoulder to waist and over lap edges of slash. This includes alterations for bust and chest.

b. Make a right-angled slash from shoulder to armscye and overlap edges of slash. This includes alteration for chest.

c. Make a right-angled slash from shoulder to center of armhole and overlap edge of slash.

For square shoulders: Add tissue paper to raise shoulder at arm edge, and lower armhole.

For sloping shoulders: Make a right-angled slash from middle of shoulder to bottom of armscye. Overlap at crosswise line, use scotch tape on lengthwise line, adjust shoulder.

To enlarge waist: Slash bodice front and back making tissue inserts. Do same for skirt with right angle to allow paper to lie flat.

To narrow waist: If pattern has darts, sew darts deeper at waistline. If no darts, taper off at sides, narrowing waist and skirt same amount.

To enlarge hips:

a. Hips and waist: Lengthwise slash all the way down skirt. This changes hem too.
b. Hips alone: Spreading lengthwise slash from hem up, tapering to nothing at waist. Hem changed.
 
c. Hips, neither waist nor hem changed: Make a slash wide over hips, tapering to nothing at waist and hem. Slash from side to first slash and spread to allow pattern to fall flat.

For large stomach: Make lengthwise and crosswise slashes as for enlarging bust, with slashes meeting over fullest part of abdomen.

For large arm: Lengthwise slash from sleeve cap.

For large upper arm: Lengthwise slash tapering to nothing at cap and wrist.

For thin arm: Lengthwise dart from cap.

For larger armhole: Hollow out underarm curve or use smaller seam allowance at shoulder. Reverse procedure to make armhole smaller. Be sure to make corresponding adjustments in sleeves.

Make your alterations deliberately and carefully. Keep re-measuring with your tape measure with pattern flat on table. You may also try your pattern on, but this is not very satisfactory, and will give you only a general idea of fit. Remember that if you add one inch to a pattern piece, the finished garment will be two inches larger, because you are working with only half the garment. When your measurements correspond to one size for the bust and to a different size for the hips, it is often advisable to use two different-sized patterns and make them fit at the waist. In this way you will have a minimum of pattern alteration.

Before you buy your material, read the chapter on fabrics.

Decide what fabric will suit your needs best and look at the fabric suggestions on the back of the pattern envelope. You will also find a chart on the envelope to tell you how much fabric to buy. Look down column under your size and across to style version you are making.

STYLE 1         12                    14                 16              18                 20
35" mat.           2¼yds.             2½ yds.         2½yds.       2¾yds.          3 yds.
39" mat.           2 yds.               2 yds.            2¼yds.       2½ yds.         2¾yds.
54" mat.           l½ yds.             l½ yds.          l¾yds.        l¾yds.           2 yds.

STYLE 2
35" mat.     3 yds.               3 yds.            3¼yds.       3¼yds.       3½ yds.
39" mat.     2¾yds.             2¾yds.          3 yds.         3 yds.         3¼yds.
54" mat.     2¼yds.             2¼yds.          2¼yds.       2¼¼yds.    2¾yds.

You have decided to make Style 2. You are size 16, and you are buying a 35-inch cotton fabric. The underscored figure indicates the amount of cloth for you to buy.

Circle the layout for identification

Smooth your pattern out and if it is very crumpled, press it with a warm iron. Take out all construction darts, tucks, etc., pinned in for making alterations. Do not, of course, remove darts, tucks, and paper inserts put in to make pattern fit you. On the guide sheet that comes with your pattern, find the cutting layout that applies to you. You will find this in a similar way to that in which you found out the amount of material to be bought: by style version, your size, and the width of your material. Circle it so you can find it again easily. Straighten your material by pulling a crosswise thread and cutting across from selvage to selvage. Press to remove wrinkles and lay cloth on table making the kind of fold indicated in the circled layout.

Before you start to pin, there are certain points which you must have clearly in mind. Perfect grain lines are the secret of professional looking clothes that hang right and fit right. Fabric has three grains, lengthwise, crosswise, and bias. The lengthwise or straight of the goods will, as a general rule, hang straight from top to bottom on your figure. In placing pattern on cloth, the grain lines must be measured so that they are perfectly accurate. The lengthwise grain line is indicated on your pattern with an arrow or series of perforations. To get it right, do the following:

Place pattern on the fabric so that the arrow seems parallel to the selvage. Put a pin at one end of the arrow, and measure with a ruler the distance from this end of the arrow to the selvage. Measure the other side, adjust and pin. Remeasure to be sure. Do NOT GUESS. With very short arrows, lengthen the line with a ruler.

Put all pieces on in this fashion, following the order given in your layout. Pin in the grain line of all your pieces before you put in the rest of the pins, to make sure that all pieces fit on fabric properly. Where a piece has to be placed on a fold, pin in the fold line first. Pin pieces close together so as not to waste material. In patterns having margins that get cut off, pin cutting lines close together with margins overlapping. Place pins directly

inside cutting line, parallel to the edge, smoothing out flat as you work.

On your layout, you will sometimes find pattern pieces printed with a dotted rather than a solid line. This usually means that they are cut on the under piece of material with something else cut out of the upper thickness. Or it may mean that the piece has to be cut twice or on a fold. Use your common sense and you will easily be able to decide what to do.

When cutting, use shears and cut with long straight strokes, not short choppy ones. When you come to a notch, cut it out, not in, so that you do not weaken the seam at that point. Notches will help you put your pieces together later on. Do not remove the pattern after the piece is cut. Always keep your work flat on the table as you cut, with one hand holding down the fabric close to where you are cutting.

Certain materials have to be cut very carefully. Where a fabric has a design running all in one direction, all pattern pieces must face the same way, or you will end up with some parts of the print upside down. For such materials, the pattern pieces are placed on single thicknesses of material and cut twice. The same principle applies to napped fabrics like corduroy and velvet, and to plaids. The chart which tells you how much fabric to buy will usually tell you how much extra you need, by saying "fabrics with nap." One-half yard is the usual extra allowance needed, but sometimes it is more. Be sure to match plaids at sides, center seams, and sleeves. With large prints, match the design at center seams. See the special cutting notes, which follow this chapter.

Study your pattern guide carefully and thoroughly. Be sure to note any special cutting instructions. Do not cut in haste, for once you have cut, you cannot undo your work.

One more point. When cutting out fabrics that fray readily, it is advisable to cut an extra ¼ inch over the seam allowance of the pattern for finishing the seams later. It is also a good idea to cut an extra ¼ inch or ½ inch on the seam allowance where the zipper will later be inserted.

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