In Fitting Fashion

In the last video you got a sneak peek at the cup size adjustment I made on my sewing pattern. This week I’m going to show you exactly how to do it.

Before you make your cup size adjustment make sure you have completed any length adjustments you may need. Pattern adjustments are best approached in this order: length, contour, width, girth. You’ll find that working in this order will help you eliminate fitting issues one step at a time. You can find more details on fitting order and method in The Perfect Fit Guide. Get your copy HERE.

Watch the video to see how to increase the cup size of the Belle sewing pattern.

When you’ve completed the cup size adjustment, be sure to make the corresponding length adjustment to the front facing. Make it a habit to always consider the corresponding pattern pieces that may be affected by any pattern adjustment you make.

If you’d like to see how to reduce the cup size of the pattern, click HERE for a blog post on the topic. I...

I firmly believe that if you spend some time reviewing the sewing pattern and its sizing chart, you can confidently anticipate the fitting changes you may need to make to the pattern in order for it to fit you. This seemingly extra step will ultimately save you time by improving your chance of achieving a good fit much more quickly.

This week I am sharing an inside look at how I assess and prepare a sewing pattern before I sew. I am featuring the belle blouse pattern in this video but you can use the same pattern assessment principles with any pattern.

The fitting process I use is fully outlined in The Perfect Fit Guide. You can get your copy HERE.
The complete sizing information for the Belle sewing pattern can be found HERE.

Watch the video for details on how I assessed and prepared my sewing pattern for fitting.

It’s important to remember, the goal of the initial pattern adjustments is to align the sewing pattern to your personal body measurements and proportions. The...

We all have a sewing pattern or two in our collection that we would love to make again but doesn’t include the size we currently need. To help you solve that problem I’m going to show you a technique you can use to add a size to an existing pattern.

This week I am featuring the Belle sewing pattern and showing you how to use the existing graded nest to increase the pattern size. If you’d like to follow along using the Belle sewing pattern you can find it HERE. However, this tutorial is applicable to any sewing pattern.

I’m going to show you how to add one size to the Belle pattern which will increase the pattern’s girth measurements by 11/2” or 3.8 cm. If you need to increase the size further, simply follow the same method to increase the pattern by an additional size. If you happen to be using a different pattern, you’ll need to check the measurement gap between the sizes to determine how much you’ll be adding to the pattern using...

Have you shopped your existing pattern collection lately? I’ll bet there’s a real gem in there that has stood the test of time. Take a look, pull out the patterns that you’re instantly drawn to and make the most of what you already have. Often you’ll rediscover a favourite pattern that you can update with a styling tweak or a new fabrication.

I recently did this with my own pattern collection and what surfaced for me was the Belle blouse. Looking at it with fresh eyes, I think it’s the perfect example of a classic style that has timeless sophistication. When I first designed this pattern, I was inspired by an elegant 1940’s blouse, but it still feels relevant today. I think it works beautifully with today’s higher waistlines and would look great under a collarless jacket or cardigan. Unfortunately the samples no longer fit me, so I have decided to make up this pattern again and invite you to follow along.

If you have the Belle sewing pattern...

This week I thought we’d start a little series that I’m calling “Details Count”. I often get questions and comments on my videos that indicate that most of you aren’t spending enough time reviewing your pattern after you’ve made your fitting alterations, so over the next few weeks we’re going to cover some of the often missed pattern refinements you need to do after you’ve altered your pattern for fit.

This week we're talking Button Rules.

The placement of the buttons at the center front of the garment is pretty important. When you make changes to the button size or alter the patterns length you need to consider how those changes are going to affect the button placement on the finished garment. In order to have a successful outcome you’re going to need a few guidelines. 

Watch the video to get all the details.

If that all seemed a little complicated I’ve prepared a Button Rules download that summarizes...