I have a very, very important concept that I want to share with you today. It is the concept of garment balance.

If you don't know me yet, my fitting philosophy is all about balancing the garment on your body using horizontal and vertical balance lines. I truly believe that balance lines, when put on the pattern and then transferred to the sample garment, will give you the ability to understand how to balance the garment on the body you are fitting.

Tracy, a member of the In-House Patterns Sudio Facebook Group, was kind enough to allow me to use her photos to demonstrate how to use the balance lines to assess fit. Tracy shared her sample of the Lila sewing pattern which already has the balance lines marked on the pattern. When she posted her images in the Facebook group many of the members of that group were suggesting that she needed a "sway back adjustment" I respectfully disagreed.

Watch the video to see how I interpret the balance of the garment on Tracy.

I know...

Fitting is difficult. No number of fitting books, classes and guides you’ve purchased with the words Fast, Quick or Easy in the title, is going to change that fact. Fitting is a process that takes time to perfect and a skill that is acquired through study and experience.

I’ve studied fitting for a very long time. It wasn’t until I started using vertical and horizontal balance lines on my garments that I truly began to understand how to make sewing patterns fit me. These markings made it so much easier to understand the origin and nature of fitting issues and eliminated the confusion of trying to “read the wrinkles”. Once I started focusing on the balance of the garment on my body the wrinkles would magically disappear.

When you draft a pattern to your personal measurements, these vertical and horizontal balance lines are the foundation of the pattern, but what do you do if you are using a commercial pattern? Well this month I’m going to share...

Last week I showed you how to prepare a commercial sewing pattern for fitting using a fairly straight forward shift style dress. Since the dress I used as an example was very similar to a basic block pattern, it was a pretty straight forward exercise, once you understand how to manage the details. If you missed part 1 of this series be sure to watch it. 

This week we’re going to talk about how to prepare the pattern for a flared jacket with a raglan sleeve which you’ll soon see is not nearly as straight forward. Watch the video now to see how to prepare the sewing pattern and find the balance lines on a not-so-basic style.

I hope this example has helped you understand how you can prepare a stylized commercial pattern for fitting and give you the ability to start using the vertical and horizontal balance lines to assess fit. If you’ve tried or used this method to assess fit, share you comments on this page. 

If you want to learn more about balance...

I've been thinking about wardrobe building a lot lately.

My personal sewing time is pretty limited, so I want to make sure that what I make will fit seamlessly into my me-made wardrobe, so this week I'm sharing a review of all my summer sewing (some old and some new) with links to the video tutorials that will help you extend the life of your sewing patterns and put your own me made wardrobe together too.

Watch the video for a closer look at the items I made and how I managed to make them all work together to make the perfect summer wardrobe.

Pattern Links

McCalls 6083 (out of print)

Lila (a mini class in fitting and pattern making)

Claire (shorts)

Cool Cowl (cowl neck tank)

Jenny (t-shirt)

Blossom: (pop over blouse) *re-issue coming soon, Blossom Blouse Review

Ellen (pants) 

Tutorial Links

How to Fit Before You Sew: Featuring McCalls 6083

How to Develop Pants from a Jumpsuit Pattern: Featuring McCalls 6083

How to Create a Tie Front Top: Featuring Lila

The Front Fly Tutorial:...

When do you feel most inspired to sew?

For me, the motivation is usually sparked by a change in seasons, a special occasion, an unsuccessful shopping experience or travel plans. I recently had a burst of sewing inspired by summer travel plans so I wanted to share what I made and give you a little “behind the scenes” view of the pattern work that allowed me to skip the sample and cut into the fashion fabric with confidence.

I was sure I was going to skip the jumpsuit trend this time around, but I found this pattern in my collection and it seemed the perfect piece to take on a summer vacation as well as an elevated way to stay comfortable throughout the entire summer. As an added bonus I already had the fabric and notions on hand.

Unfortunately this pattern is out of print, but I have no doubt you'll find a similar one if you're so inclined. Watch the video for a closer look at the pattern and a summary of how I altered the pattern to fit me without needing to sew a...

Every year in May I offer a Skirt Block Mini Class. When you sign up during the month of May you get access to the drafting instructions and 5 email lessons that guide you through how to use them.

This mini class is only available during the month of May so if you missed out on the opportunity to sign up, I highly recommend you add your name to my mailing list so you won’t miss out again. You'll get a copy of The Perfect Fit Guide and weekly emails that will build your pattern making and fitting skills. Sign Up Here.

If you were lucky enough to get access, I hope you enjoyed the drafting process and have sewn up a test sample of your draft and are ready to assess the fit because in this video I’m going to share some important tips to help you get the fit you want.

Fit Tip #1

The skirt has been drafted to include 1" (2.5 cm) of ease in the waist and 2" (5 cm) of ease in the low hip. Your draft may have turned out to have more or less ease than this. The difference...

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...