The Winifred sew-along # 2 - Fitting Winifred & Bust Adjustments

Hello Sew-a-long participants, today's post is all about bust fitting adjustments.  I'm going to walk you through how to perform an FBA or an SBA alteration to the Winifred pattern.  These alterations add/subtract both length and width to the pattern. 

Some of you might find that you only need a length adjustment in the bodice area. Skip down to the bottom of the post where I'll be illustrating how to lengthen or shorten the torso area of the pattern. 

Before we start slicing up our pattern, let's talk about how to calculate your personal bust adjustment. My go to method for determining this is to do a little tissue fitting over a T-shirt. You might want to mark your CF on the T-shirt with a pin. I usually eyeball what seems to be the center point between my breasts.

- For a full bust adjustment, take your front bodice pattern piece and lay it on the front of your body.  You'll want to position the pattern so that the side seam is over top the T-shirt side seam.  Now look to see how far away the CF of the pattern is from your real CF. Measure this amount and record it as your Full bust adjustment. You will be adding this amount to the pattern.

- For a small bust adjustment the tissue fitting principle is the same except the CF of the pattern will over lap your natural center front. Measure the distance between the pattern CF and your CF and record it as your Small bust adjustment. You will be subtracting this amount from the pattern.

Now that you know how much you need to add or subtract to the pattern, let's get out our tools and start cutting.

-Items needed: A traced copy of the front bodice, extra paper, scissors, tape, ruler, flexible tape measure, pen/pencil. I strongly suggest using traced copies of the pattern because we will be cutting the pattern apart.

Full Bust Adjustment

1. When doing bust adjustments on dresses with one piece fronts, it's a lot easier to remove the skirt portion before starting.  Draw a horizontal line about an 1" below the bottom of the tuck dart.  Cut the pattern along this line and place the skirt portion over to the side.

2. We will also need to remove the kimono sleeve before the bust adjustment.  Draw a line by squaring straight up from the side seam.  Cut off the sleeve portion and place it to the side.

3. Mark your bust apex on the pattern.  I did this by laying the pattern piece up against my body. The apex point should be in line with the tip of the tuck dart.

4. Draw in your lines for the bust adjustment. Line A - Draw from the bust apex to the middle part of the sleeve area.  Line B - Draw from bust apex to right under where the kimono sleeve extends out. You can place your cut off sleeve next to the bodice to double check this.  Line C- Draw from bust apex, through the tip of the tuck dart, down to the bottom of the bodice.

5. Cut pattern from the bottom of Line C, up through Line A. Leave a paper "hinge" at the edge of Line A.

6. Cut line B from the outside edge almost to the bust apex. Stop cutting right before getting to the bust apex so there is also a paper "hinge" there.

7. Put some scrap paper behind the cut areas and tape one edge of Line C to the paper.  Measure out the extra bust width needed and draw a parallel line on the paper.  (In this example I will be doing a 1/2" bust adjustment.) Slowly pull the pattern out and down to the right so that the other cut edge of Line C touches the parallel line.  Make sure the rest of the pattern is as flat as possible and tape down all the cut edges.

8. Tape some scrap paper in the gap at the bottom edge.  Use the left side as a guide for the new bodice length and cut off any excess paper.

9. Pick up the kimono sleeve that was put aside and place it back on your pattern.  Line the piece up so that the shoulder edges and side seam edges match.  There will be a gap in the middle, fill that with some scrap paper.

10. Draw in your new side seam dart.

Fold it closed like you are sewing it and pin it in place.

Cut off the excess paper on the side seam to get the correct dart intake.

*If you have a very small side seam dart you "remove it" by taping it closed. This will not affect your fit if the dart is between 1/4" -1/3" wide. Larger darts must be sewn to keep the bodice fitting correctly.*

11. Next step is to redraw the tuck dart. Mark the center of the increase using the left side of the tuck dart as a guide for the height.

Mark the bottom of the dart leg on the right side using the left side as a placement guide.

Redraw the dart legs and check that they are the same length. Adjust the legs so they are the same length if necessary.

12. Time to reattach the skirt.  Align your skirt piece with the CF and tape to bodice.  You will have an overhang on the side seam edge due to the bust adjustment.

13. Add scrap paper to the entire side seam edge of the skirt.  Draw a new side seam using the edge of the bodice and the existing hem edge.  This will blend the additional width added down into the skirt.

Double check that the front side seam and back side seams match and adjust the length of one if they don't.  You're FBA adjustment is now done.

Small Bust Adjustment
1. When doing bust adjustments on dresses with one piece fronts, it's a lot easier to remove the skirt portion before starting.  Draw a horizontal line about an 1" below the bottom of the tuck dart.  Cut the pattern along this line and place the skirt portion over to the side.

2. We will also need to remove the kimono sleeve before the bust adjustment.  Draw a line by squaring straight up from the side seam.  Cut off the sleeve portion and also place it to the side.

3. Mark your bust apex on the pattern.  I did this by laying the pattern piece up against my body. The apex point should be in line with the tip of the tuck dart.

4. Draw in your lines for the bust adjustment. Line A - Draw from the bust apex to the middle part of the sleeve area.  Line B - Draw from bust apex to right under where the kimono sleeve extends out. You can place your cut off sleeve next to the bodice to double check this.  Line C- Draw from bust apex, through the tip of the tuck dart, down to the bottom of the bodice.

5. Cut pattern from the bottom of Line C, up through Line A. Leave a paper "hinge" at the edge of Line A.

6. Cut line B from the outside edge almost to the bust apex. Stop cutting right before getting to the bust apex so there is also a paper "hinge" there.

7. Before moving anything, mark your SBA adjustment on the right hand side of line C.  I'll be doing a 1/2" SBA adjustment for this example.

8. Move the left side of line C up and to the right.  You will be overlapping the pattern so that line C touches your SBA adjustment line. Make sure the pattern is as flat as possible and tape all the cut edges down.

9. The SBA has made the bodice area shorter so we must cut off the right side of the pattern that overhangs. Use the left hand side as a guide line and cut the excess off so that the bottom of the bodice is flat.

10. Pick up the kimono sleeve that was put aside and place it back on your pattern.  Line the piece up so that the shoulder edges and side seam edges match. The middle area will overlap the pattern and that's fine.  Tape the sleeve into place.

11. Next step is to redraw the tuck dart. Mark the center of the decrease using the left side of the tuck dart as a guide for the height.

Mark the bottom of the dart leg on the right side similarly.

Redraw the dart legs and check that they are the same length. Adjust the legs so they match if necessary.

12. Time to reattach the skirt.  Align your skirt piece with the CF and tape to bodice.  The width of the bodice will be smaller than the skirt due to the bust adjustment.

13. Draw a new side seam using the corner of the bodice and the existing hem edge.  This will blend the width decreased down into the skirt.

Double check that the front side seam and back side seams match and adjust the length of one if they don't.  You're SBA adjustment is now done.

If the bodice only needs the length, not width, adjusted then use these alterations instead of a FBA/SBA.

Lengthen the Bodice
1. On the front bodice draw in a horizontal line, perpendicular to the grain line, above the tuck dart. My line is drawn in about 1" above the dart.

2. Cut the pattern apart on this line.

3. Tape in paper to the pattern and measure out the additional length needed. I've added 1/2".  Trim off the excess paper at the sides.

4. Place the front bodice on top of the back bodice, matching the waist area notches.  Mark the location of the cut line on front in the same location on the back.

5. Repeat the same steps of cutting the pattern apart and adding more length to the back.

Shorten the Bodice
1. On the front bodice draw in a horizontal line, perpendicular to the grain line, above the tuck dart. My line is drawn in about 1" above the dart.

2. Measure out the amount of length that needs to be removed from the bodice and draw in a parallel line above the first.

3. Fold the pattern into a pleat so that the two lines meet each other.  Tape down.

4. Place the front bodice on top of the back bodice, matching the waist area notches.  Mark the location of the cut line on front in the same location on the back.

5. Repeat the same steps of folding the pattern and taping to adjust the back.

I hope this post  helps those of you who are completing any pattern adjustments on Winifred, but if you find you need a little more help you can check out on the Facebook sew-along group:

www.facebook.com/groups/bluegingerdollsewalongs

As well keep up with all the happenings of the sew-along.

Heather.