As I have just released a new pattern (yay for the new Flynn jacket), I thought it would be helpful to post a few tutorials about making alterations to the pattern. Yesterday I showed you how to shorten the pattern, so today I thought I would show you how to lengthen the pattern.
All In the Folds patterns are drafted for a height of 170cm (5'7") , so you might need to shorten or lengthen my patterns if you are taller or shorter than this height (although it does sometimes come down to preference).
GETTING STARTED
Step 1
The pieces you will need for this adjustment are the FRONT HEM FACING [5], FRONT [1] and BACK [2] (or the corresponding pattern pieces from View B). You can use the actual pattern pieces, or trace a copy if you would prefer to keep the original pieces intact.
Step 2
You will need to work out how much length you would like to add to the pattern. You can do this by looking at your toile / muslin (for more details on making a toile / muslin look at this post from the Rushcutter sew-along), or holding the pattern pieces up to your body and getting an idea of where they will sit on your body.
If you would like to add any more than 7.5cm (3in), I’d suggest adding 5cm - 7.5cm (2in - 3in) to the mid-section of the pattern (where the LENGTHEN / SHORTEN lines are) and then adding the remainder to the hem facing (more on this in STEPS 5 + 6).
Also keep in mind that by lengthening the pattern, you will be moving the placement of the pockets down. If you are lengthening the pattern to change the jacket into a longer style, I would recommend adding more length (or all length) to the hem facing (rather than the mid-section), or moving the pocket placement so they don’t become too low.
A - Take the upper part of each pattern piece, and tape or glue a piece of paper to the lower section - with enough paper extending past the pattern to add your length extension. Leave some paper either side too.
B - Extend the grainline onto the attached paper and then mark a horizontal line on each piece of paper, measuring down from the cut line the distance equal to the amount of length you would like to add. In the example above, you can see the red line is 5cm (2in) below the cut line (and 5cm length will be added to the pattern in the example).
Step 3
A - Attach the lower part of each pattern piece to the added paper, lining up the cut edge with the line marked in the previous step. Use the grainline to ensure that you line the pieces up correctly.
B - Glue or tape in place.
Step 4
Re-draw the seam lines with smooth lines over the adjustment. You will notice that in some cases you will be adding a little bit on to create the line of best fit, while in other cases you will need to shave a bit off. This will even out as you go around the pattern.
When marking a line over the area that has been altered, there might be a large gap between the two sides of the line. In this case - split the difference by marking a point in the centre of the area and drawing the line across this point.
You can choose to trace the pattern on to fresh pattern paper or tape on small pieces of paper / masking tape where you need to fill a small gap to complete the seam line.
Cut off any excess paper that is outside of the new lines.
Check all seams are the correct length by "walking" the pattern pieces, as if you were sewing them together. For more details on how to do this, check out this tutorial.
Transfer / re-draw any notches that have been misplaced. Due to the shape of the pieces, some notches may not line up due to the different points the alteration was made. After checking that the seam is the correct length, transfer one notch to the other piece (and cross out the notch that is no longer in the correct position).
If you need to add more than 7.5cm (3in) and have opted to add some length to both the mid-section of the pattern and the hem facing, continue to STEP 5. Otherwise, you are ready to cut your fabric with your new altered pattern pieces!
Step 5
A - To add more length to the jacket, mark a horizontal line through the bottom section of the FRONT HEM FACING [5] and the BACK FACING [6]. Make sure the lines are perpendicular to the grainline. When making alterations like this, I try to stay away from notches when possible, so advise that you draw you horizontal line slightly above, or slightly below, the notches on the side of each piece.
B - Check the position of the grainline in relation to the horizontal line you just marked. If the grainline does not cut through the horizontal line, extend the grainline (as I have done on the FRONT [5] in the example). This will help you keep things straight when making the adjustment.
Cut through the horizontal line and stick a piece of scrap paper to the lower section of each pattern piece.
Step 6
A - Again, attach the lower part of each pattern piece to the added paper, lining up the cut edge with the line marked in the previous step. Use the grainline to ensure that you line the pieces up correctly.
B - Glue or tape in place.
C - Re-draw the sides that have been impacted and check that the notches still line up correctly.
And that’s it! You’re done!
During this series I will show you how to:
Narrow / Broad shoulder adjustment
Remove the box pleat from the back piece on View A