Welcome back to the fitting series for the Flynn jacket!
Today we will be talking shoulder adjustments.
View B of the Flynn jacket is sleeveless and you will want the shoulder seam to end on the tip of your shoulder. (You might want to adjust View A (version with sleeves) for broad or narrow shoulders, but it will be more likely you will need it for the sleeveless version, so that is what I will be focusing on today).
If you have made a toile / muslin and noticed that the end of the shoulder seam is sitting beyond the tip of your shoulder, you may choose to do a narrow shoulder adjustment.
If the end of the shoulder seam does not reach the tip of your shoulder, you may choose to do a broad shoulder adjustment.
Step 1
Take the FRONT [8] pattern piece. You can use the original piece or trace a copy of it - depending on your preference. If you do choose to trace a copy, be sure to also trace the stitch line (the grey line on the pattern) of the shoulder seam and armscye.
A - Mark a point halfway along the shoulder (on the stitch line). Mark another point, approximately one third of the way down the armscye. Join these two points with a straight line running through the pattern piece [Line 1].
B - Join the corner of the shoulder and armscye to Line 1 with another line, this will be Line 2. Check that Line 2 is perpendicular to Line 1.
Step 2
A - Cut along Line 1, starting at the shoulder. Slow down as you approach the stitch line on the armscye. Stop cutting 1-2mm from the stitch line (indicated by the blue dot in the illustration).
B - Cut in from the other side of the line (through the seam allowance on the armscye), again stopping 1-2mm from the stitch line. This will create a small “hinge” that will allow the sections of the pattern to move quite flexibly without become detached.
A - Cut along Line 2, starting at the point that you just cut. Slow down as you approach the stitch line at the corner. Stop cutting 1-2mm from the stitch line (indicated by the blue dot in the illustration).
B - Cut in from the other side of the line (through the seam allowance on the corner), again stopping 1-2mm from the stitch line. This will create a small “hinge” that will allow the sections of the pattern to move quite flexibly without becoming unattached.
Broad shoulder adjustment
A - Take a piece of scrap paper and place it behind the shoulder section of the FRONT [8].
B - Carefully swing open the pattern (at the place that was Line 1), using the hinge to help you.
C - Measuring from the main section of the pattern piece (not the unattached triangles), mark the amount of width you would like to add to the shoulder. Remember to mark this on the stitch line and not the seam allowance line.
A - Use the hinges to manoeuvre the triangles back towards the shoulder. Line up the stitch line on the triangle with the mark you made in the previous step. You will notice that this requires the triangle sections to overlap.
B - Once the triangles are lined up with the point and all sections are sitting nice and flat, tape or glue in place onto the paper underneath.
Re-draw the seam lines - both the shoulder and the armscye - using a ruler (and a french curve if you have one).
Re-cut the pattern, removing the excess paper.
Repeat the process on the back piece.
Take the ARMHOLE FACING [11] piece and transfer the changes to the pattern piece.
Narrow shoulder adjustment
A - Take a piece of scrap paper and place it behind the shoulder section of the FRONT [8]. Carefully swing open the pattern (at the place that was Line 1), using the hinge to help you. On the main section of the pattern piece (not the unattached triangles), mark the amount of width you would like to remove from the shoulder. Remember to mark this on the stitch line and not the seam allowance line.
B - Use the hinges to manoeuvre the triangles back towards the shoulder. Line up the stitch line on the triangle with the mark you made. You will notice that this requires the triangle sections to overlap.
C - Once the triangles are lined up with the point and all sections are sitting nice and flat, tape or glue in place onto the paper underneath. Re-draw the seam lines - both the shoulder and the armscye - using a ruler (and a french curve if you have one). Re-cut the pattern, removing the excess paper.
Repeat the process on the back piece.
Take the ARMHOLE FACING [11] piece and transfer the changes to the pattern piece.
Keep your eyes out for more posts over the coming days!
During this series I will show you how to:
Adjust the sleeve length
Remove the box pleat from the back piece on View A