Hi Emily,
This may sound like a really dumb question but I’ll ask anyway, to shorten the Peppermint Vintage-style skirt, would you recommend using the “lengthen/shorten line” or would you just take it off the hem?
I’ve made a toile of this and I want the final skirt to be quite a bit shorter (:
Thanks!
Mariana
Hi Mariana,
I am pleased to hear you are making the Vintage-style skirt!
No question is a dumb question, so no need to worry about that. It is normally best to remove lengthen from the LENGTHEN / SHORTEN line on the pattern, as this does keep the pattern in proportion.
In saying that though, if you do want to remove a lot (probably anything more than 10cm or so), I'd suggest removing some from the LENGTHEN / SHORTEN line and then the rest from the hem. The reason for this is that if you remove a lot from the middle of the skirt, you will end up with a shorter skirt with quite a lot of volume in the hem (as it will have the same hem circumference length as the original pattern) - that may or may not be what you want to achieve.
getting started
STEP 1
The pieces you will need for this adjustment are the FRONT and BACK. You can use the actual pattern pieces, or trace a copy if you would prefer to keep the original pieces intact.
using the lengthen / shorten line
STEP 2
You will need to work out how much length you would like to remove from 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 remove any more than 10cm (4in), I’d suggest taking 10cm from the mid-section of the pattern (where the LENGTHEN / SHORTEN lines are) and then removing the remainder from the hem band (more on this in STEP 9).
A - Cut through the 'LENGTHEN / SHORTEN' line on the FRONT.
B - Measuring up from the cut line, mark a horizontal line on each pattern piece, the distance of the amount of length you would like to remove. In the example, you can see the red line is 10cm (4in) above the cut line and the shaded section shows the amount of length that will be removed from the pattern piece.
STEP 3
A - Move the lower part of each pattern piece up to 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.
truing the side seam
STEP 4
Place the POCKET FACING pattern on top of the skirt, lining up the shape at the top.
STEP 5
A Place the POCKET BAG on top of the POCKET FACING, lining up the rounded shape of the pocket.
B True the seam - this means redrawing the side seam with a straight line from the top of the side seam to the bottom of the hem. You can tape on a piece of paper where you need to fill the gap to complete the seam line.
STEP 6
Remove the POCKET FACING and POCKET pieces and extend the FRONT pocket line toward the side seam.
Transfer / re-draw any notches that have been misplaced. (Make sure they match the back).
amending the pocket pattern
STEP 7
Lay the POCKET FACING back onto the pattern and add the same amount onto the pattern to match the side seam and new FRONT pocket line.
STEP 8
Lay the POCKET BAG back onto the pattern and add on to the pattern to meet your new side seam line.
removing more length
STEP 9
To remove more length from the skirt, mark the required amount upwards, evenly from the hem and cut away the excess.
If you do choose this option (removing length from both places), remember that you will also need to re-draft the hem facings to match with the new hemline. I have a tutorial on how to do that here.
STEP 10
Repeat for the BACK pattern piece.
finalising the pattern
You can choose to trace the patterns onto fresh pattern paper or keep them as they are. If you trace them, remember to copy all pattern markings across. This includes - grainline, notches, pleat markings and cutting instructions.
Cut off any excess paper that is outside of the new lines.
Check all seams and notches 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.
Happy sewing,
Emily
resources mentioned in this issue
How to redraft a facing. Tutorial can be found here.
P.S. Would you like to know what the Q & A series is all about? This page tells you a little bit more about the motive behind the series. Past issues from the Q & A series can be found here.
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What you’ve been making
Flynn jacket made by @nf_merritts
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