While some costumers may find a perfect fit in one of the "default" pattern sizes, it is somewhat unlikely due to variations in height, weight, build, musculature, neck size, and general physique.
That's why we highly recommend making a muslin test or a "practice" garment of some kind (other than to familiarize yourself with its construction, that is!) - you can make the necessary sizing observations (e.g. sleeves need to be an inch longer, waist needs to be loosened, neckline needs to be taken in a bit, etc.).
All this fitting does require extra time and effort on the part of the costumer, but the finished garment's custom-tailored look will definitely be worth it!
There are four main aspects of the garment that may need adjustment and/or the original pattern need be altered: the collar/neckline, the chest, the waist, and the sleeves.
As mentioned previously, we've included four collar options with our pattern: 1" collar for straighter necks, 1" collar for more curved necks, 1 ½" collar for straighter necks, and 1 ½" collar for more curved necks, and each of those in all five size options. Each collar option is graded in increments of 1" for each of the five sizes.
One should be able to find a perfect fit with the available sizing options, but should the collar itself require adjustment (probably because it is uncomfortably tight), the actual "circumference" of the collar can be enlarged a bit by adding onto the center back and simply eased into the existing neckline.
In fact, if the neckline is comfortable but the collar is too tight, you might be able to simply use the collar option of your choice in the next size up combined with your jacket size!
(On the formal jacket in this tutorial, for instance, we cut the jacket as a size medium but used the size large collar with no problems; we just eased the large collar around the medium neckline.)
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| All too easy. |
If, for some reason, your neckline needs to be lengthened in the other direction, it is a simple matter of adding the appropriate length to the shoulder seam on each side.
For instance, if your neckline needs to be lengthened (as opposed to widened, sideways) by ¼", simply add ⅛" to the front yoke and the back yoke on the neckline side of the shoulder seam.
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| (DS9/NEM admiral jacket pictured above) |
The opposite would be the case if you need it let out a bit at the shoulder/armscye.
Just remember to adjust the seamline of your shoulder point accordingly!
Adjusting the chest at the bottom of the yoke is a fairly simple matter, too.
The chest sizes of the printed pattern are graded in increments of 4 ½" - that is, one additional ¾" quilt line on each front yoke, one additional ¾" quilt line on each side of the back yoke, and ⅜" on each side of the underarm/side front/side back seam and on both sides.
Any chest alterations - between the "default" sizes on the printed pattern, that is - are easiest to make in increments of ¾". This is most effectively done by taking in the armscye seam in by ⅜" on either the back or both front yokes (wherever there's more excess), thus moving the seam's ⅛" topstitching from on a quilt line to a mid-quilt line.
(All of the "default" printed pattern sizes place the yokes' armscye seam's topstitching on a quilt line, as we believe it to be ideal, but as noted in the construction analysis, a mid-quilt line is acceptable.)
In other words, the printed pattern piece will look like this in every size, in the front and the back:
But you can add or remove ¾" to or from the chest by moving the seam to a mid-quilt line, in either the front or the back:
Of course, you can add or remove 1 ½" to or from the chest by doing in both the front AND the back.
Remember to adjust your shoulder point, side front and/or back body panels, and lining panels accordingly.
Another option, for minute chest alterations, is the top of the side front/side back seam (under the arm) - adjusting the sleeve (and sleeve lining) accordingly, of course!
The waist is, likewise, an easy aspect of the garment to alter.
Of course, as waist sizes vary widely amongst people, it's also, perhaps, the most likely to need adjustment.
The waist sizes on the printed pattern are graded in increments of 3". This means that each pattern size may need up to 2 ½" or so added or subtracted to the waistline.
The best place to take the waist in a bit is at the side front/side back seams; hypothetically, if you needed to take the waist in by 1", we recommend taking the side seam in ¼". That would be ½" for each side, or 1" total.
Adding to the waist is a similar process and can be done anywhere, though the easiest place to add is, by far, the side front/side back seam.
As is, the pieces are angled inward considerably, but they can be adjusted as needed with relative ease, even up to about 1" on each piece (a total of 4"):
Remember to adjust the angle of the front corner "flare" accordingly on the middle front body panel (piece F) and side front body panel (piece G), as well as the corresponding facings and lining pieces.
The length of the sleeves may need to be adjusted, depending on the wearer's arm length.
This is relatively easy, however!
The sleeves on our pattern are graded in increments of 1".
The sleeve is wider at the top and gradually narrows toward the wrist, but the bottommost 3" is a consistent width for both versions of the sleeve cuff.
To length or shorten, simply move said 3" rectangle upward or downward as needed and change the angle of the sleeve's narrowing accordingly.
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU'RE FINISHED!
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