Shift Dress Sew Along: Pattern Alterations for the Plus-Sized Figure

Today's post is from Carolyn of Diary of a Sewing Fanatic. Carolyn is an experienced sewist who has been blogging her sewing adventures since 2006. She is passionate about getting more fashionable plus-size sewing patterns, and has a wealth of knowledge with a wonderful wardrobe! 

The first thing I do when I get a new pattern is take out the pattern instructions and read them. This is often times done days before I actually begin any work on the garment. I need the time to think through the pattern alterations and any construction changes that I want to make to the pattern. So that was the first thing that I did with this pattern.

After reviewing the instructions, I realized that the darts incorporated into the seam of the skirt and bodice could present some challenges especially for a plus-size bustline. Lauren has already addressed the full bust adjustment on her blog with a supplies list and a wonderful gif that perfectly illustrates how the FBA should work.

When making this change, Lauren has added inches to the dress front which will also address any extra abdomen issues that you may have. There was a question about how much width that would add to the dress front. Personally, I would not take that extra width out of the side.

I would leave it alone and cut up the front piece on the side, up to but not all the way to the top, overlap the additional inches added from the hemline up. That would leave the extra space needed for the FBA and abdomen, yet reduce the amount of added inches at the hemline and sides. See pics below…

Added space in the skirt pattern for FBA alterations

Sliced part on the left side of the skirt piece

Preparing to Make the Alterations

But I'm getting ahead of myself...after I cut out my pattern pieces, I always, always, always lay them down on my TNT (tried and true) dress pattern to make sure that they will fit my body. If they don't, I work from there with this checklist ~

• Bust points do they match? Are they near each other? Do I need to move them? 
• I remove all darts except the ones pointing towards my bustline. Why? Because I personally don't like them emphasizing my derriere or my abdomen - but - and I emphasize this is my personal choice and if you're not as well endowed in those areas as I am, please feel free to use them. Because as we know, we all carry our weight differently. 
• Check length of the pattern versus my dress' length. I know that this length works for me and I don't deviate from it. 
• The sleeve's bicep width is checked and measured against my sleeve pattern to insure that I've got enough room. If not, I use this method to increase the width. 
• I will need to add inches to this dress to get it around my body. The pattern only goes up to a size 22 and it seems like a slim 22. 

I'm sure now that you're annoyed because you may not have a TNT dress pattern. If not, I highly suggest that you check those things too...especially the bust point...where the dart begins and ends is integral to the design of the dress.

My TNT dress pattern laying on the cutting table waiting 

to be used as a base for the pattern alterations.

Laying pattern pieces on top of my TNT dress pattern

My Actual Alterations

Since I'm not doing an FBA, I sliced the front of my skirt piece from hem to the lengthen/shorten line.

Spread it so that covered my TNT pattern. Added tracing paper to the pattern so that I could manually add in the inches I'm missing by using my TNT dress pattern as the base.

Traced the additional inches that I need from my pattern unto the skirt pattern.

For the bodice, I sliced it apart 4" from the bottom of the pattern piece. Then I pinned it to the top of my TNT dress pattern and swung it around until the shoulder seam matched my pattern pieces shoulder seam. This will change the neckline opening but I'm okay with that because this is a neckline that works for me. A new bodice front was made from the top by putting a new piece of tracing paper over these pieces. Then I traced the parts I needed from the Simplicity pattern and from my TNT dress pattern to get a new bodice piece.

Then both new pieces were placed on top of my TNT dress pattern to check to make sure that they worked.

I will tell you that I'm a little concerned about where the bust dart will fall. It's a little lower than I'd like so much so that I'm thinking of making a muslin of the dress front to insure that all of these alterations work. But these are the pattern alterations I've made to my pattern and where I'm at in the making of the dress.

Conclusion

These alterations are real specific to my body. I hope that between the FBA instructions that Lauren has already posted and the alterations I've made to my pattern that you as a plus size sewist will see something that clicks and works for you. It is really hard to list a bunch of general alterations for this dress. I kind of feel like a good sewing book or YouTube video could help you with that…but if you actually have a dress pattern that works for you...start there!

Start there because the ease you like will already be included in the pattern. The dress length will be where you like to wear your dress and so many decisions that need to be made when altering a pattern will already be done.

Finally here are the fabrics that I plan to use to make my version of Simplicity 3833 - a lightweight creamy ivory wool crepe for the top and the burgundy/orange acrylic tweed blend for the dress skirt.

I truly hope that these alterations have been helpful to you. If you decide to add a sleeve, and need alterations, this post should help. I didn't offer back alterations because the same alterations to the front should apply minus the dart, but I will be posting even more detailed information to my blog as I construct my dress. Please feel free to ask here or there and I will attempt to answer questions as best I can.

I look forward to seeing the bevy of completed dresses to come!

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