How to Assess and Prepare a Pattern Before You Sew

I firmly believe that if you spend some time reviewing the sewing pattern and its sizing chart, you can confidently anticipate the fitting changes you may need to make to the pattern in order for it to fit you. This seemingly extra step will ultimately save you time by improving your chance of achieving a good fit much more quickly.

This week I am sharing an inside look at how I assess and prepare a sewing pattern before I sew. I am featuring the belle blouse pattern in this video but you can use the same pattern assessment principles with any pattern.

The fitting process I use is fully outlined in The Perfect Fit Guide. You can get your copy HERE.
The complete sizing information for the Belle sewing pattern can be found HERE.

Watch the video for details on how I assessed and prepared my sewing pattern for fitting.

It’s important to remember, the goal of the initial pattern adjustments is to align the sewing pattern to your personal body measurements and proportions. The more information you have available to you, the more precise these adjustments can be, but it’s not necessary to have all the information. Simply use the information you have available to you.

It’s best not to make a pattern alteration based on a wild guess. Gather as much information as you can, use your current fitting knowledge and alter your pattern accordingly. Test your fitting decisions with a sample. I guarantee you’ll build your fitting skills very quickly this way.

If you’re following along with this video series, join in on the conversation inside the private Facebook group. You can share your questions and progress with others who are also following along.

Coming up in next weeks video, I’ll be showing you how to make a cup size adjustment on a pattern without traditional darts. I hope you’ll tune in.

Alexandra