Hi Jean - thanks for your message. I'm not sure if you mean on a jeans pattern or on an existing pair of jeans. If it's on a jeans pattern then I would measure how much of an increase you need at the waist. Let's say the waist needs to be 6cm (2.3 inches) bigger. At the top of the front pattern I would add 1cm on the side seam and then blend that down to nothing level with the hip (approx 7-8 inches down). I would do the same on the back pattern at the side seam. I would then add 1cm to the centre back and again blend to nothing at the hip level. In total that will give you 3cm extra on the left and 3cm extra on the right = 6cm total. Hope that helps but if you'd like more info or if I have misunderstood, drop me an email [email protected]. Thanks so much for watching!

So glad you found it helpful and thank you so much for watching and getting in touch!

Hi Collene - that's also a great question. Personally I do often do a combination of a rounded back and forward shoulder adjustment but they do each give different results. The forward shoulder adjustment is typically a cosmetic adjustment to visually align the seamline with the top of your shoulder. That's because we are usually taking some off the front bodice and adding some onto the back shoulder. The rounded back adjustment is used to add more length to the back bodice piece between the neck and mid back. This is to allow for the extra fabric required to go over the rounding at the top of the back and to allow the rest of the back to hang straight down (rather than sticking out). It can impact how the garment sits on the shoulders because you can wear the garment pulled a bit closer up to your neck. So if you have some back rounding, I would make that adjustment first. Then see where the shoulder line is positioned and do a forward shoulder if you need that as a second adjustment. Hope that helps but feel free to email me if you want more help - [email protected]. Thank you so much for watching!! 😁

Hi Elaine. That's a great question and in this case having looked at that pattern I don't think a rounded back adjustment will be the optimal solution. I have a few suggestions but probably a bit too long to detail here. If you email me at [email protected] I'd be happy to share my thoughts. Thanks so much for the feedback and for watching too! Hope to catch up with you on email soon!

Hi. That's a great question. I'd say the most common reason for this with store bought garments is that they are usually designed for a b cup bra size so if we are larger than a b cup we often need to buy a larger size to fit well across the chest and this means it's sometimes too big on the shoulders and across the back. It's tricky to alter for on ready to wear clothes but when making your own clothes you can choose a pattern size that properly fits the shoulders and back and then make a full bust adjustment if needed. This usually gives a much better fit. Hope that helps but if you'd like more info drop me an email [email protected] x

Thank you for your lovely feedback. So glad you found it helpful and hope it gives you that extra room and comfort that makes all the difference with our sleeves!

So glad you found it helpful! 😁

So pleased you found it helpful - thank you for watching and for your feedback!

Delighted to hear that you found it helpful - hope you have fun making your trousers!

Amazing!! - so pleased you found the video helpful and well done on another pair of Eve trousers!!

Hi Michelle and thanks for that great question. You are right that making the full bust adjustment does usually lower the bust point, and often that's what we want because commonly larger busts will have their 'peak' in a lower position. The purpose of the bust point is to give us a location to direct our darts or shaping to. If you find that the bust point is not in the right place for you after the bust adjustment then if you have made a toile, I would try it on without sewing up your dart, and then pin it so that the dart points to the 'peak' of your bust but then finishes 1-2 inches away from the actual 'peak' point (unless you are going for the Madonna cone shaped bra look!). You can then transfer your actual dart position back to your pattern by measuring where it is now sitting. Hope that makes sense but if not, drop me an email and I will try to explain further. Thank you so much for watching and so glad you found it helpful.

@@sewmuchmorefun Thank you, this is super helpful! Really appreciate you taking the time to reply. :)

Thank you so much for your message. Great to hear that you had success with your sample and so pleased you now have your zip in your Eve trousers too! If you have any other questions, just let me know! 😀

That's a great question and sorry if that wasn't clear. There are a few ways to do this but yes you can definitely compare your measurements with the pattern crotch measurement as a first check to see how much difference there is. You might then need to make a mock up and check the position of the inside leg seam to see if you need to change the balance between the front and back crotch. If you'd like to chat through it then if you email me I can share more details [email protected].

@@sewmuchmorefun thank you so much💛

Hi Cynthia - Towards the end of the video at around 38 mins 20s I share how to make bigger adjustments. 3 inches does seem like quite a lot though so I'm not sure if you are trying to adjust a drop shoulder pattern to try to make it into a more fitted shoulder. If that is the case, if you can email me ([email protected]) with a bit more information I can give you more help on what to change and things just to check for. Hope that helps.

Thank you so much for the feedback Sharon! Since recording this I got the opportunity to try sewing with stretch thread on a bra making course and it was much more straightforward than I had imagined. Great to hear that you've had great results with it too. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and for listening to the podcast 😁

Hi a cord version sounds fab but yes I agree that the zip guard might be a bit bulky. You don't see the zip guard when they are worn so you could definitely make it out of a thinner cotton fabric. It only needs a fairly small piece too. Good luck with them ! 😊

So glad you found it helpful 😊 Thank you so much for the feedback and for watching 🎉

Ah thank you so much Maria - so glad to have the chance to connect with you and delighted to have you as a follower! Thank you for watching x

Great question. The pattern sample I had was for a top with a yoke front but the pattern piece shapes for a back yoke are similar and the adjustment steps would be the same for a back yoke and pattern piece. Hope that helps and sorry if that caused any confusion 😊

Glad you enjoyed it - I love podcasts but it's also lovely to put a face to the voice. Thanks for watching (and listening) Jan!

Yay that's great news! Hope the rest of your steps go well and you have fun wearing them x

Glad you enjoyed it! If you are going to the show I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I am so pleased you have found it helpful x

Thank you so much for getting in touch. Glad you found it helpful. If you have any questions when you give it a try feel free to get in touch. Good luck with your adjustments! 😁

Hi @nonnalynn9187! So glad we got to connect here. Thank you so much for watching and I hope you find some tips that you can make use of. If you have any questions then feel free to email me - [email protected].

What a wonderful idea! Another note is to play with the contrast of the picture. I'm in process of making a dress with a floral print on a black background. The bust to waist darts were impossible to see. But taking a selfie and editing it to a B&W pic and then reversing that might be just the trick! Now how to figure out the reverse image without expensive software...🤔

Thank you so much - so glad you found it helpful. If you have any problems when you try to apply it, then just get in touch x

Thank you @helenketchen! I'm so glad you found it helpful and if you have any questions when you give it a try just drop me an email [email protected]. Thank you for watching 😃

Hi @judymorgan319 - thanks for your question and sorry if that wasn't clear. Also apologies for the delay in replying - I thought I had responded but it doesn't seem to have saved it. Anyway, yes the way the adjustment works is such that you do sew the dart and that is to help give the shaping over the shoulder and upper back for the roundness. If the adjustment you are making is small and the resulting dart is small, you can often just ease the bit of extra fabric into either the shoulder or neckband (depending on where you took your dart to) without having to sew the dart but if the adjustment and resulting dart are bigger then its best to either sew it as a dart or pleat. If you need more help then feel free to email me [email protected]. I hope that helps and thank you so much for watching 😄

Thanks so much for your answer!

That's a great question! This method creates extra length to go over the upper back so if you find that the hem of tops seem to stick out at the back, this will help fix that problem. A forward shoulder adjustment moves the position of the shoulder seam so that it looks more aesthetically pleasing as it then follows the line of your shoulder. Usually in the forward shoulder adjustment you aren't changing the overall length of the shoulder part of the bodice, you are adding to the back but then taking off the same amount from the front. Hope that helps but if you'd like more info then feel free to email me [email protected]. thank you so much for watching!

Thanks for your comment Jan. Yes it's a really good way to do it and it means that the zip is also a bit more comfortable not being right on the hip too. So glad you found it helpful.

Thanks for your message @jandimarco3113. I'm glad you found the instructions helpful and yes, I think I have previously overlooked the value of a zipper guard. It also gives a nice smooth finish particularly for side zips. Thak you for watching!

Hi Roberta - thanks so much for your comments - it is always great to hear about how other people are using tips and techniques. I have a Helen Joseph Armstrong book too that I really love and it's great that you have already drafted a bodice pattern. I do often end up cutting into some of my toiles as sometimes that can be the easiest way when I am fitting on myself, to understand where I need more fabric and how much I need. They I can cut out another version of that piece e.g. the front or just the sleeve etc and remake the toile with that new element. Applying my changes back to my paper pattern pieces (with notes!) then helps me see what adjustments I have made. Good luck with finishing off your bodice and if you need help with how to adjust the armholes or neck then feel free to email me

Hi Julia. So glad you found it helpful! Thank you so much for watching!

Hi Lillian. Thank you so much for the lovely feedback. I'm a big fan of mock ups too. Thanks for watching!

Hi Lillian. So glad this was helpful. Learning to trace off patterns made such a difference to my dressmaking, giving me more opportunities to experiment with adjustments so I hope it does the same for you. Thank you for watching!

Hi Hayley, thanks for your question and sorry if this wasn't clear from the video. The front and back pattern pieces join at the side and in seams only so provided the changes we make don't affect the length of these seams on the back pattern we shouldn't need to adjust the front pattern piece. So we make the changes in such a way as to add or remove fullness without changing the length of these seams. Hope that helps but if you need more assistance just email me at [email protected] 😁!

Thank you for such a great comment Natasha! I'm so pleased you find it useful 😁

Thank you Denise! I love that you are now able to spend more time on sewing and I'm so glad that you found the video helpful. Thank you so much for the feedback - it really helps to know what people find useful x