How To Make A Princess Style Pattern Alteration For A Perfect Fit

Here’s how to make a princess style pattern alteration
to get a perfect fit. Fixes the issue of seam drape
to fit the apex of the blouse front.

 

Last week my friend came over with a pattern and a plan.

She wants to sew a coat dress for her son’s fall wedding,

but she knew from past experience that her body and Simplicity patterns don’t get along.

So we got to work with the tape measure, Scotch tape and scissors.

I know some of you seamstresses out there might be interested to know how to refit a princess style pattern when the problem isn’t merely getting too big for the pattern. Our problem, and there’s two of us with this issue, so I’m sure there’s more of you out there, is the distance between the front princess seams.

If I sew a princess seam pattern without altering it, the seams are too far apart across the bust. I’m not a licensed pattern fitter, but it seems that small busted women tend to have this issue. You end up with a bunchy center front, and often the side piece isn’t wide enough.

Again, I don’t know if our approach to the problem is the professional fix, but it works for us. So I thought some of you might want to see the process,

just in case you needed to alter a princess style pattern.

(If you want to fit a regular bodice follow this tutorial series:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.)

 

 

How to Alter a Princess Style Pattern

There’s likely more than one approach to fixing the problem of re-adjusting the “apex” of the front curve,

but this is what we came up with:

1. Pin the Center Front pattern piece to the garment you are wearing so the shoulder seams and center front line are where they should be, over the apex of the bust. The issue we’re looking at is when there’s too much pattern extending beside the bust. This is the width you need to adjust.
2. Place a dot on the pattern paper on the apex of your bust, where you want the seam line to fall.
3. Unpin the pattern piece from yourself and place it on your cutting surface. Mark 5/8″ for the seam from the bust dot. Cut the princess curve to meet up to this new seam line. (Keep this scrap of tissue that you cut off safe somewhere. You’ll need to know how much you cut off later.)

 

 

How to re-fit the Princess Lines
when you cut the Center Front curve deeper:

1. Add the curved piece you cut off the Center Front pattern piece onto the Side Pattern piece’s bust curve. Tape it on, or use another piece of tissue to make a nice looking curve adding this width onto the side. You may find this curve can be straightened a little to fit better, or it may need to be “curvier”. Either way, the sewn seam needs to fit together smoothly, without any stretching or too much gathering.
2. This should have fixed the issue, giving the sewn garment a nice drape with the princess lines just where they should be, and not swimming off to the side under your arms.

 

 

Will you try this pattern alteration?

If you have any questions, please email us at kimenink@gmail.com

or use this contact form for any communication. Thank you!

 

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