As we travel along our sewing journey we discover more and more things about fabric, techniques, and our own bodies. All of these have differences and are interesting and unique. One of the differences in hip shapes on the body is fat and muscle distribution. Some folks have hips with more fullness on the high hip, some have more on the lower side hip, and some have it all at the back. This alteration is designed to help with fitting your pattern pieces to your body with more fullness at the back of the hip/buttock area.
Materials
Gather some basic materials to adjust the pattern pieces:-
Back & Front pattern pieces
- scrap paper
- tape
- pen/pencil
- Optional: French curve or flexible ruler
Method
Use the size pattern which is the correct size for your hip. You can use a pattern one size smaller than your hip size if you have a smaller waist in relation to your hip and then use this alteration to add the one size back into the hip area, but in the place where you need it. If you use the pattern which is correct for your hip size you may find you need to shave off one size from the sideseam to avoid the garment getting too baggy around the hip.
Take your back piece and draw a line across the pattern at the hip position (approx 20cm below the waist on an average height adult. This does not need to be an exact position). Create a pivot point by not cutting through the sideseam. Draw two more lines - one up to the waist seam (on the outer edge of any pocket markings) and one down to the lower sideseam (skirt) or inleg (trouser).
Cut the lines leaving a small section UNCUT at the positions marked on the diagram to create pivot points
To work out how much height to add to the pattern, tie a ribbon around your waist and adjust it until it looks horizontal in the mirror. Measure the length from ribbon to the floor on your side. Then repeat the measurement on your back making sure the tape runs over your butt muscle, NOT between your cheeks (?). Compare the difference between the two measurements and you will have a good idea of how much length to add.
**Keep in mind on trouser patterns there is some length already added to allow for butt muscles/fullness so also compare the length of the sideseam and pant leg close to the centre back seam. Take into account the difference between these two measurements before adding your additional length.**
Once you know how much to add (in this example we are going to add 1 1/2" 3cm) you can pivot the height into your pattern piece.
Secure in place and add the width you need into the pattern. In our example we used a pattern piece one size smaller than our hip so we need to add that back in (2" / 5cm) and because we are only working on half the back we will add 1/2" (2.5cm) width to the pattern piece
You will notice that the gap at the centre back has become wider than the amount you wanted to add... not to worry!
Skirt - draw a line extending from the centre/fold line to past the waist. Measure the distance in the gap and note it.
Trouser - blend through the gap and measure the gap.
Trim off the top of the centre back the amount that is over what you wanted to add
Trousers - you are done! Enjoy your new fit!
Skirts - you may notice a gap at the centre back waist which means your new waist is longer than the original pattern. You may choose to ignore it and have a little extra gather (if the waist is gathered) or you can remove it to bring the waist back to it's original size
Trim the excess waist amount off the sideseam area
Please feel free to join us at the Twig + Tale Facebook group where you can ask questions, look for inspiration, and of course share photos of your creations.
Read more about trouser, skirt and dress pattern adjustments here:
