Full Bust Alteration Easy Peesy!

Over the past couple of years I’ve been working on ways to have the clothes I spent my precious time making actually fit! The “Big Four” continually draft patterns for a lady with a “B” and I am a D+. I used to add a little here and there, no wonder I didn’t end up with professional results. This is a sleeveless shell, drafted with no darts. Had I made it as is you would see the fabric pulling from the underarm or side seam to the bust. Perhaps you have seen this on yourself or others while, dare I say it, people watching at the Mall.

Here is my tutorial on how to turn any top without darts into a top with darts and, yes, T-shirts should have darts. Start by drawing three lines on the pattern, from the arm to the bust point, the side to the BP, and BP to hem.



Cut the tissue from hem to BP, BP to arm, leaving a hinge (reinforce with tape). Cut from the side seam to the BP, leaving a hinge. Spread the cut edges apart. You can see I spread an inch. Put some extra tissue or paper underneath and glue everything down so it doesn’t move. True the bottom hem. Draw the dart. Just a word of caution, you don’t want the dart to go right to the bust point, things will be too “pointy”.



Here is the completed shell which is part of a twin set I am working on. I will show how to move the dart on the cardigan and add a rounded back alteration.
Have a very busy week coming but I will post when I can.