In this blog post, I will cover simple steps on how to lengthen or shorten the Bessie top. The top was drafted for a 5’10” (175 cm) tall woman and chances are it may be too long on you. Don’t worry, lengthening or shortening a pattern is easy!
You will need:
- Pattern pieces that need to be lengthened / shortened*
- Scrap paper
- Tape
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Pen or Pencil
*If you are adjusting the length on the body of the top, don’t forget to adjust it on both front and back pieces. Likewise for the sleeves, if you are adjusting the length of the sleeves, make sure to do it on both front and back sleeve pieces.
Steps:
Cut your pattern piece along the lengthen/shorten line.
Place a piece of scrap paper underneath the cut pieces.
Line the pattern pieces up vertically along the fold or a grain line.
Spread the pieces the required distance to lengthen, or overlap them to shorten.
Tape your pattern pieces down. Redraw the seam lines and cut new pattern pieces out.
Repeat for the other affected pattern pieces. That’s it! Let me know if you have any questions.
xoxo,
Anya
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