Bust Fit

Adjust a pattern in quadrants for accurate results | BY JOI MAHON

E
very body is unique in its proportions and dimensions. This technique is especially useful for fitting the bust. The key
To personalize patterns, sewers have been trained to use to my bust-fitting method, which is unique to my overall fitting
generic fitting adjustments that, unfortunately, often create approach, is the bust’s division into quadrants centered around
more fitting issues than they solve. I have found that the best the apex. The standard bust-adjustment method generally
way to achieve impeccable fit is to focus on the body’s vertical changes the waist as well as the bust, yet ignores areas around
and horizontal proportions, adjust patterns to correspond, then the bust that should be included for the best fit. My technique
fine-tune the fit on a muslin. addresses the bust quadrants separately to address the location
Certain points on a pattern must align with the same points and distribution of the bust’s fullness.
on the body for a garment to fit correctly. This means that bust, Let me show you how to get a perfect fit in one of the most dif-
waist, and hip circumference measurements are not enough. ficult areas to fit on a woman’s body. You’ll learn how to adjust
With my fitting method, you’ll break down the body and pattern a fitting shell bodice to match your body’s proportions exactly.
into small areas. Then, adjust the pattern areas individually— Then you’ll learn how to apply this method to a fashion pattern
front and back—to match the body’s vertical and horizontal bodice with design and wearing ease included.
proportions. This system enables you to address the most
important fit issues before cutting a muslin. By the time you Joi Mahon is a custom clothier, sewing instructor, and the author
sew a muslin, all that’s left to do is fine-tune it; the heavy lifting of Create the Perfect Fit: Measuring and Pattern Fitting for Real
is completed. Sewing Solutions (Krause Publications, 2014). DesignerJoi.com.

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Divide the bust into quadrants
Breaking down bust adjustments into four areas enables you to create a custom fit for any bust size, shape, and height. The four bust
quadrants are: shoulder to apex (length); bust curve (length); apex to apex (width); and apex to side seam (width/depth). You’ll measure
the body, then you’ll measure the same area on the pattern and compare the measurements.

1 SHOULDER TO APEX
The shoulder-to-apex measurement and adjustment
address the area above the bust apex. On the body,
2 BUST CURVE
On the body, the bust-curve area is the lower portion
of the breast. It is measured from the apex to the
run a tape measure from the shoulder’s approximate underbust line, approximately where the bra band sits,
center to the bust’s forward-most point. This apex is sometimes following the breast’s curve. The bust-curve area is vital for
marked on patterns, but sometimes not. If there are darts or fitting a bodice, and it isn’t adequately addressed by standard
princess seams, it’s easy to locate the apex; all bodice darts bust adjustment methods. Commercial patterns include up to 3
point to the apex, and a princess-seam side-front piece’s curve inches of space below the apex to accommodate a B cup.
corresponds to the apex. Measure from the middle of the On the pattern, measure 3 inches down from the apex
pattern’s shoulder seamline to the apex. and draw a horizontal line from center front to side seam to
demarcate the bust-curve area. This is where you’ll make any
necessary adjustment to accommodate the body’s bust curve.

Bust-curve length
Shoulder-to-apex length

3 APEX TO APEX
On the body, measure from one apex across the
center front to the other apex. To make this easier,
4 APEX TO
SIDE SEAM
A single full-bust
apply adhesive dots to mark the correct apex locations circumference
on the body. Divide the measurement in half. On the pattern, measurement doesn’t
measure from the bust apex to the center-front seamline or account for the bust’s depth.
foldline, which is half the full apex-to-apex width. Measuring from the bust
If the pattern’s apexes don’t align with the body’s apexes, the apex to the side seam gives
pattern won’t fit correctly. The apex-to-apex measurement is the side-bust depth and
one of the easiest areas on a pattern to adjust and one of the accounts for the breast’s
most important fit areas. side fullness. On the body,
mark the side seam. Then, Apex-to-
measure from the bust apex Side side-seam
to the side seam. seam depth
Measure the same way on
the pattern.
This measurement
is especially useful for
princess-seamed bodices
Apex-to-apex width because the side front’s
curve must align with the
bust apex for a good fit.

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Adjust a fitting bodice
Use a commercial fitting shell pattern, such as COMPARE THE MEASUREMENTS
Vogue 1004, in a size that closely matches your
Measure the following Horizontal Vertical
measurements. A fitting shell clearly illustrates
areas on the body. Then • upper chest • shoulder to apex
how to adjust the areas of measure on the body
measure the same areas • apex to apex • bust curve
without having to think about design ease.
on the fitting shell pattern, • apex to side seam • underbust to waist
These adjustments are raw length or width omitting seam allowances, • front waist • shoulder to full back
increases or decreases within the bust quadrants darts, and other fitting • full upper back • back neck to waist
and other pattern areas to match the body’s details. Compare the body • back waist
proportions. The process is quick and efficient: measurements to the same • midback (level with
Measure, then make the changes. areas on the pattern. the full bust)

MAKE THE CHANGES

If the body and pattern measurements are the same or less than bust-curve area, mark a horizontal line through the area’s center,
1
⁄4 inch different, make no change. If the pattern is smaller than cut, and spread the pattern.
the body in any area, lengthen or widen the pattern area to match. Slash lines run vertically or horizontally from edge to edge on the
If the pattern is larger than the body, shorten or narrow the pattern; there are no angled slash lines in this process. Spread or
pattern area. overlap slashed lines evenly to change the pattern area’s proportion.
Make length changes first, then make width changes. To adjust, Tape down the spread or overlapped pattern edges. Don’t true
mark slash lines on the pattern in the approximate middle of each the pattern edges until all raw length and width adjustments are
area needing adjustment. For example, if you need to lengthen the complete (see “True the pattern” on the facing page).

VERTICAL MEASUREMENT
HORIZONTAL MEASUREMENT

Add 1⁄4 inch.

Shoulder
to apex
Full
upper
back

Upper chest

Subtract 1⁄2 inch.

Back neck Add 2 Shoulder to full back
Subtract 7⁄8 inch. to waist inches.

Subtract 6 inches
Subtract (split between two
BACK
1
⁄4 inch. locations).
FRONT
This line
shows Center-
Apex to apex Midback
width back
change seam
without Apex to Bust
cutting the side seam curve
pattern. Side seam
Add 1⁄4 inch.
Back waist
Subtract 3⁄4 inch.
Side seam
Underbust Center-front
to waist seam
Add 7⁄8 inch.
To fit our model’s bust, we shortened quadrant 1, lengthened
quadrant 2, and narrowed quadrants 3 and 4. This illustration also
shows the other torso length and width adjustments to match
Front waist her proportions.

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TRUE THE PATTERN
Necklines, armscyes, darts, and side seams are likely to change armscye to create a template to use after completing the
temporarily during the adjustment process. They may become adjustments to true the armscyes. You can do the same for a
too long, too short, or distorted. Other fitting details can change neckline, or wait until the muslin fitting and clip the neckline on
dramatically during pattern adjustments, as well. Such changes are the body. During the muslin fitting, you also can refine the length
temporary and are corrected after all adjustments are completed. and depth of darts and side seams.
If the pattern begins to look unnatural halfway through the raw Changes made in one pattern area may affect other areas.
changes, don’t panic: Trueing resolves this. However, there’s no However, each pattern section should be fitted separately. If your
point in trueing an area you just changed when it may be further pattern has a sleeve, get the bodice fit correct first, then fit the
affected by another change. sleeve. True the pattern’s edges with a French curve or design
Armscyes can become particularly distorted during adjustment; curve. If you made armscye templates, lay them over the adjusted
this is normal. Before making pattern changes, trace the original pattern’s armscye.

Making templates of the original armscyes

provides an easy way to true the adjusted
pattern armscyes.

Back
Front armscye
armscye template
template FRONT BACK

Because we corrected
the pattern to
match our model’s
proportions, the first
muslin required only
minor tweaks to
fine-tune its fit. FITTING SHELL FRONT FITTING SHELL BACK

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Fit a fashion bodice
You can apply the bust-adjustment process to any garment style. As you decide how much to change, keep in mind that fashion
patterns incorporate wearing and design ease appropriate to the intended fit and silhouette.

CONSIDER EASE AND FIT PREFERENCES

Wearing ease is the extra room above the body The asymmetrical fashion bodice pattern
measurements in a garment to allow basic movement. shows the length and width changes
made to fit our model, taking into
Design ease, which is part of what defines a garment’s consideration the pattern’s
silhouette, is the amount given beyond wearing ease. Ease ease and her fit preferences.
can create some confusion in the adjustment process: How
much is necessary depends on the garment’s style and Armscye
the wearer’s fit preferences. What one person considers template Subtract 7⁄8 inch.
semifitted, the next might consider loose-fitting.
Ease is not typically distributed evenly throughout a
pattern. For example, the shoulder-to-apex, bust-curve, and
apex-to-apex quadrants on a pattern tend to have no ease. FRONT
The apex-to-side seam quadrant, however, may use varying
ease amounts to create different silhouettes.
Because most ease is incorporated away from the
garment’s center, it’s simple to pin out small amounts of
excess at the side seam during a muslin fitting. This kind of Add
change is best done on a muslin and is not a major fit issue
1
⁄4 inch.
that must be addressed on the pattern first.

EVALUATE THE FASHION PATTERN Subtract 3⁄4 inch.

Evaluate the pattern to determine what areas need to
match the body’s proportions exactly—usually the vertical
proportions—and what areas require ease to achieve the Armscye template
garment’s desired silhouette. Judge how much ease to
preserve or eliminate based on personal fit preferences. Add 1⁄2 inch.
We chose a vintage reproduction fashion pattern,
Butterick 6582, with a crossover neckline that features
gathers at the shoulders (see the pattern cover on the
facing page). It’s drafted as a semifitted garment, with

Photos: (p. 57, pattern envelope) courtesy of Butterick; all others, Mike Yamin. Illustrations: Rosann Berry.
41⁄2 inches of ease at the full bustline. Our model’s bust
measurement is 1 inch greater than the pattern size we
used, reducing the ease at the bustline to 31⁄2 inches.
Our model’s figure is petite, but she is well-muscled,
and she prefers a close fit in bodices to accentuate
her silhouette. Once we adjusted the pattern’s vertical Add 3 inches.
proportions, the bodice ease was better positioned over
her bust to accommodate her fit preference. Add 1⁄2 inch.

ADJUST THE PATTERN AND FINESSE THE MUSLIN Subtract 6 inches (split
between two locations).
The pattern adjustments shown achieved our model’s
preferred close fit in the fashion muslin. The same length
BACK
changes made for the fitting shell pattern were made
on the fashion pattern, but the width changes were
different because of the desired ease. No width change
was necessary at the upper chest because of the pattern’s
shoulder gathering. The apex-to-apex measurements were
a match, and the apex to side seam was unchanged to
retain a close fit while including 3⁄4 inch of wearing ease
through the front. After fitting the first muslin, we added
a bust dart to reduce gaping at the armscye and to take
up excess length at the front side seam. You can add darts
easily during the muslin fitting if necessary.

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 M U LT I - S I Z E D F O R C U S T O M F I T M U LT I - T A I L L E S / A V O S M E S U R E S
.

SIZE (6 8 10) (12 14 16) (18 20 22) TAILLE (6 8 10) (12 14 16) (18 20 22)
Fabric widths given in inches. Largeurs des tissus données en centimètres.
DRESS A ROBE A
45*/** 2≤ 2≤ 2≥ 2≥ 2≥ 2≥ 2≥ 2∫ 2∫ 115 */** 2.3 2.3 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.7
60*/** 1≥ 1≥ 2≈ 2≈ 2≈ 2≈ 2≈ 2≤ 2≤ 150 */** 1.6 1.6 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.3
SEW-IN INTERFACING A ENTOILAGE COUSU A
• www.butterick.com

36 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 90 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

45 ∫ ∫ ∫ ∫ ∫ ∫ ∫ ∫ ∫ 115 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8
DRESS B ROBE B
45*/** 2 2 2≥ 2≥ 2≥ 2≥ 2≥ 2∫ 2∫ 115 */** 1.9 1.9 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.7 2.7
60*/** 1≈ 1≤ 1≤ 1≤ 2 2 2Ω 2Ω 2Ω 150 */** 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.4 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.0 2.0
DRESS & BELT C ROBE & CEINTURE C
45*/** 3≤ 3≤ 3≤ 3√ 3≥ 3∫ 4 4Ω 4µ 115 */** 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9

57
60*/** 2≈ 2≤ 2≤ 2≤ 2√ 2≥ 2∫ 2∫ 3 150 */** 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.8

J U N E /J U LY 2 0 1 5 w w w. t h r e a d s m a g a z i n e . c o m
POUR L'USAGE EXCLUSIF DE LA COUTURIÈRE AU FOYER.

SEW-IN INTERFACING B,C ENTOILAGE COUSU B,C

36, 45 ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ ≤ √ √ 90, 115 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6
WIDTHS Lower edge LARGEURS à l’ourlet
A,B 36 37 38 39 41 43 45 47 49 A,B 92 94 96.5 99 104 109 115 120 125
C 116 117 118 119 121 123 125 127 129 C 295 297 300 302 307 312 317 323 328
LENGTHS Finished back from base of your neck LONGUEURS dos, votre nuque à l’ourlet
A,B,C 43 43µ 43≤ 43≥ 44 44µ 44≤ 44≥ 45 A,B,C 109 110 110 111 112 112 113 114 115
sateen, Fabric.com.
A
Pattern: Butterick 6582. Fabric: cotton '60
BUTTERICK
upper back.
Retro
bust curve and across the
torso, and pulling over the
and through the lower
bunching above the bust
fit poorly: bagging and B
C

style bodice would have

quadrants, the vintage-
especially in the bust
Without the adjustments,
SIZE/ TAILLE
® Butterick 6582
SIZE/TAILLE 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Bust 301⁄2 311⁄2 321⁄2 34 36 38 40 42 44 46
Waist 23 24 25 261⁄2 28 30 32 34 37 39
Hip 321⁄2 331⁄2 341⁄2 36 38 40 42 44 46 48
T. de poitrine 78 80 83 87 92 97 102 107 112 117
T. de taille 58 61 64 67 71 76 81 87 94 99
SIZE/ TAILLE
6582

T. de hanches 83 85 88 92 97 102 107 112 117 122

Butterick ®
6582
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
an excellent fit through the bust.
of bust darts, the fashion bodice muslin shows
After all pattern adjustments and the addition