Reed Sew-Along: Pattern Adjustments

Today we're going to talk about the most common pattern adjustments you might need for the Reed Skirt. We'll start with blending between sizes, then cover two ways to lengthen the pattern. No bust adjustments for this one! With that, let's dive in!

Blending Between Sizes

Blending between sizes on the Reed skirt is pretty easy, no armholes, darts, or necklines to worry about! In this example we'll be blending from a 12 at the waist to a 10 at the hip. You'll want to start at the waistline of the 12 and align your curved hip ruler so that it hits at the hip line on the 10, blending between the two sizes. You can see the line we took from the 12 to the 10 in the second illustration above. Make sure that the line you make is smooth and transitions nicely from one line to the other. 

Lengthening and Shortening

There are two ways that you can lengthen or shorten your skirt, from the hip line or by adding to the bottom. The main difference is that the sweep of the skirt will increase when you add to the bottom, but lengthening from the hip line will maintain the sweep. If you're making either of the longer views I would recommend lengthening from the hip as the lower panels will no longer fit if you increase the sweep.

To lengthen the skirt through the hip, simply cut along the hip line, then spread the pattern the amount you'd like to lengthen your skirt. Make sure that you keep the grain line of the pattern aligned. If you have a lot of length to add, more than 2" or so, I'd recommend splitting the amount between the hip and adding to the hem so that you don't end up with a restrictive skirt.

To add to the hem, simply measure down from the hem the amount you'd like to lengthen. Extend the sides of the pattern to meet the new length and you're all set!

You'll want to make sure that you make these length adjustments to each pattern piece that crosses the blending point or your skirt panels won't sew together properly. 

Next up we're cutting so get your fabric pre-washed, pressed, and ready to go!