Reed Variation 03: Views B & D Length without the Hem Band

Today I'm excited to share our newest Reed Pattern Variation! In this tutorial we'll be showing you how to keep the length of Views B & D but without a sewn on hem band. This is a great option for fabrics like the jacquard I used in this example. There's no reason to try to patch such a thick fabric with such long floats across that seam. Instead we'll eliminate the seam line between the skirt panels and the hem band altogether. This will give us a sleek skirt and no pattern matching headache! I'll be demonstrating here on the View D pattern pieces for clarity but all the steps are the same for View B.

There are actually two ways to go about this modification, using the hem band or just lengthening the skirt pieces. I'll walk you through both here starting with the method using the hem band.

Method One

To begin you'll need the pattern pieces pictured above. If you need to make a muslin for fitting you can do that before you add length if you like, or wait until these adjusted pieces are finished. It's up to you.

Step 1

• To begin, grab piece 8: Front Hem Extension. This piece spans the lower edges of pieces 1 & 4 so we're going to need to split it in half along the princess line. The notch along the upper edge of the pattern piece marks where the princess line falls, so we'll be drawing a line from that notch to the lower edge, square to where the notch meets the upper edge. 
• Now cut along that line to separate piece 8 into two parts. We'll call those 8-1 because that half joins with piece 1, and 8-4 because that half joins with piece 4.

Step 2

• Grab Piece 1 and piece 8-1. With the center front edges aligned, place the seamlines of the upper edge of piece 8-1 on top of the seamline of piece 1. The overlap of the two pieces will be 1". Tape those two together.
• Now draw in the seam allowance along the cut edge of 8-1. This will be 1/2" out from that same cut edge and follow the line of piece 1. 
• You now have your new pattern piece 1. Cut it out and set it aside.

Step 3

• Now we'll repeat these steps for the front side, pieces 4 and 8-4. This time we'll be aligning the side seam of both pieces since those are the original, uncut edges of piece 8-4. Match the seam lines of 4 and 8-4 and tape in place.
• Draw in the seam allowance of 8-4 along the princess line, again 1/2" out from the cut edge and following the line of the piece 4 princess seam.
• Cut out your new pattern piece!
• You'll then repeat these same steps for the back panels of the skirt. You can then sew the skirt together in the same manner as any of the views in the pattern that don't have the hem band.

Method Two

To begin you'll need the pattern pieces pictured above. As with Method 1, if you need to make a muslin for fitting you can do that before you add length if you like, or wait until these adjusted pieces are finished. It's completely up to you and what feels most comfortable for the way you work.

• The first think you'll need to do is figure out how much you'll need to lengthen your pattern piece so it sews to piece 10. To find this number, align 10 and 1 as if to sew. Then measure down from the lower edge of the skirt to the lower edge of piece 10. This is the amount you'll need to lengthen each skirt panel.
• Next extend the front and princess cut lines following the existing shape of the pattern piece. 
• Now we'll grab our rulers. Measure down 9.5" from the lower edge of piece 1 following the curve of the hem.
• Finally we'll connect the dashed lines to finalize the lower edge. This is your new pattern piece.
• Repeat these same steps for the rest of your skirt panels, making sure to use the same length measurement for each panel so they connect.

So that's it for today's tutorial, I hope you've found it helpful! If you have any questions just let us know in the comments below and we'll help you out.