Common marking mistakes & how I fix them/shoulder adjustment for large bust

Here is a photo of a Lutterloh pattern I drew up last week. I thought I would explain where I went wrong and how I was able to salvage it.

I started marking my dots without checking to be sure the furthest dot would fit on the paper. You might think, so add some paper to the top. Well this was my last three feet of paper so I moved the pattern down and started over.

You’ll see some of my dots have a penciled X through them. These are the dots that I want to ignore. The three dots in a row are where I started marking the dots. The one slightly to the left is where I marked a dot on the 1/2cm mark when it should have been an even number. As you can see drawing the X through, with a different drawing instrument, alerts me to a mistake. We all make them so just fix it the best you can and move on.

Another common mistake is when you mark some dots on the wrong side of the tape. An X marked through your mistaken dot fixes this one too. Once you’ve drawn a few patterns using colored markers you’ll end up with tiny marks on your tape all on the same side so this is easier to avoid. Just look up and down the length of your tape before you mark to avoid this one.

One more marking mistake I have made stems from an alteration I commonly use. Most commercial patterns, including Lutterloh, are designed for the average B cup bust. Since I have a larger than B cup bust I like to use my high bust measurement for all the dots from the center of the armhole and above. This narrows the shoulders for a better fit for me. Then I use my full bust measurement for all the dots below this. When enlarging the pattern I use two different colored markers to make the dots for high bust and full bust measurements. If I had a different hip and full bust measurement I would use three different colors to mark the whole pattern.

For some folks this bust adjustment may not be enough. For anything more than a D cup you may also need to add length to the front pattern piece or do an additional traditional FBA. You can find an excellent explanation of this FBA at this link. http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/09/a-full-bust-adjustment/

Below is a close-up of a technique I’ve started using to avoid marking the dots with the pin in the wrong number on the tape.

Before I tape the miniature pattern to the paper I mark all the dots that are at the center of the armhole and above with the color I’m going to use on the pattern, in this case with pink. I do this on the front and back bodice and the sleeve pieces. This way I can decide which dots on the front, back and sleeve pieces will be affected by my high bust measurement. As you know some patterns have more dots that form the armscye and sleeve cap. You have to decide, before you start marking, which ones will give you the room you need for your bust and still avoid gaping at the shoulders. All the dots below the waist are marked with the color for the hip measurement but I don’t mark these on the miniature pattern since there’s already a waist line there to remind me. Just remember when you move the pin in your miniature pattern that you need to switch pen colors.

So there you have it. With a little practice and some careful forethought you’ll be breezing through your pattern drawing too, even if you make a few mistakes along the way.