I'm 32 inch waist 44 inch hip (not actually my hips but the tops of my thighs really as that's my broadest point).
That makes me a 12 on the waist 14 on the hip on the Beignet pattern.
I recently read Sunni's ace post on her series for her Ginger sew-along, which shows you how to grade between sizes, this seems pretty straightforward on a skirt with only a couple of pieces.
However the Beignet doesn't have a waistband, so I am not sure where the waist line actually is on the pattern pieces, so don't know where to start the grading.
Also it has 4 skirt pieces, 4 lining pieces and 4 facing pieces, so that's going to take a lot of adjustments! Do I therefore just adjust the side pieces (there's a front piece, side front piece, back piece and a side back piece for the shell, facing and lining) or the front and back pieces too?
Lastly the lining and facings attach to form the inner shell so my grading will have to go across pieces. So how do I grade across the facing and lining pieces on the pattern, bearing in mind all the pieces have seam allowance?
How should I do this grading? Is it too much faff, should I just cut a muslin in a 14 and take in the seams around the waist a little?
See, this is why I struggle to actually make any clothes, and I haven't even gone near my sewing machine yet.
It sits on the natural waist. It confused me too, my muslin made it clear :)
ReplyDeleteI'd take the easy way out, and just adjust the side seams. A quarter inch added to each side seam isn't too much. As for the facing try lining up the facing and lining pieces as if they were sewn together, pin them together flat making sure you've lined them up so their seam lines match. Then do the grading. Then unpin and voilà! I hope that makes sense, and is helpful :)
Goodluck!
Ashley x
Oops, just realised I meant half an inch to the side seams. Not a quarter inch. My maths went awry! lol
ReplyDeleteAshley x
I wish I could help you, but I've not made the Beignet yet and the only Colette pattern I've used is the Sorbetto! I have heard that they come up big though (and I did experience that with the Sorbetto), so maybe cut a muslin in a 12 and see how that looks first! Fingers crossed some knowledgeable stitchers will reply to this post with some actual, good advice ;o)
ReplyDeleteI usually follow the same method you mention, the one Sunni, from A Fashionable stitch has used but not sure how it would translate for the Beignet. I have not yet sewn it . Try crossing sizes and do a muslin to check for sure.
ReplyDeleteMy first instinct response was to make a muslin of the larger size and take it in at the seams around the waist.you will still need to make sure you do the same to the lining and facing pieces.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested to see what you decide to do as this skirt is moving its way higher and higher up my to-do list and i'm a 10 in the waist and 12 in the hips - so same dilemma as you!
Is the waistline marked on any of the pattern pieces? sometimes it's marked.
Thanks for all the advice!
ReplyDeleteI've read a few peoples blog posts about this skirt (luckily it's a popular pattern and plenty odf people have made it), and it does seem to come up big.
I think i will cut out a muslin for the 12 and add a little to the seam allowance in case of adjustments, and see how that goes.