February 09, 2021

How to adjust the height of a jumpsuit or dress made of 2 parts

If when reading the measurement chart attached to the pattern, your height is different from that indicated, then a modification of the length of the garment should be considered.
For more details on methods A and B discussed below, refer to the article entitled "Basic techniques for shortening or lengthening a pattern."

Basic material to perform a transformation

To transform a pattern, it is advisable to have:

Adhesive tape
A parrot rule
A square
A graduated ruler
A support sheet
A pair of paper scissors
A fine-tipped pencil/criterion

For a combination

When a suit does not fit your size, the model will be very uncomfortable. It will tend to be very tight or on the contrary to gape at the crotch. Several reasons can explain this phenomenon.

First case

The crotch is not high enough, the garment will tend to be tight.
The fork is too high, the garment will tend to gape.

Draw an axis perpendicular to the straight grain on the legs of the suit. Place it anywhere on the crotch line, that is, between the crotch point and the waist line.
Cut on the line, then spread the pieces apart to enlarge the fork or overlap the pieces to shorten the fork.

Example on the Eclipse pattern, jumpsuit version

Second case

The bust is too short and the waistline too high. The garment will tend to be tight.
The bust is too long, the waistline too low. The garment will tend to gape.

Draw an axis perpendicular to the straight grain and to the front and back centers on the bodice part of the jumpsuit. Place it anywhere between the waistline and the underarm point. Mark this line preferably at the same height on the front and back.
Cut on the line, then spread the pieces apart to increase the bust height or overlap the pieces to decrease the bust height.

Example on the Eclipse pattern, jumpsuit version

Consequences :
Whichever part is modified:

If the height is increased, the pants will be longer.
If the height is decreased, the pants will be shorter.

It will therefore be necessary to consider adjusting the leg length if this seems necessary. Refer to the article "How to shorten or lengthen the pattern of a stocking".

For a dress

Unlike a jumpsuit, a dress will still be comfortable despite some alterations. The main problems encountered therefore remain visual.

First case

The skirt part is too short or too long.
Use the method of your choice:

Cut the pieces in 2 and add/subtract the desired value between these 2 parts (method A)
Lengthen/shorten the bottom in continuity with the existing outline (method B).

Example on the Eclipse pattern, dress version

Second case

The size is visually too high or too low.
The bust part must be modified in the same way as for the jumpsuit (second case).
Please note that a change in the bust also affects the length of the dress: