It’s a common dilemma: You imagine a garment design with specific elements but can’t find a single commercial pattern that matches all that you envision. Or, you’ve found a pattern that’s almost perfect, but could be improved by a detail from another pattern. Combining all the right elements from two or more patterns can make it easy to create the design you really want. You can add or switch sleeves, collars, necklines, closures, pockets, yokes, hoods, ruffles, cuffs, waistbands, skirts, midriffs, whole or partial bodices-anything you want. Laura Nash shows you how in this article from Threads #180.