How to Alter Sewing Patterns for Better Fit
Subtle changes improve the fit and hang of every piece you sew
Over several decades of making custom clothing, I’ve learned a lot about garment fitting. Many of my favorite techniques were taught by Roberta Carr and published in her book, Couture: The Art of Fine Sewing (Palmer/Pletsch, 1993). From her, I learned to make some small changes that better accommodate a body’s curves and help a garment hang smoothly over the figure.
These refinements don’t appear substantial on the pattern, but I have found that they make a difference in how a garment looks when worn. They’re easy to accomplish, even for a beginner, and I encourage you to try them. They can take your sewing up a level and give you more to be proud of when you wear your garments.
Add a curve to straight seams
Commercial patterns often default to straight seams, even where the body has a natural curve. You can change these…
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so by adding a curve to the back shoulder seam would that replace an alteration such as 'forward thrust shoulder'?
That curved seam is to provide some shaping over the back shoulder, similar to what you'd achieve with a back shoulder dart. The added ease there might take some of the strain off the front shoulder for a forward shoulder, but you're better off doing an actual forward-shoulder adjustment to the bodice and sleeve cap as well.
Carol Fresia, Threads Senior Technical Editor