The sizes available on the printed pattern should accommodate most body builds, but some customizing may be needed in order to achieve an ideal fit.
Perhaps most likely to need adjustment is the collar, as it may be slightly too tight or too loose for comfort around the wearer's neck. It should be snug-ish but not uncomfortably tight.
Our pattern's collars are graded in increments of 1", starting with 14 ½" for the size small.
Altering the collar is a two-step process: altering the collar and altering the neckline.
The most effective (er, only?) ways to loosen the collar are to extend the front or back by half the amount of the desired adjustment - for instance, if you need to loosen the collar by ½", simply extend either the front or back edges of the collar by ¼".
If you tightened the collar slightly, we recommend simply stretching it as needed when sewing to the neckline.
To whatever degree you extend the circumference of the collar, though, you may wish to adjust the neckline.
(Technically, since you're using cotton lycra, you could "cheat" and just stretch the neckline to accommodate the looser collar and probably nobody in the world would ever know it if you did it well.)
If you wish to extend the neckline "properly," we offer the following suggestions:
* Cutting away ⅛" around the entire perimeter of the neckline will extend the seam line about ½".
* Letting out the shoulder seam slightly at the neckline will extend the neckline by four times the amount of your alteration (i.e. if you reduce the shoulder seam allowance from ⅜" to ¼" at the neckline, the compound effect will be the neckline extended ½").
* An easy way to add ½" to the neckline would be to cut the front pieces ¼" wider at the center front, either along the entire piece or tapering out to ¼" wider from the chest to the neck.
* If you're utilizing the optional center back seam, you can easily add ½" to the neckline in the same manner as described above for the front.
* And, of course, these techniques can be used in any combination!
If your sleeves need lengthening or shortening, first determine if the bottom of the sleeve is comfortable around the upper wrist; if not, widen or narrow the sleeve as needed 1" from the bottom of the pattern piece (as the sleeve has 1" hem allowance).
Once the bottom of the sleeve is adjusted (if need be), redraft the sleeve edges from the underarm (the widest point of the sleeve pattern piece) to the bottom of the sleeve.
If you widened or narrowed of the bottom of the sleeve, do the same for the hem allowance (the bottom 1" of the pattern piece).
The only other area that might need adjustment is the chest.
The garment itself is made of stretchy knit fabric and should fit comfortably if worn at an appropriate size, but should it be too tight or loose, there are several simple options to achieve an ideal fit.
First, the optional back seam allows for some give and take.
Otherwise, if the garment is too loose, the body's side seams can be taken in (along with the upper portion of the sleeve seam) after it is already made.
If it is too tight, extend the upper side of the pattern piece (at the underarm) by ¼ of the desired alteration on both the front and back pattern pieces, and widen the sleeve's underarm edges by the same amount (so the seam lines will match). For instance, if you need the garment to be 1" looser, add ¼" to the top of the front side seam (underarm), ¼" to the top of the back side seam (underarm), and ¼" to both sides of the sleeve underarm.
The same technique can be used to adjust the fit around the waist.
CONGRATULATIONS!
YOU'RE FINISHED!
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