Simplicity Pattern 2178 Modified

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

I am sewing the dress Simplicity 2178 option B but without the side straps for my sister and I. The problem is my sisters measurements are
upper bust=44″
bust=47″
waist=48″
hips=55″
and she is 5′ 10″ tall I have watched the 3 in 1 video on increasing the bustline, waist and hip but because the bodice front and back pattern in the video does not look like the front and back bodice pattern piece, I don’t know how to use the pivot method. Could you be so kind as to direct me on how to make the changes to increase the pattern pieces. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. thanks in advance. By the way I cut out the size 22 pattern piece.

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

PS I will accept any step by step instructions, videos, or website that will help me with pattern pieces 1 & 2.

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

I haven’t made this pattern. Is your bodice pattern piece different because it’s a full front and back instead of a half front (or back) like mine? That’s still ok. You’ll still be making the adjustments on the side seam areas. My example has a side seam on one side and then a center front (or back) on the other side because my half bodices are symmetrical. Because your bodice is not symmetrical, I’m guessing that you have a side seam on each side, the center front being in the middle of the pattern. You can still use the same pivot method, you just have to pivot on each side of the front bodice and each side of the back. So you’ll be pivoting a total of 4 times on the bodice pattern. If you want to increase your bodice area, for example, by 3″ total inches you’ll still divide by 4. So that’s 3/4″ for each side seam. Pin and outline you pattern to your worksheet. Pivot the left side of the bodice area by 3/4″ just like in my tutorial. After you finish, return the pattern to its original position. Then, do the same thing on the right side of the pattern. You’ll do the same thing with the back pattern. If you add up all these 3/4″ increases, it’ll equal 3″ added total. Hope that’s not too confusing. It’s a really cute dress and I’d love to see it when you finish. 🙂

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

Thanks for the info. I was able to increase the bodice pieces(front/back) and facing pieces(front/back). my next question is how do i modify the midriff pieces. I have attached pictures of the 2 pieces. If you can see the picture, the midriff is curved and there are 2 pieces instead of 1 piece. In addition each piece has notches on both of each long side and 1 of the two short sides. Do I use the method in the video or is there another way? I think I would use the same as your method but because of the differences listed above, I’m not that sure. Any information will help.Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

In addition to the question above, how do I add 3.5″ to the bodice so that I could eliminate the midriff and starting at the hip I want to flare the skirt at the hem. I also want to attach the bodice to the skirt using a 5/8″ seam allowance and create a casing and then thread the elastic through? I want to fully line the top and wanted full coverage to the knee (or longer) because the fabric is somewhat thin and it might be a little see thru? Also what would you recommend I line my ITY Knit Print fabric with?

Some of the questions I am asking are for both my dress and my sister’s dress.

My measurements are as follows:
33″ upper bust
36″ bust
27.5″ waist
37″ hips

And I am 5′ 8″ tall.

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

I am trying to make this dress.

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

First of, I recommend whatever changes and alterations you do, I highly recommend that you make a muslin, which means using cheap similar fabric to make sure your going to be happy with your alterations before using more expensive fabric. You also just need to baste your pieces together enough so you can at least try it on to test the fit. So for the bodice you’re making alterations to the bustline and the waistline, correct? If you’re not increasing the waistline, then the midriff piece will be fine as is and you’ll not need to make any alterations. If you are increasing the waistline, for the midriff, instead of pivoting, I would use the slide technique. So you outline the midriff pieces and then slide it over your measurement (divided by 4) on each side. Then return the pattern to its original position. Your notches will remain in the same spot. You should then use the pivot method for the bottom of the bodice and top of the skirt so the increase will match since these pieces will go together. I probably wouldn’t recommend removing the midriff altogether. I think that’ll make things even more complicating.
For lining knit, I would use a tricot fabric. It’s also stretchy and it’s lightweight. Using a regular knit fabric will make everything too heavy.
As for the other things, since you want to alter things so much, it might be helpful instead to find a pattern that has the bodice you like and the skirt that you like and then try to combine both these elements together. Just make sure that both patterns require the same types of fabric (knit) or you’ll run into trouble. It is difficult to take a pattern that is more fitted and then try to add something like an elastic waistline because patterns with an elastic waistline have the necessary ease already built into the pattern. Adding it to something without that extra ease is probably not going to have the look that you’re imagining.
Good luck!

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

Thanks for the previous info again. It really helped me. I have another problem. According to the video of increasing the waist (the waist band), I would have to slide the pattern piece using the side seam as a guide. On the picture of the 2 pattern pieces I attached below, I don’t see 2 side seams, just the 1 dotted line that says center front or center back. Are those my side seams and the waistband in the video was straight, these 2 pieces are curved. How am I supposed to slide the curved pattern piece? I watched the video 2-3 times but still didn’t understand. I’m not sure what to do. I think I have an idea but really not sure. I really want to get this right so that my sister can wear the dress with confidence. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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