Basics
Between two sizes: how to draw the line
Bust M, hip S? How to blend two sizes in one pattern: what stays, where the transition goes and how to check that everything still fits together.
From the series Learned the hard way.
It happened to me a lot: an M at the bust, an S at the hips. And I never quite knew how to draw the line so it would fit well in the end. Yet that's completely normal, hardly anyone is exactly one size everywhere.
This is called blending or grading between sizes. You draw a line that has the right size at each point and transitions smoothly in between. With Linje you use the all-sizes file for this. If you'd rather skip the drawing, order made to measure: it's calculated exactly from your measurements.
What you need
- The all-sizes file (A4 or A0)
- Tape measure
- Pencil or fineliner, ideally two highlighters
- Curve ruler (optional)
- Pattern paper or baking paper for tracing
Step 1
Find your size at each point
Measure bust, waist and hips and look up each measurement in the size chart. Write the sizes down, for example: bust M, waist S, hip S.
The size finder on the product page helps with this. It tells you when a measurement matches a different size than your main one.
Step 2
Prepare the all-sizes file
In the all-sizes file every size has its own colour, and neighbouring sizes alternate between solid and dashed lines. The legend is on the print page.
Every size is also its own layer. In your PDF app, hide all the sizes you don't need (Adobe Acrobat Reader: layers icon on the left edge). Then you only see and print your two lines.
Step 3
The top stays in your bust size
For tops, bust and shoulders decide how the upper part fits. So draw the neckline, shoulder and armhole entirely in your bust size, without blending.
The sleeve belongs to the armhole: use it in the same size as the armhole. Then the sleeve cap still fits exactly.
Only the side seam gets blended.
Step 4
Draw the transition
Start under the arm on your bust size line and draw the side seam downwards. Around the waist, switch smoothly to your hip size line and follow it down to the hem.
- Spread the transition over as long a stretch as possible, not over two centimetres.
- No corners or kinks: the new line should look as if it had always been that way.
- A curve ruler helps, but several light freehand strokes work too.
At the hip and the hem you're then exactly on your hip size.
Step 5
Draw front and back the same way, then measure
The front side seam gets sewn to the back side seam. So blend both pieces the same way, in the same place.
Then measure: stand the tape measure on its edge along the stitching line, one seam allowance in from the edge, and measure the side seam of front and back. Both must be the same length. If one is longer, adjust the line before cutting.
Finally check the hem: front and back should meet at the side seam without a step.
Step 6
Baste first, try on, then sew for real
With the first garment from a new line, I don't sew it up straight away. I add a little extra seam allowance at the blended seams, for example 2 cm instead of 1 cm at the side seam, and first sew only with basting stitches: the machine's longest straight stitch, without backstitching.
Then try it on: where does it pull, where is there too much fabric? I pin those spots and mark them with chalk. The basting seam is easy to unpick. Only then do I sew everything properly and adjust the places I didn't like.
That way even the first garment becomes a favourite instead of a test piece for the bin.
Step 7
How to do it with Merle and Hanne
- Merle: the bust is the main measurement. Blend the side seam of front and back between underarm and hip, as described above. If your bust is noticeably fuller, blending isn't enough because the front also needs more length. Made to measure adjusts for the bust specifically.
- Hanne: the hips are the main measurement. The waist hardly matters because the elastic gathers the waistband. If your thighs or crotch don't match your hip size, made to measure is the better choice, as crotch and leg are hard to blend.
And in general: the further apart your sizes are, the more a test garment from inexpensive fabric pays off, or made to measure straight away.