Dear readers,
Grading between sizes is one of the most useful pattern fitting skills you can learn, and the Naomi Dress is an excellent project for practicing it. Because the dress is constructed from several bodice and skirt panels, the adjustments are straightforward and allow you to customise the fit precisely where needed.
Before diving into the tutorial, I strongly recommend sewing a stabilised toile. Apply fusible tape where necessary, so the toile behaves like your final fabric. This step makes it much easier to test the fit, check your graded lines, and ensure the proportions feel right before you cut into your chosen fabric.
Choosing Your Size
Start by choosing your size based on your full bust measurement. If your waist or hip falls into a different size, you can blend between sizes. As a rule of thumb, if you have at least 4 cm (1½ inches) of ease compared to the finished garment measurement, you may not need to grade all the way to the size your body measurement indicates at the waist or hip.
For grading, you will be working with the following pieces: Front, Front Side Skirt, Back Side Skirt, Back Bodice and Front Bodice Lining. The example below demonstrates how to adjust when the waist is one size larger than the bust, but the same logic applies for grading at the hips or for larger jumps between sizes.
To prepare, print the pattern with two size layers turned on: one that matches your bust and one that matches your waist. This makes it easy to see the difference between the two sizes as you redraw the seam.
Preparing the Back Pieces
Begin by aligning the Back Bodice with the Back Side Skirt at the stitching notch. This positioning allows you to see how the two panels relate to one another at the side seam.
Mark the top zipper notch at the smaller size and the waist notch at the larger size. Connect these two points with a straight line to create a new graded side seam.
Next, separate the pieces and extend your new line through the seam allowances. For the upper part of the Back Bodice, use the full bust size and your newly drawn grading line. For the Back Side Skirt, select the appropriate combination of lines to ensure a smooth transition to the larger size.
Once everything is drawn in, smooth the transitions and refine the curves. You now have your new back pattern pieces.
Preparing the Front Pieces
To adjust the front, align the Front Bodice with the Front Side Skirt at the stitching notch. You may need to rotate the skirt panel slightly to create a smooth side seam without any sharp angles.
Mark the top zipper notch at the smaller size and the waist notch at the larger size, just as you did for the back. Connect those two notches with a straight line to form the new graded seam.
Separate the pieces and extend the new line through the seam allowances. For the Front Bodice, use the full bust size and your new line. For the Front Side Skirt, blend between sizes to maintain a natural shape.
Smooth all the lines to finalise the new front pieces.
Adjusting the Front Bodice Lining
The lining piece can be updated by simply placing it against your newly adjusted Front Bodice and tracing the corresponding changes. Once this piece is updated, all your graded pattern pieces are ready.
Grading between sizes may appear intimidating at first, but once you understand how to connect key notches and blend between sizes, it becomes a straightforward process. The Naomi Dress offers generous opportunities to practice and refine this skill, and I hope this tutorial helps you feel confident as you customise your pattern.
Happy sewing!