Glad you enjoyed it!

Hi Gary, thank you so much for your lovely words. Thank you. Aneka

Hi Jo, your comment has made my morning. I am SO pleased that you like the Copen pattern and that you felt able to give it a try! Thank you SO much. Wishing you all the best, Aneka xx

Thank you so much Lisa. Aneka x

So pleased you enjoyed the video and it helped you. Wishing you all the best with your sewing. Aneka x

Bret Whitmore so pleased I could help Bret. Good luck. Aneka

Thanks so much Patricia, really pleased I could help. Aneka x

Hi James, of course I can. Thank you for the suggestions - I will plan some videos. Thank you, Aneka

Hi Susana, thank you so much for your kind words. Aneka x

Thank you so much for your lovely words Maria. Thank you xx

Hi Ania, glad I could help. I would put a lengthen and shorten line half way between the waist and hip. Approximately. If there are any darts or design details you can move from half way slightly to avoid them. Hope that helps? Aneka

Hi Anna, thank you SO much. I am so pleased that you like the tutorial and it has helped you. Thank you for your lovely words. Aneka xx

Hi Freda, There is a lengthen and shorten line about 1" above the Waist, this will help you shorten it in that area (between bust and waist). My question is with regard to the neck to bust apex that you wish to shorten - do you want to shorten the armhole? If not you will probably want to move the Bust apex and dart using this method: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZtmidpSfz8nFdWg.html and then take any extra length in the Bust to Waist line I mentioned first. Hope this helps? Aneka x

Hi Freda, the apex to the waist can be done in the Lengthen and Shorten line provided between the Bust and Waist. The shoulder to apex is where you may need to move the bust dart and the apex by cutting it out, like in the video. I would probably cut out the square for the dart and apex like I show in the video and then you can manage the shoulder to apex first, followed by the apex to waist; as you can then see how much you have moved the dart down by and whether you still need to adjust the apex to waist? Does that make sense? Aneka

Hi Rina, I actually have a top I am working on with a curved hem. I will film this (it should help :-))! Thank you for the great idea. It will be up in a couple of weeks as I have in-person classes starting tomorrow for 2 weeks. Aneka x

Hello, usually patterns only give you the Back Length, so most of the time you are adjusting the front and back based on your Back Length and how this differs to the pattern. If you choose to adjust the Front Length separately you would then need to blend and correct the back and front at the side seam to make sure they can still be sewn together. Aneka

Eileen McCallum Hi Eileen, great question and thank you for your lovely words! If you are adding length into the pattern above the Bust and above the base of the armhole, you are correct in thinking that you will increasing the armhole length/size. So you would also need to alter the sleeve, to make sure that the front sleeve cap fits the front armhole. I recommend drawing the stitching lines onto the pattern of the armhole and measuring the difference between the original pattern and the new length you have added. How much length are you adding in? I drafted the sleeve to have approx 1/4” (6mm) ease in the front armhole. My question is this is going to make the base of the armhole slightly lower in the front, do you need this? Let me know! Aneka x

Just realise that I wrote my reply thinking you were just doing this to the front (I don’t know where I got that from, it’s my day off today after a busy week teaching, so my brain obviously isn’t functioning). From re reading your message I understand that you will do this to the front and back of the pattern? Then yes you will need to add the same amount across the sleeve in order for the sleeve cap to fit the new armholes. Does that make sense? Sorry for my misunderstanding, Aneka x

Hi Aneka thank you for your prompt reply I will add length to bodice and sleeve cap.👗👍

Great news. Happy to help. Let me know how you get on. Aneka x

Hi Nelly, have you done the FBA and shortened the back and the side seams now don't match? If you shorten the back length you will need to shorten both back and front pattern pieces. Do this first and then do the FBA. Aneka

Thank you! :-))

Hi Alex, yes of course you can do this. It won't be using the Lengthen and Shorten lines here because you are amended the design lines of the garment, rather than the fit. So you can simply take it off the bottom. Aneka :-))

Yes I do! I have a Full Bicep kzfaq.info/get/bejne/npuJqa93p9q-oIU.html and Small Bicep kzfaq.info/get/bejne/idSaa8yFxLOtk5c.html if that's what you mean? Thanks, Aneka

@@MadetoSew thank you very much.

I don't have the pattern, so can't be specific. If you're talking about having a longer skirt, then use the adjustment line below the hip area. (Do the same way as was done for the bodice in the video.) If you do not have an adjustment line , you can draw one approximately 1/2 way between the widest part of the hip and the hem line. Then, follow the same directions for lengthening, as was given in the video for the bodice. You said you are a novice. Nothing wrong with that! We've all been one, that's for sure. It's just that you may not be asking all the needed questions if you leave out the zipper. Most important question is "Will you be able to put on the dress, if you do not have a zipper?". If the answer is no, do you know how to add a side seam zipper? Or, are you planning to increase the waist size, as a design change, that will give room in the waist area for it to slide over the bust, when putting on the dress? As to the how-to leave out a center back zipper, generally you can simple cut out the back on the fold. Line up the center back, using the seam line to meet the fold line. (Draw in the seam allowance - seam line - if it is not already on the pattern. Question: Does the pattern have a center back slit to make walking easier? If it does, you may have to cut 2 separate back pieces anyway. Unless the slit is finished with a facing or seam binding. Hope this helps a bit.

Hello! Sorry for the delayed reply. Because the Copen dress is straight you can in-fact add to the hem. This is the ONLY time you can just add length to the hem. But remember you aren't actually amending the length of the hem here for your body length, you are changing the design. So adding to the hem is ok. As Oldtimer Lee suggests it will be tricky to put the dress on without a zip. It is possible I believe if you don't sew the waist darts, I am sure some people have done it in the Copen group: facebook.com/groups/copenpattern/?ref=br_rs or you could simply stop sewing at the mid back and add a hook and eye or button to the top of the neckline? However if you wish to cut the back on the fold you will have to straighten the back seam. The back seam is NOT straight, because I have incorporated some back waist shaping, I believe this fits better, so I would personally recommend you keep the back seam to allow for the shaping. As Lee suggests you might need this back seam to add a vent or slit at the back to help you walking, if you make it longer? I hope this helps? Aneka x

Thanks so much for helping, I really appreciate you taking the time to help and give advise! Aneka :-))

Thanks so much for your advice guys I'll play around and see what happens😌

Wonderful! Good luck.

If the pattern is straight you can lengthen from the bottom. If the pattern is not a straight (which yours isn't) you need to lengthen between the Low Hip and the Hem (if you want to keep the same width at the hem). Or at the hem will add more volume at the width? Depends on the look you want. Aneka

Hi Terry, This is quite a big change, but not impossible. Yes, you will need to blend between the two points once you have made the change. In part you will need to use your eye and decide what looks the most natural shape. You will find that you gain fabric on some of the seam edges and lose on some other edges. I hope this makes some sense?

Thank you for your video, I know that it isn’t a new one, but I am working with vogue 8499 and need to lengthen the skirt by 2 1/2 inches! That is a big change and the outer shape of the pattern piece is quite different and doesn’t quite meet. Going by your video, I should grade the outer edge so that it meets. Would you say that is correct? Thank you so very much.

Hi Marilyn, I am a little confused… If you have a shaped hem on a garment, so the garment isn’t straight the you need to alter it in the lengthen and shorten lines; not at the hem. Which I think you know. You can cut and add length in different places. For example if you were working with a pair of trousers. I would adjust the length; waist to crotch, crotch to knee and knee to ankle. Depending on how your measurements compared to the pattern. Once you have made an alteration the hem width should be the same as the original, as you having touched the hem. Sorry if I am confused by your comment. It’s that after Christmas brain perhaps! 🤣 What pattern are you using? Let me know so I can see where you added it. When you added it I presume you kept the grainline and or centre front/ back straight. Aneka x

@@MadetoSew Hello Aneka. I have added length at the lengthen shorten line. When I measure the original pdf and then the traced one with a tape measure, the actual width of the hem is the same but it doesn't meet up on the original line any more, once I have overlayed it onto the pdf to check. I have just watched one of your brief fitting videos about order of alterations and I have commented there as what you suggest is different to what I have been doing and what some people do when I asked the question on a group. The pattern I am referring to in this message is Tilly and the Buttons but I have made it before and never really noticed before the issue I am talking about now. I am wondering if I am overthinking it all. If you can't understand me still, perhaps see if you can understand my question related to your other video. You say in that, that grading should be the last thing to do between sizes after lengthening/shortening, and any curve-of-the-body adjustments. thank you, as always.

@@dancetoday542 Hi Marilyn, I have just replied to your other question. You can grade out first if you want to. This doesn’t really affect anything, especially if the pattern doesn’t have the size you are included. But once you have added the length you will always need to re adjust the width. So once the length is cut and you have lined up the grainline and put the two pieces back together with the extra length added in-between. You will of course have to blend the side seam, or maybe both seams (depending on the design of the garment). To fix the area where the length was added; this step often ‘wins some and loses some’ off the seams; again the change depends on the shape of the pattern. This is the width adjustment, which is why it will always be finalised last, even if you grade out to start with. I hope that makes more sense. The hem of the garment shouldn’t have been adjusted though, or changed at all?! So I am not sure why that has occurred, unless it was a tracing discrepancy? Aneka x

@@MadetoSew that makes perfect sense and is what I have been doing with my makes. It threw me because the video said length adjustment last. Yes, I have been truing up the sides after lengthening. Thank you.❤️

@@MadetoSew The hem width measures the same actually, it just doesn't line up when I overlay the tracing, but that may be because I had already lengthened the tracing so that would alter it lower down. If I bring the tracing up then the hem matches.

Hello! When you say the chest part, do you mean over the Bust area of the armhole? Happy for you to send me some pictures on Facebook or Instagram (I am madetosew), then I can see what the issue is. Aneka :-))

Thank you! I just sent you a message to Facebook. My name is Nicole :)

Thank you Nicole, will take a look. Aneka :-))

We will look into it. Aneka :-)

Hello, the back length of the Copen dress is in the instruction booklet - page 5 or 7. It differs from size to size. The size 2 is 37.5cm, so you could add another 0.5cm to the length of the front and back pattern if you wanted to be very precise. However because the garment isn't overly fitted at the waist you would be able to get away with this. Aneka

@@MadetoSew Hi Aneka, really appreciate for your quick reply. Do I need to find my actual apex point and redraw it on the pattern size 2 before I do a SBA?

@@dawn7071 No I would probably do the SBA first. Unless the apex point is very different. The SBA will move the dart apex so I usually find it is easier to do the SBA and then move the dart to your bust apex.

@@MadetoSew I see and I will try, thanks

gifted_ hands exactly the same rules apply. You will need to see if you need to shorten it above the waist so in the bodice or in the skirt. It will probably be a bit on both. Just make sure you do it on the Lengthen and shorten lines. And the connect the seams together again. Let me know how you get on. Aneka x

gifted_ hands just looked at the pattern. Does it have Lengthen and shorten lines you can use? Did they give you a back neck to waist measurement for your size? How does your measurement compare? Aneka

Thank you.

So pleased. ⭐️

Hi Tay, thanks for sharing. If your pattern doesn't have lengthen/shorten lines the rule would be to place them half way between the area you want to adjust. So if it's a wrap top, half way between Bust and Waist for a Back Length that is different to the pattern. When you make the adjustment you must align the centre front guideline (whether you add or remove an amount). Then, you just need to blend the wrap front edge of the pattern. Generally I would use a French curve and wouldn't draft this with a straight line (but depending on the pattern it might be a straight line). You will 'win some and loose some' on the pattern pieces as you re-draw the edge of the pattern. Hope that helps? Any questions let me know. Aneka x

Hi. This comment and. Response were very helpful to me. Thankful I scrolled all the way down. This is my mock common and frustrating adjustment challenge. Love wrap dresses but their bodice are usually too short for me and I don’t know where to lengthen without ruining the shape of the curves. Thanks.

I.e “most common”