You are so welcome! Glad I could help.

Thank you so much. Glad you like them!

Thank you so much for such a lovely message. I am really pleased you like my tutorials and I have been able to help you with the rolled hem and I can't wait to see what you do with the Copen pattern. Thank you for your kind remarks on my rings, I did in fact choose my wedding ring and the lady in the jewellery shop though my idea of an engagement and wedding ring the same very odd. I am so pleased with them though. Thank you. Aneka

So pleased I could help. Thank you for your lovely message. Aneka

Thank you so much Colette. Thank you. Aneka x

Thanks Samantha, glad it helped.

This is such amazing news. I am so pleased. Huge thank you. xxx

Glad I could help Olga. Aneka x

Glad you like them!

Thanks so much Louise, that is very kind of you to say. I am starting to launch some online classes on my website. These will be more detailed and following a project from drafting through to completion. ❤️🙏

Thank you Wenda.

Glad it was helpful!

Great news, thank you.

Happy to help Wanda, good luck! Aneka x

Thank you so much. Aneka

Pleasure Nancy. Good luck.

Thank you. :-))

Thanks so much! Really pleased I could help Kim. ❤️

So pleased I could help. Great work! 😀

Thank you so much Estelle. Aneka x

Thank you!

Thank you. I'm glad it is helpful. Enjoy your weekend!

I'm so pleased this helped and hope your top works out well. Feel free to ask if you get stuck.

Thank you. Aneka x

Thank you. Aneka x

Thank you.

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks Joanna. Glad I can help you on your sewing journey. 🥰

Thank you. Really pleased that you have found it helpful.

So glad. Hugs. Aneka x

So pleased I could help Linda. x

Thank you.

Thank you Ewa. Aneka x

Glad I could help Jessica.

Thanks Nicola

Thank you. x

Thank you

Thank you. So pleased.

Thank you. Aneka :-))

Thank you for such a lovely message Vatsa. I am so pleased that I could help you. All the best with your sewing. Aneka

So pleased I can help. Thank you. Aneka

Pleasure 😀

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much Kathleen, really pleased I could help. Aneka

Thank you. I'm glad you found it helpful.

You're welcome!

Thank you. I'm glad you have found some good learning points. Happy sewing!

Thank you. I'm glad you have found some good learning points. Happy sewing!

Thank you. We will look into it.

Hi Wendy, thank you so much. Really pleased you like them. Yes of course I can. I will add one to the list. Aneka xx

Thank you.

Glad you think so!

Thank you Hilary. Aneka x

So pleased I could help Jamie. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Aneka x

Lina Rodz really pleased I could help x

Thank you.

Thank you, in terms of measuring the bust apex, you will need to use the same measurements we did in this video. You can remove the seam allowances from the pattern pieces and pin them together if required. Have you seen this video: kzfaq.info?o=U&video_id=Ns9Gpn8rD1A on how to find the bust apex, on a princess seam (is the second half). Hopefully that will help as well. Aneka x

I hate to be a bother. Made to Sew would you please provide the title of the video? The link does not seem to work on my device.

Of course, here is the title and another link. It may have been my fault. :-)) How To: Find a Bust Apex on Pattern (without a Bust Apex) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hNlpetOfndioYXU.html

Made to Sew it worked! Thanks.

I need to do a princess seam example it seems :-)). You can use the same technique to measure from the Centre Front the width of YOUR bust apex. And then can you measure from the shoulder seam down for the length? This will depend on where the princess seam is positioned. Even if you can overlap the princess seam pattern pieces by the seam allowance to help? Aneka

@@MadetoSew thank you seew much for getting back to me! I can't wait for a princess seam video 🤩

Hi Arina, what a fabulous career. It's required when my students need to find the BA on a commercial pattern. Obviously their BA might be in a different place to the patterns and they will need to amend it for their individual figure. Aneka :-))

Thanks Hannah! :-))

Usually the darts are backed away from the apex. The distance depends slightly on the shape of your bust. For example a side dart on average would be backed away by about 1" (2.5cm). But this can depend on the shape of your bust. It can be suggested that a larger bust requires the dart to be backed away a larger distance. But, I believe it can depend on the shape of the bust (no matter what size), and the bra you are wearing. Darts need to point towards a curve, some people will have more of a curve on the side of their bust. Others will be flatter on the side and the curve will be right at the front of the bust. I hope this helps? I would start with 1" (2.5cm) and see how you get on. Aneka

@@MadetoSew Thank you very much! This is super helpful, as always! By the way, I love the new look of your website!! May you continue to have lots of success and continue to share your knowledge and love of sewing, which is truly inspiring.

@@lapalma1928 Thank you so much. I designed it myself as my old website was breaking and it was very expensive to fix. So that means such a lot. Thank you. Aneka xx

@@MadetoSew Wow! You are impressively creative in many ways! Congratulations!!

@@lapalma1928 Thank you very much. Your words mean a lot. Aneka x

Hello, you can use this tutorial to move the side dart into the waist dart using pattern manipulation: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hdGdg7KSvNHHonk.html You need to cut along one of the bust dart lines and the place where you want the waist dart. The same to move the original waist dart into the new waist dart. Aneka x

Hi Melody, yes I have a video for this: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ZtmidpSfz8nFdWg.html Good luck! Aneka x

Hi Carol, you will find that placing your bust apex on the pattern works alongside lengthening and shortening that you need to do. For example you might measure X from neck to waist, and by adjusting this your bust apex is in the right place on the pattern? Does that make sense? With regards to an FBA it becomes a bit tricky because the bust apex does move when you do an FBA. If the bust apex on the pattern isn't too far from your original then I would do an FBA and then plot your Bust Apex onto the pattern. If the Bust Apex on the pattern verses yours is way off, then move it, do an FBA and you would need to re-move it slightly after the FBA. Does this help? Aneka

@@MadetoSew Thank you so very much. That did help, yes. Now all I need to do is jump in and try.

@@carolwatkins6320 Glad I could help. Let me know how you get on. Aneka x

Thank you Jameela. I am not sure what book I could suggest for this; I don't know if there is one. Maybe I should create one? Sorry! Aneka x

@@MadetoSew Well your videos are amazing, so yes! I think you should create a book.

@@Stopcryinlikesissygirl143 Thank you so much.

@@MadetoSew No promblem. If you do publish a book, I will definitely buy.

@@Stopcryinlikesissygirl143 Thank you so much. In the meantime I am launching some detailed online classes on my new website: madetosew.com/classes/online-classes/ they come with lifetime access.

Hi Wanda, do you mean your FBA? Or SBA? I would probably do this first, as long as you Bust Apex isn't way out, and therefore you are adding or removing fabric from totally the wrong area. By doing the FBA or SBA first, the Bust Apex does move... and you will find you need to re-plot it onto the pattern. Does this help? Aneka

Your answer has lead to more questions. If the bust apex is not in the correct position on the pattern, then doing the FBA with the apex in the incorrect position would have the dart pointing either too low or too high. The original question was about raising the waist line or widening the side seams. I am short waisted and wide around the area under my breast. Which would you do first?

Sorry for the confusion Wanda. You are correct, as I mention above if you do the FBA or SBA and your Bust Apex is way out, the adjustment won't be in the right place. However depending on the amount you are adding into the FBA or removing in the SBA, the Bust Apex can move 2" or so. I would do the FBA BEFORE widening the side seams, because with an FBA you will be adding fabric to the width of the front pattern. This happens over the bust, but also happens to the waist of the pattern. Depending on the pattern you are working with (whether it has a waist dart, etc.) you can potentially use some of this extra added width to increase your side seams. If you do this afterwards you may find you are having to remove wide from the side seams (depending on how much you need to add). Personally I do my length and shorten adjustments first, I generally do this first before making other adjustments. The FBA will add length to the front pattern piece, for it to fit over your bust, but only over the centre front of the pattern piece, not to the side or the back. I hope this helps? Aneka

Hi Carol, 1. The distance between dart apex and bust apex is hard to calculate as it depends on what the designer did. Standard is 1" (2.5cm) approx, but you may need more or less depending on your shape. Darts should point to the fullest part of the curve, access your bust to see if this is right at the front, or more at the side of the body (again will depend on bra you are wearing). 2. The angle of a side seam or French dart is again up to the designer, you can put a curve on it if you want. The distance between the dart point and bust apex of darts coming up on the body can be further away than those coming down (say from the shoulder). 3. Dart size depends on so many factors; as a cup size increases the dart size will usually increase. But this might not be the only factor for why the dart is a certain size/width; a dart size may also change, as it is moved around the pattern. The same dart is not the same size as it is manipulated around the pattern at the side seam, centre front, waist and shoulder. If you need to contour the pattern, remove bulk from areas such as the neckline (depending on design), the bust side dart may increase. Sorry lots to think about, I hope this helps! Aneka x

@@MadetoSew Thanks Aneka for the detailed response. Very helpful. On Point 3, is there a standard dart size, though?

@@caroln3564 Glad I could help. Not really, some pattern cutting methods will use a standard sized dart for each size range that you draft using their method; for example Winifred Aldrich books. But these darts are drafted in the block in the shoulder. Every pattern cutting method is different, it depends on what they believe to be 'standard' and then it depends on where the method places the dart/darts and how fitted the block is. A more fitted block may take more contour/shaping and this may change/increase the side of the dart/darts. (Another example 2.5cm for a side bust dart for a B Cup, but this method also has a smaller shoulder dart). Sadly it isn't as straight forward, because it depends on a number of other factors and the method you are using.

َAssou Park I have plans to do this on my website www.madetosew.com in the near future! Aneka

Hi, Our dress form is Alvanon. They are available worldwide but you need to contact the company directly, you can't purchase them off the internet other than through the company.

Thank you Val. Aneka x

Thank you.

Hi Deborah, trying to think of a good pattern I can suggest and I am sorry to say that I can't think of anything. So sorry. Aneka x

No I don't, I just see them on the channel, that's why I ask you-you do everything!!! LOL I know- No pressure. Thanks Sweetie

Deborah Jones wonderful! Well it’s a great suggested and added to my to film list! Aneka :-))

Made to Sew I'm so sorry, I will text you I have something specific in mind. Your so sweet to be patient with me.

Deborah Jones thank you x

Hi Valerie, yes you just won’t be able to use all of the measurements depending on the shape and where the princess seam is cut. The bust apex of the princess seam is usually at the fuller part of the princess seam curve.

@@MadetoSew thank you Aneka, I think I have finally sussed it out now.

@@valeriepoole1535 Great news.

Deborah Jones could you send me a picture of your inspiration? Email me or send me the pic on Facebook. Aneka

Hi Laurel, it's only because they haven't launched yet. So sorry to confuse you. I decided to get the website launched first. The patterns will launch asap. You can put your email address onto the pattern page you are interested in and the website will let you know when they launch. Aneka x

Sorry that I confused you. Has this made the base of the armhole too low? I would check this before adjusting the sleeve as well. I would usually (that doesn't mean it's always the right thing), adjust the length just at the base of the armhole to not affect the sleeve. By adding in the front armhole you would generally do this to the back, if you have extra length in the armhole (if not the adjustment should be under the armhole, but above the dart in the front). Then you will need to slice across the sleeve cap and add length or extra height in here too, so that the sleeve fits the armhole. Does this make sense? Aneka x

Made to Sew thx for replying Aneka. I appreciate it. I will try this next time in make the dress.

Hi Cynthia, I think I understand your issues. Have you looked into what cup size you are (in dressmaking patterns, not in bra sizes)? I believe that you may require a Full Bust Adjustment, which is why you struggle with garments being lifted up in the front; the fabric has to travel over your bust (which sounds like it may be a larger cup, than what the pattern was drafted for). I would check out this video: madetosew.com/what-is-full-bust-adjustment/ I talk about what a Full Bust Adjustment is and how to measure to find out if you need one. If you need one, then you will need to adjust the pattern, by adding extra width and length (like you are already doing), I have a few videos on how to do this. All of the videos currently have a dart; if your pattern doesn't have a dart, then you can simply make a dart. Generally speaking if you have a fuller bust and cup, a garment will usually look better with a dart to allow it to shape to the curves of your body. But you can remove the dart afterwards from the pattern if you really want to, you will probably still get some drag lines (from the hem to the bust), these are normal if you have a curved shape. Just to show you the drag lines, I have this video: madetosew.com/what-is-ease/ the loosest example has no dart, I have a fuller cup (in dressmaking it is a size D) so you can see the lines that show on this top. With a dart they would be gone. In terms of how to know if you need to lower the bust point. I would measure this onto the pattern (like I show in this video), and then use that as the point when completing the FBA. Sorry for the long message, I hope this help? Aneka

@@MadetoSewThank you so much for your detailed adjustment! I will definitely try the full bust adjustment. This makes good sense to me. I get so tired of trying to get around the adjustment when nothing turns out right!! I am very excited to try this. I will let you know if it is the answer. Give me a littlle time. I am sick right now and will have to recoup before I get to it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

@@cynsew Such a pleasure. I am sorry to hear you are unwell. I hope you get better soon, and let me know how it goes when you have the chance to do it. Thanks.

@@MadetoSew Well I was so excited, I tried to do this bust adjustment. I am 39" on the high bust and 43" on the full bust. 4 inch difference and divide by 2 is a 2 inch spread. I tried this and everything just looks so out of proportion. I am a little stuck at the moment. Nothing is ever easy! LOL I am not sure I want to waste my material to try this. What do you think?

@@cynsew Hi Cynthia, yes so with a 4" difference you are a D Cup (in dressmaking terms). Now most patterns are drafted for a B Cup, which means they have a 2" difference. So you only need to look at the difference between YOUR cup size and that of the pattern (check if it's a B cup or not?). When you pick your size you will choose the size of the pattern for the bust based on YOUR high bust 39" plus the cup size of the pattern, so for this example let's use a B Cup: 39" + 2" = 41". This is the Bust size that you choose. Then you will do the FBA to that size. Your full bust is 43" minus the current pattern size 41" = 2". So you need to do a total 2" FBA, which would be a 1" adjustment to either size of the garment. So you only need to cut and spread the pattern, and follow my FBA tutorial by 1", this will make you a small dart. If I were you I would make a sample of just the front, do you have some cheap or scrap fabric you can use? Test it and it should look better. Let me know how it goes.

Do you mean the length between the Bust Apex and the Under Bust? This is an individual measurement it will depend on your body and the bra you are wearing.

Hi Nazia, it is quite difficult without a measurement for it, as everyone is different. Some of the pattern drafting books have standards that you might be able to steal. But if it's for a real person I would ask them for a measurement.

Thank you.

Hi Wendy, this mannequin is from a company called Alvanon. They are VERY expensive, because they are designed for the fashion industry not dressmaking. I purchased her to use as my block for all of my patterns. I am filming a video the mannequins I recommend, it will be up before the end of the month. Hopefully this might help? Aneka x

Thank you Vatsa, for taking the time to comment and share this information. It is greatly appreciated. Aneka

That. I am not always certain I am thinking it through correctly.

Hi Sandra, you will need to work out if your length is above your bust or below your bust. If you have a longer Back Length to the pattern, I would do the length adjustment for that first. Amending the front and back bodices accordingly. Then you could take your waist to apex measurement and check the apex position on your pattern. Hope that helps? Aneka

You are right that bras can change the bust apex completely. I would go with the bra that you wear most of the time? Have you had your bras fitted professionally? That could be another option to make sure the bra you are wearing is supporting you correctly; then work with that as your starting point. Hopefully between bras it won't be too far off. I hope this helps? Aneka

Thanks for replying. I think I just go with a general bra “type” with garment making. Like if I’m making leisurewear I go with a sports bra. Or a summer dress I will use an un-padded bra. I seem to be getting a decent routine going but it sure is tedious.. still worth it, though to get a decently fitting garment. I shouldn’t complain, really

Hello Mwandi, if the client doesn't wear bras then of course you can measure the bust apex without a bra on. However if they wear bras (no matter what size bust), make sure you measure with their bra on and with a bra they are going to wear with the outfit. As the bra they are wearing can hold the breasts differently, especially on a fuller bust. Hope this helps? Aneka x

Thank you.