Constance Sew Along - Day 1: Grading

Sew Along Outline

Day 1: Grading

Hello and welcome to the first day of the Constance Sew Along! If you still need you grab your pattern, you can find the women’s version HERE and the kids version HERE. The kids version doesn’t have an a0/Projector file, but I shared how you can easily create one in the sew along Intro post linked above.

Today is all about grading and adjustments. When making a pattern for the first time (especially when it’s a new to you pattern designer or if you are new to sewing) it is really important to make a muslin – AKA a test/practice run. This allows you to get familiar with the pattern and make sure it fits properly before cutting into your nice fabric. You want to make sure you are sewing your test run in a fabric similar to your nice/final fabric. Luckily, with the Constance, you can use just about any fabric as long as it has at least 40% stretch, so you have a handful of option to choose from.

I love to size down the Constance 1 size all around for my perfect slightly fitted tee. I find that fabric with a lot of horizontal stretch or 4 way stretch works best for the sized down version, like brushed poly, rib knits, and rayon blends. For the regular, measured size of the Constance (what I like to use more for sweaters and hoodies), again, you need fabric with at least 40% horizontal stretch. Fabric like sweater knits (alpaca, hacci, cashmere, etc.), french terry, and waffle knit. Occasionally I’ll even size up for an even more relaxed hoodie, but grading to my measured size at the hips as I don’t like the waistband super loose.

In addition to making a muslin, you really need to grade your pattern based off of your measurements. This means you take the size that your bust, waist, and hips fall into and print all the layers that your measurements fall into rather than choosing one size and hoping it fits well enough or fixing it to fit better after it’s sewn (which is so much harder!). For me, I measure a 4/6 in bust and waist but 0/2 in the hips, so I grade down. If I don’t, I’ll have some excess fabric at the hips. (I did that once and now it bugs me a little whenever I wear that shirt!)

I know grading sounds a little scary, but it’s really not too bad! Be sure to watch the little grading video I made down below for a bit of a visual.

Our bodies come in all different shapes and sizes so sometimes you need to adjust the pattern more than just simply grading. Some different adjustments you might need for a top are as follows:

Full Bust Adjustment: Intro to FBA’s, No Dart FBA
Small Bust Adjustment: Intro to SBA’s
Broad Shoulder Adjustment
Narrow Shoulder Adjustment
Full Bicep Adjustment
Sway Back Adjustment
Forward Shoulder Adjustment

There are loads of different videos of the different adjustments online. The links above are a few that I have found but I’m sure there are others elsewhere. If you are unsure if you need any adjustments for a better fit on your Constance, be sure to sew up a muslin, making sure you are grading to your current measurements and post a fit picture in the Sew A Little Seam Facebook group. There are a lot of wonderful folks there who can give you some suggestions.

If you need to adjust for height, you will want to print the layer for both the height and the width. The Women’s version has finished measurements on page 3 of the instructions for the back and long sleeve length. The pattern is drafted for a height of 5’5-5’10, so if you are shorter or taller, you most likely will need to adjust. For the kids version, i prefer printing the layers for both sizes. Measure how long the pattern pieces are for the HEIGHT size and the pieces for the size in WIDTH. Take those numbers and subtract them. That is the amount you will need to lengthen/shorten your pattern. If you are going up more than 2 sizes, you most likely will need to adjust for the sleeve cap/armscye. The slash and spread method is my preference.

Once you have successfully graded your pattern accordingly, you are ready to cut out your fabric or stay tuned tomorrow to prep your pattern for some colorblocking!

Don’t forget to head on over to the Sew A Little Seam Facebook group and comment on today’s post! (It’s conveniently located in the “announcements” section until the sew along is over.) You need to be an active sew along participant in order to be eligible for the giveaway at the end of the sew along! If you have any questions about grading, please ask away on today’s post!