Reply To: Combining Patterns

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

We don’t have any tutorial on this subject yet. It’s difficult because you kind of have to do it on a case by case basis and there are so many variations. I will say this, if your element has darts, pleats or a similar element, you must close or fold those elements on your pattern and then you can have a better idea if another element is going to match smoothly or you’re going to have to make adjustments. That way you can tell if your pocket is going to fit right. Also, don’t be afraid of making your own pocket pattern. Use the other one as a guideline but change the dimensions, you can even change the shape that the pocket makes instead of having the traditional curve. Definitely make a muslin first so you can make sure things will be great before using more expensive fabric. You don’t have to get too involved, just baste the major pieces together so you can get a rough idea. You can combine two pieces (like your skirt example) but they have to be the same size and the same number of pieces. (if one skirt has 1 skirt front and another has 3 pieces making up the skirt front, it just starts getting complicating.) Lay the elements on top of each other with a game plan and use tracing paper to make a new pattern. Just make sure you create smooth lines between the two pattern pieces. I hope this helps.