How to Fit a Garment Pattern for Sloping or Broad Shoulders

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Pattern you wish to work with
Measuring Tape
Muslin fabric
Pins
Scissors
Thread
Sewing Machine
Mirror

Step 1

This is one fitting area that is, perhaps, more prone to variation than almost any other! There are ladies with square shoulders, ladies with sloping shoulders, ladies with narrow shoulders, ladies with wide shoulders, and ladies with every kind of shoulder type between. A lot can depend on posture, but many times we're just born with the shoulders we have and cannot do anything to change them (save adding shoulder pads!). A pattern that fits one gal beautifully through the shoulders might be too tight or too loose on another gal who is the same "size." Time to make some adjustments!

One word before I begin: When I started designing patterns, I made a conscious decision not to widen shoulders dramatically on the larger sizes (18+). This is because I kept finding that "standard" patterns assumed that a gal with a 44" bust had linebacker shoulders! This is definitely not always the case. Just because someone has a larger bust does not mean her shoulders are exponentially wider! But computer-drafted patterns merrily add width overall as they add to the bustline, leaving many gals with gowns that fall off the shoulders or look bunched and unflattering at the armhole. Working with "standard" patterns can therefore be very frustrating for the average seamstress. This article is here to change all that!
Step 2

If your shoulders are wide or more angular than they are rounded, you may find that the sleeves of a gown or jacket (particularly cap sleeves) are just too tight, making you want to go stoop-shouldered. All you need to do is to add width to the bodice front and back pieces at the shoulder (or to the jacket pieces which make up the outermost edge of the shoulder). After making a mock-up (toile) of your bodice (omitting sleeves), try it on to check the fit. If the shoulders are too narrow or the armoles hit too close to the body, you need to alter the pattern. To add width, you'll slash your pattern pieces vertically, then horizontally at the bottom of the armhole, as shown in the drawing at left.
Step 3

You will not need to slash down the entire length of the pattern piece unless you want more room in your side seams as well. Instead, you're just going to move the top of the shoulder and armhole out a bit. Spread the pieces to accommodate your wider shoulder line (see drawing at left). Tape paper or interfacing behind the slash, and there's your new pattern piece, ready to go! Make up a new toile to double-check the shoulder area. As you see in the illustration, I've also drawn a dotted line to show where you might want to trim down the armhole curve. Baste together a second toile and try it on first to determine if you need to do this. (If the front of the bodice puckers or pulls along the armhole edge, you need to trim it down. Just remember to leave yourself the 5/8" for the seam allowance!)
Step 4

Obviously, if you are very narrow in the shoulders, you can simply reverse this process to prevent the bodice from slipping off your shoulders. Instead of spreading, you can slash and move the shoulder area towards the bodice (rather than away from it), overlapping the pattern piece and taping the slashed piece down. Again, it's best to do this after you've tried on your toile, since you'll know just how much farther in the shoulders of the bodice need to go.
Step 5

As you can see, the strap goes across the brassiere strap and snaps on the other side.

If you've got sloping shoulders and find that your bodices with wide necklines keep slipping down, there are a couple of remedies. One is simpler and doesn't involve altering the pattern at all. The second remedy means adjusting the slope of the shoulder seam to help the bodice stay put.

If you find that the shoulder width is fine on your bodice (the edge of the armhole hits the edge of your shoulder), yet your bodice tends to keep sliding off, try this easy solution first. If you're wearing a conventional brassiere or even underpinnings with straps beneath your outfit, you can create lingerie straps to secure the shoulders of your outfits to your underthings, thereby anchoring the bodice in place. At left is a picture of a lingerie strap seen from the inside of the bodice at the shoulder.
Step 6

Here is the thread

You can make the strap out of embroidery floss or heavy-duty quilting thread. Here's how: Thread your needle, doubling the thread to make it substantial enough. Take a couple of initial stitches into the lining material or seam allowance at the top of the shoulder to anchor the thread. Now take one stitch and pull until you have a loop wide enough to reach through with two fingers. Put your fingers in the loop and grab the "free" thread hanging down from the needle. Pull this until the first thread loop closes and you are left holding a new loop (from the "free" thread you grabbed). Repeat this over and over until you have created a "chain" of thread wide enough to go over your brassiere strap. When the chain is wide enough, run your needle through the loop twice and pull it tight to knot it. Now take one half of a snap and sew it to the end of the chain (you really only need to sew into two of the holes out of the four; just make sure you create a strong attachment). Finally, take the other half of the snap and sew it to the opposite side of the shoulder lining (the "chain" of thread should be pulled flat against the lining--not too loose, or your undergarment's strap will have wiggle room).

Whenever you wear your outfit, you can secure the shoulders to your undergarment straps, and this will prevent slippage. Custom garments from my grandmother's day (1940s and 1950s) all had these to prevent lingerie from peeking out of necklines or sliding down into sleeves. I've found these little straps also work wonderfully for gals with sloping shoulders. If your brassiere or other undergarment strap is tight to the shoulder and doesn't tend to slide down, the shoulder of your dress will stay put when you snap the lingerie strap to it. Piece of cake!
Step 7

Now, if the method above just isn't for you (if your lingerie slides just as much as your garment, in other words), it's time to check your shoulder seam angles and adjust them. At left is a period illustration of a garment that has shoulders too squared for a slope-shouldered lady.
Step 8

Up to this point we've been talking about garments that have a wider neckline, but you can see how this illustration will apply to tailored garments like the a fitted jacket, blouse, or dress. In the case of a garment with a narrower neckline, you won't be dealing with the problem of slippage but with the problem of odd wrinkling or puckering, as the illustration above shows. The woman with sloped shoulders essentially has "too much" material in the shoulder area of her garment. Either she buys huge shoulder pads, or she learns to adjust her pattern pieces to fit her unique shape. I think the latter option is easiest and best, personally. :-)

It is very easy to make adjustments for sloped shoulders. When you first try on your toile, you should put it on wrong side out so that all the seams are accessible. Stand tall, but don't try to overcompensate for your sloping shoulders by shrugging or assuming an uncomfortable posture. Instead, let your gracefully rounded shoulders relax right where they belong! This is when you'll see the puckering pictured above. To correct this problem, you are simply going to create a new stitching line below the current shoulder seam, as shown in the illustration at left.

Having a helper is key, since trying to do this on yourself will not work (you'll have to raise your shoulder in order to place pins!). Have your helper pin the new seamline to match the slope of your shoulder. You'll know the new line is right when the puckers or wrinkles vanish. After you have the new seamline basted in place, you can trim off the excess material above it, leaving your 5/8" seam allowance and simply following the new diagonal line. Be sure you alter your master pattern piece to reflect this new shoulder seam angle. Then you won't need to adjust future outfits from the same pattern. If you're working on a pattern for a garment with a wide neckline, you'll find that the adjusted seam prevents the neckline from slipping down your shoulders. Voila'!
Step 9

Now, if you're square in the shoulders, you'll find you have excess material and puckering across the collarbone, as this period illustration shows.
Step 10

Your remedy is similar to the one for the gal with the sloping shoulders. Put your toile on wrong side out and have your helper at the ready with pins. Pin baste a new seamline along a different angle, as shown in the drawing at left.

Changing the angle will be especially helpful on tailored jackets, but you'll also find garments with wide necklines more comfortable, because the neckline won't have a tendency to pucker or gap. It really is easy, and you'll be delighted to see a garment that might have looked dumpy or just plain unflattering shed its ugly duckling status and behave beautifully!