Adapting Sewing Patterns for a Shorter Body: Petite Step-by-Step Tutorial

So what to do when parts of your body are shorter than the body the sewing pattern is drafted for?

In this video, I go through all the things one needs to consider when shortening a pattern, including the steps I take myself for doing petite alterations.

Some key petite altering takeaways
- Don’t shorten at the hem, unless the garment has straight side seams.
- Find out exactly where you are shorter, don’t just rely on the fold-lines on the pattern.
- Being short is also about proportions, so you might consider altering things like pockets, cuffs and collars too.
- Remember that altering by folding also can throw off things like buttonhole placements, sleeve depth and seam lines.
- Even if you are not technically short, you might still have areas where you are shorter than what the pattern stipulates.
- Check out the pattern company size chart to find out what measurements are used for drafting the patterns and adjust accordingly.



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