Grade a bodice pattern to a larger size (12624 Views)

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  Step 1 of 11

  To grade a pattern means to manipulate an existing pattern at various points in order to make it fit a smaller or larger size. Each pattern piece has several vertical and horizontal lines in areas where the body generally gets bigger or smaller, as the sizes change. For a bodice, they are illustrated above: A-B: Front/Back neckline to waist C-D Shoulder to waist E-F Armhole to waist G-H Center Front/Center Back to armhole I-J Center Front/Center Back to side seam (Above is a bodice front. The same lines are valid for a bodice back. ) The vertical lines should be parallel to the CF or CB, and the horizontal lines should be perpendicular to the CF of CB. Make sure your pattern is WITHOUT seam allowance. If it has seam allowance, remove it.

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  Step 2 of 11

  1. In order to begin grading, you must first establish the overall grade to be made, which is the difference between the pattern’s measurements and the desired measurements or body measurements. This can be founding by measuring the difference between the size you have and the size you want to make, in the pattern size chart. Since this How To introduces grading with the bodice, the only measurements we really need to know are the bust and waist. Lets say we want to turn a size 38 pattern into a size 42 pattern. The difference between a size 38 and 42 patterns gives us an overall grade of 3” (8 cm).
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  Step 3 of 11

  1. To calculate how much the allocated grade will be, you must divide the overall grade by four. Why four, you ask? This is to ensure the overall grade is evenly distributed among the four parts of the pattern/body, the left front, the left back, the right front, and the right back. Then, to distribute the allocated grade with each of the lines illustrated in step 1, you must use the formula written below. A-B= ¼ of allocated grade = 3/4” (1 cm) C-D= ¼ of allocated grade = 3/4” (1 cm) E-F= ½ of allocated grade = 1 ½” (2 cm) G-H= ¼ of allocated grade = 3/4” (1 cm) I-J= ¼ of allocated grade = 3/4” (1 cm) Mark these measurements on your pattern. *These formulas come from a calculation of all the parts of the pattern body/etc…. and is a bit difficult to explain. We will overload you with this explanation in the following How To.
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  Step 4 of 11

  1. Now that you’ve got the grade measurements you need, you can start with the grid you will need to grade the pattern. On your pattern paper, draw two lines that intersect at a right angle, with lots of room to fit your pattern piece to the left and above this intersection. Mark the intersection with a 0. This will match the 0 point on your pattern piece, illustrated in the previous step. The vertical line will be the center front. The pattern is graded by tracing around clockwise from the zero point, until you reach the 0 point again.
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  Step 5 of 11

  1. The measurements from step 3 are needed here, to make the grid. If you were lay your pattern piece with the 0 in the corner created by the intersecting lines, you will see from the above picture the way the pattern will move. At each point where the lines reach the pattern edge, there is a point. At each point marked with a pushpin above, you will shift the pattern in the direction of the arrow for the allocated grade for that line, clockwise, until you reach the next pushpin.
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  Step 6 of 11

  1. To make the grid, you need to know this, and mark these measurements on the grid like in the above pic. Because the first move of the pattern will be ¾” to the left of zero, draw a vertical line ¾” to the left. The next move will be a 1 ½” move up, to make the dart bigger, so the next line will be 1 ½” horizontally above the zero line. The next move creates the other side of the dart, but goes down, so the next line should be 1 ½” below the line you previously made, which brings us back to zero. Continue along to this way to make the rest of the grid lines, and the result looks like this
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  Step 7 of 11

  1. Now, to start tracing. Again, place the pattern piece so the zero is in the corner. Trace until you get to the first pushpin, and then move the pattern to the 1st vertical line. Begin again at the pushpin point (not where you stopped before shifting the pattern), tracing until you get to the next pushpin point, and again move the pattern in the direction you are tracing, to the next line. I have shown my trace line in orange marker, but when you do it, you should use a pencil to ensure accuracy.
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  Step 8 of 11

  1. Continue tracing around until you reach zero again. The pattern should be back to the exact position it started in.
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  Step 9 of 11

  1. When you are done, lift off the pattern, and your traced off pattern should look like this.
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  Step 10 of 11

  1. Connect the gaps with a French curve or a ruler.
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  Step 11 of 11

  1. Now your new bigger pattern is complete! Be sure to mark the new size, name, grainline, etc. Make sure you still have your notches! And stay tuned for a follow up how to, illustrating how to do this for other garments like pants, skirts, and sleeves!