Cece is available in printed and PDF formats, in sizes UK 6-34 / US 2-30 / EUR 34-62 / AUS 6-34 / 84-155cm (33-61in) hip.
I'm happy to report that the Cece joggers and shorts are designed to have a relaxed fit, so you might find you only need to make a couple of adjustments, or perhaps none at all!
In this blog post, we'll cover:
- Making a toile
- Choosing your size
- Lengthening or shortening pattern pieces
- How to combine pattern sizes
- Other common trouser fitting adjustments
What's a toile and do I need to make one?
A toile - or a "muslin"- is an initial mock up of your garment in fabric you don't mind using for testing purposes. Making a toile is a great opportunity to test the fit of a sewing pattern, or practise a technique on sacrificial fabric before you cut into the fabric you've chosen for your project. If you want to delve deeper into the subject, check out our post on everything you need to know about toiles.
However, making a toile definitely isn't a requirement for Cece - they're not designed to be close-fitting, the waistband is elasticated, and they're made with knit fabric, all of which means you shouldn't run into any complex fitting issues.
If you often have to make lots of adjustments to trouser patterns, you might want to consider your first version a "wearable toile" (AKA "wearable muslin"), in other words, a mock-up in a fabric that’s not so special that you’d be annoyed if the fit isn’t perfect first time, but nice enough that you can wear the joggers or shorts if they do fit you well enough (fingers crossed!).
How do I choose my sewing pattern size?
Cece includes all 15 sizes in our range. Pattern sizes 1-6 (UK 6-16) and 7-15 (UK 18-34) have been drafted, fitted and graded separately to create a better fit. For this reason, you may notice the proportions change in the measurements chart and the shaping is slightly different on the pattern pieces – sizes 7-15 include slightly more room at the waist, a deeper crotch and a bit more space for a fuller booty.
To find your size, using a flexible tape measure, measure the circumference of your:
- Waist - where you bend at the side
- Hips - the fullest part - it helps to turn to the side and look in a mirror to see where this is
Check the tape measure is sitting level with the floor - it can help to turn to the side and look in a mirror to check.
Circle your waist and hip measurements on the ‘Body Measurements’ chart in the pattern instructions. If your measurements all fall into one size, then this is the size you'll cut. If a measurement falls between sizes (for example, if your hips are 42in rather than 41in or 43in), it’s better to choose the larger size as you can take the joggers or shorts in more easily than you can let them out.
However, it's common for your measurements to fall into different sizes too. In fact, most people's do! You can create a bespoke fit for you by combining sizes. We'll come to that later, but first...
How do I lengthen or shorten the pattern?
Our patterns are drafted for a height of 5ft 5in (165cm), so if you're a little (or a lot) taller or shorter than this, have a particularly long or short torso or legs, it's easy peasy to adjust the pattern pieces.
We have a blog post dedicated to explaining how to lengthen or shorten pattern pieces, which shows you step-by-step how to make this adjustment.
If you do make an adjustment to the length of a pattern piece, remember to make the exact same adjustment to any pattern pieces that it will join. For example, if you shorten the rise on the front leg, make sure to make the same adjustment to the back leg and the side panel or upper side panel (depending on which version you're making), so the seams that join them stay the same length.
We have included the following sets of lengthen or shorten lines on the Cece pattern pieces:
1) Leg (crotch)
The Cece joggers and shorts are mid-rise, and designed to sit just below the natural waistline i.e. where you bend at the side.
If you are tall or short overall and usually find joggers or shorts come up a bit too high rise or low rise for you, you can lengthen or shorten the crotch using the set of lines marked "lengthen or shorten here" on the upper part of the front leg, back leg, and side panel (for solid side panel versions) or upper side panel (for colour block side panel joggers).
IMPORTANT! Are you adding pockets to your Ceces? Depending on which size you're making, altering the rise of the pattern can change the position of the bottom pocket marking, meaning it wouldn't line up with the marking on the pocket bag.
After lengthening/shortening the rise, to put the bottom pocket marking back in the correct place, lay the pocket bag pattern piece in your size over the front leg, aligning them at the front side panel and waist seams. Poke a pin through the bottom pocket marking on the pocket bag to mark its position on the front leg underneath - circle this pin mark with a pen or pencil and this will be your new bottom pocket marking. Repeat this with the pocket bag laid face down on the side panel (for solid side panel versions) or upper side panel (for colour block side panel joggers).
2) Leg length - joggers version
If you have particularly long or short legs, you can lengthen or shorten the pattern along the set of lines marked "lengthen or shorten here" on the lower part of the front leg, back leg, and side panel (for solid side panel versions) or lower side panel (for colour block side panel joggers).
The finished inside leg measurement for the Cece joggers is 75cm (29 1/2in) for sizes 1-6, and 76cm (29 7/8in) for sizes 7-15. Compare this to your own inside leg measurement before you decide whether to lengthen or shorten the legs. If you're not sure if you need to shorten them, leave them as they are and you can trim down before attaching the cuffs if you need to.
Lengthening or shortening the shorts
The finished inside leg seam measurement for the shorts is 9cm (3 1/2in) for sizes 1-6, and 11cm (4 3/8in) for sizes 7-15. If you think you want these a little longer, you can draw in a new hem line to your desired length.
Work out how much you want to extend the shorts by and measure down from the shorts hemline and mark this point. Draw a new line, roughly following the curve of the original shorts hemline, and squaring off the corners into right angles. Make sure to do this on the front leg, back leg, and side panel (for solid side panel versions) or lower side panel (for colour block side panel joggers).
How do I combine pattern sizes?
If your waist and hip measurements fall into different pattern sizes, you can re-draw the panel seams on the front leg and back leg and between your waist size at the top, to your hip size at the hip notch, as shown in the diagram above. Cut the side panel (for solid side panel versions), or upper side panel (for colour block side panel joggers) in your waist size, but snip the hip notches that match your hip size.
One thing to bear in mind: as Cece doesn't have a zip or button opening, you need to be able to pull the waistband over your hips, so if you're combining a smaller waist size with a larger hip size, check your hips will fit through the finished waist measurements listed in the instruction booklet. There's always a bit of wiggle room, especially since your fabric will have some stretch in it, but as a general guide, we wouldn’t recommend grading down to a waist size that is more than two sizes smaller than your hip size. This might mean that you cut a larger size at the waist than you would normally make, but you don't need to worry that the joggers or shorts will end up being too big on your waist, because the elasticated waistband will cinch them in to fit you.
If you're combining sizes and adding pockets to your Cece joggers or shorts, you'll need to re-draw the pocket markings on the front leg piece, so that they're still in the correct place in relation to the front side panel seam. To do this, draw a line horizontally from the existing pocket markings in your waist size, to the new front side panel seam. From the front side panel seam, measure 14mm (just under 5/8in) along each line, and draw a small circle at that point - these circles (shown in pink above) are your new pocket markings.
Now you need to alter the pocket bag to make sure it matches the front leg. Cut the pocket bag which matches your waist size. Lay the pocket bag over the front leg, aligning the waist seams, and matching the corner where the waist seam meets the front side panel seam. Slip some extra paper between the pocket bag and the front leg along the front side panel seam, and tape it to the pocket bag. Trace the front leg side panel seam, blending it into the pocket bag at the waist seam corner and outer edge. Trace the new hip notch and pocket markings from the front leg onto the pocket bag.
Your adjusted pocket bag should look something like this:
Cut the side panel (for solid side panel versions), or upper side panel (for colour block side panel joggers) in your waist size, and use the pocket markings that match your waist size, but snip the hip notches that match your hip size.
If you want more information on combining sizes, check out our blog post with step-by-step diagrams.
What about other common trouser fitting adjustments?
As we already mentioned, Cece is designed to have a relaxed fit, so you might not need to make as many adjustments as you would for a fitted trouser pattern.
However, if you've made a (wearable) toile and would like to do some fine-tuning to your Ceces, then we have a whole blog post which covers the most common fitting adjustments for trousers. Full tummy? Flat seat? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Go check it out!
And that's it! Remember, Cece's designed to be comfy so don't be tempted to overfit them :)
Please tag us on Instagram @TillyButtons with the hashtag #SewingCece. We can't wait to see your snuggly Ceces! Happy sewing!
