Are you struggling with clothes that are tight across the bust and have excess fabric pooling above? If so, a full bust adjustment (FBA) might be the solution to get the perfect fit when making your own clothes.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to do a full bust adjustment on a dartless bodice - no darts necessary! Whether you're working with patterns like our Samara top, Alexa jumpsuit, Stevie tunic, Bettine dress, Suki dress or Safiya wrap playsuit, these simple adjustments will ensure your handmade clothes fit perfectly.
We've previously covered how to do a bust adjustment for a darted bodice which is definitely worth checking out too.
If you’re new to fitting adjustments, don’t worry - it’s easier than it sounds! Just follow the steps below, and you’ll soon be creating clothes that fit like a dream.
When should you do a full bust adjustment?
Generally speaking, dartless garments are less fitted as they don't have darts which would ordinarily be used to add shaping. Because of this, you might be able to get away with not doing a full bust adjustment on these types of garments, even if you normally do them on other patterns, as there's a bit more leeway in the bust area than on a more fitted garment.
But if your boobs are on the larger side and you usually find that even easy-fitting garments are either too tight in the bust area, or fit across the bust but have a lot of excess fabric pooling above, then you probably need to make a full bust adjustment.
I'm going to briefly cover how you would work out how much to add or subtract from your bust in the adjustment, but do remember this is just a rough framework, and you might not need to do it at all.
Wondering how to adjust a raglan sleeve sewing pattern for a larger bust? If you're used to making a full bust adjustment (AKA "FBA") on your sewing patterns, but don't know how to go about it on a garment that has raglan seams attaching the sleeves to the bodice, then this tutorial is for you.
First up, how do you know if you need to make a full bust adjustment?
This sewing pattern alteration is often required if you have a fuller bust. If you buy or sew clothes to fit the fullest part of your bust, you'll often find that there is excess fabric pooling at your shoulders and upper chest, because this part of you is smaller in comparison.
However, when it comes to deliberately oversized tops with deep raglan sleeves - such as the Drew sweatshirt sewing pattern, which I'll be demonstrating on here - these garments have a lot of intentional design ease around this area anyway. So in most cases you won't actually need to make a full bust adjustment - you can select your size based on your high bust measurement and simply make that size without any bust alterations.
But, if your full bust is 5 or more pattern sizes bigger than your high bust, then I would recommend making a full bust adjustment.
How much do I have to add to the bust?
I'm going to briefly cover how you would work out how much to add to the bust in the adjustment, but do remember this is just a rough framework rather than an exact science.
Measure your high bust (your upper chest, just under your armpits). If you're making sizes 1-6 (UK 6-16) in our patterns, add 5cm (2in). If you're making sizes 7-15 (UK 18-34) in our patterns, add 10cm (4in). If you're making a pattern by another designer, you may need to add a different amount. Choose the pattern size with that full bust measurement – this is the size you’ll do your bust adjustment on.
Now measure your full bust (fullest part, around the nipples) and compare it to the bust measurement on the pattern size you just selected. If your full bust is 5cm (2in) bigger than the pattern, you’ll be adding 5cm (2in) to the pattern; if it’s 7.5cm (3in) bigger, you’ll be adding 7.5cm (3in) and so on. For a garment in stretch knit fabrics (such as Drew), reduce this amount by 10-25% depending on how much stretch is in your fabric.
What you'll need:
Your front bodice pattern piece (trace this off so you're not chopping up your original pattern)
A pen or pencil
A ruler (or pattern master tool if you have one)
Scissors
Tape or a glue stick
A piece of paper slightly bigger than your pattern piece
Now you've got those ready, let's get into it!
How to make a full bust adjustment on a sewing pattern with raglan sleeves
Do you ever wish your me-mades fit better across the bust? Do you find that excess fabric seems to pool around your bust, or that it's too tight? Ever think that the bust darts point in the wrong place on your garments? If you're finding yourself nodding enthusiastically in agreement to any of these statements, then you probably need to do a bust adjustment to your bodice pattern pieces.
It's Nikki here, Product Manager and fitting geek at Tilly and the Buttons, and I'm going to to talk you through how to do a full bust adjustment, a small bust adjustment and how to move the dart on a bust darted bodice.
Now, before we go any further I'd like to give you a little positive pattern pep talk. There are a few diagrams in this post, but whilst they might look quite daunting, they are relatively simple if you follow them step by step :)
How do I know if I need a bust adjustment?
There's a technical and a not-so-technical answer here! The answer depends on your own unique shape and the fit of the garment - you may not need to do a bust adjustment to a loose top or dress, but might have to do one on something more fitted. If you find that things are generally either too tight or too loose in the bust area, then I'd recommend making a quick toile of the bodice, or wearable toile of the whole garment to test the fit around the bust and take it from there. I'm going to briefly cover how you would work out how much to add or subtract from your bust in the adjustment, but do remember this is just a rough framework, and you might not need to do it at all.
Measure your high bust (your upper chest, just under your armpits). If you're making one of our patterns that comes in sizes UK 6-24, or which comes in sizes UK 6-34 and you're making size 6-16, add 5cm (2in). If you're making one of our patterns that is in sizes 16-34, or which comes in sizes 6-34 and you're making size 18-34, add 10cm (4in). Choose the pattern size with that bust measurement – this is the size you’ll do your bust adjustment on.
Now measure your full bust (fullest part, around the nipples) and compare it to the bust measurement on the pattern size you just selected.
If your full bust is 5cm (2in) smaller than the pattern, you’ll be subtracting 5cm (2in) from the pattern; if it’s 7.5cm (3in) bigger, you’ll be adding 7.5cm (3in) and so on. If you need to make the bust bigger, you'll need to do a full bust adjustment (FBA) and if you need to make it smaller, you'll need to do a small bust adjustment (SBA).
Since the front bodice pattern represents one half of the top, as the fabric is cut on the fold - or one boob - you'll be adding or subtracting half of that difference. So, if you want to do a 5cm (2in) full bust adjustment, you'll need to add 2.5cm (1in) to the pattern piece.
There are a few ways in which you can do a bust adjustment, but the method I'm going to show you today is the "slash and spread" method. It sounds a bit aggressive but this just means that you do the adjustment by cutting into your pattern piece and either spread it apart to create more space at the bust, or overlap it to make it smaller.
To do a bust adjustment you will need:
a ruler (or pattern master if you have one)
glue stick and/or sticky tape
pencil
paper scissors
extra paper
As you'll be merrily snipping into your pattern piece with wild abandon for these adjustments, I thoroughly suggest tracing off the front bodice pattern piece so you can keep the original one intact in case you need to make any further adjustments. Make sure you trace all the notches, the dart and 'lengthen or shorten here' lines onto the new pattern piece.
Got your scissors and ruler at the ready? Ok, let's go. And remember, you've got this!
Garments made in jersey and other knit fabrics generally don't require many fit adjustments, thanks to the stretch in the fabric. Having said that, if you find that your me-mades feel tight across the bust, with excess fabric pooling above, you may benefit from doing a full bust adjustment.
Generally speaking, knit garments are much more forgiving than woven garments when it comes to fitting. The stretchy fabric means we often don't need to worry if things are a little bit tight, and stretch garments are also often relatively casual in style and fit, meaning fitting is usually relatively simple overall. Because of this, you might not need to do a bust adjustment on these types of garments, even if you often do a full bust adjustment for woven garments - yay!
However, if your boobs are on the larger side and you usually find that even easy-fitting t-shirts and sweatshirts are either too tight in the bust area, or fit across the bust but have a lot of excess fabric pooling above, then you probably need to make a full bust adjustment. Luckily the adjustment I'm going to show you today is super easy and you'll be done in no time :)
