Glossary of Sewing Terms with Pictures: What does alteration mean in sewing? #LearningToSew #SewingVocabulary

View 1 shows an A-line dress pattern before alterations. View 2 shows the same pattern after alterations. View 3 shows someone extending the neckline of the original A-line dress pattern to make the View 2 alteration. This alteration makes the whole pattern wider, makes the neckline more square, and adds a seam allowance along the right side border of the pattern. In a textbox, the following definition for "Alteration" is given: When you make a change to a sewing pattern, that’s called an alteration. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

DEFINITION:

When you are sewing and you make an alteration, you’re just making a change to the shape of the sewing pattern. For example, you may lower a hemline, extend a neckline (like the image above shows), or you may add a seam allowance where no seam allowance had existed before.

This is my own definition. Of course you can google this term to find other definitions as well.

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A handmade traced version of a wrap skirt from Simplicity 8281 (Skirt view 5) doll clothes sewing patterns has been laid over the top of the original pattern for the wrap skirt in Simplicity 8281 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing pattern set. We see that the person who made the handmade traced version of this wrap skirt pattern has included all the markings from the original skirt, including the grainline, the cutting instructions, and the center front line, but the traced version says right on the pattern, "alteration for shorter wrap skirt." And in fact, the hand-drawn version of the skirt pattern appears to be about two centimeters shorter than the original. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

In the image above, I’ve taken a skirt pattern –the Barbie wrap skirt from Simplicity 8281— and I’ve shortened the hemline. When we make an alteration like this, we say, “I’ve brought that hem up.”

You can also bring a hem down, to make a skirt (or a pair of pants) longer than the original pattern.

Any time you’re changing the shape of an original pattern, you’re making an alteration (AKA altering a pattern).

This segmented graphic shows four images surrounding the words "pattern alteration" with an exclamation point. The image in the upper left corner is a close-up of the handmade pants worn by Barbie in the blog post's various photos. They are wide-leg pants, like those that were popular in the 1970's, and they're made of grey cotton. The image in the lower left shows a woman's hand holding up a bell-bottom pants pattern that has been slightly altered to form wide-leg pants. The image in the upper right corner shows the tunic from View A in the Butterick's Personality Doll Wardrobe 6664, and it appears to be made of yellow or tan rough fabric, like a course linen or a sweater fabric. Below this, the doll (a Black Barbie) models a pink version of the tunic, with its elastic waist and side slits. The sleeves are not tied at the wrist (although the drawing on the pattern envelope shows them with little ribbons tied at the wrists), but instead, doll clothing designer has created an elastic casing to gather the sleeves around the doll's wrists. This fabric is a pink jersey fabric with large spots (like polka dots, but larger than that). It contrasts nicely against the grey pants. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

The image above shows how you can change the shape of a pattern. In this series of photos, I’ve altered a pattern for a pair of bell-bottom pants so they will have a wide leg from him to floor.

If you’d like to learn how to create pattern alterations for your doll clothes, I actually teach a class on that! Scroll down to the bottom of this page to find out more about my course in doll clothes pattern alterations.

DISCUSSION QUESTION: How often do you make pattern alterations? Do you alter your doll clothes every time you make something? Are you nervous about making alterations?

Please add your thoughts in the comments section, so other doll clothes sewing enthusiasts can learn what you’ve learned about pattern alterations.

Come back to this blog post at the end of next week, so you can see what comments other people left!

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Chelly Wood teaches classes on the Creative Spark, online learning platform. Please click this link to learn more.

This informational image shows a woman who is working at a craft table, altering doll clothes pants patterns. The text above her head says, "How to alter doll clothes patterns" followed by the words "online course" and the following bulleted bits of information about the Creative Spark online course the Chelly Wood will be teaching: bullet point 1: 40 plus videos; bullet point 2: work at your own pace; bullet point 3: one fee (no subscription); bullet point 4: learn how to enlarge or reduce your patterns. Next is a textbox encouraging you to "register now" and under this it says, "Go to Creative Spark dot CT pub dot com" and "search for Chelly Wood." — Link to Chelly’s courses: https://ctpub.com/pages/author-bio/chelly-wood

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Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with any of the doll or toy companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly enjoys designing her doll clothes to fit a variety of dolls. To learn more about the doll companies mentioned in today’s post, please visit the doll or toy company’s website.