This is an excerpt from the book

Sewing Lingerie that Fits

by Karen Morris

Copyright 2001 by The Taunton Press

www.taunton.com
 ITTING AND 4
REATING
ATTERNS
F ittin g th e h u m an body is proba-
bly th e sin gle greatest sewin g
ch allen ge—it often keeps sewers
from creatin g th e n u m ber an d variety of
garm en ts th at th ey’d like. Bu t wh en it
com es to fittin g, you can relax wh en
sewin g m ost types of lin gerie. Lin gerie
doesn ’t presen t n early as m an y of th e
fittin g h eadach es th at slow you down
wh en con stru ctin g a “seriou s” garm en t,
like a jacket or pan ts.
Wh eth er you start with a com m ercial
pattern , m ake a pattern from a garm en t
you love, or draft you r own cu stom pat-
tern u sin g th e in stru ction s in th is ch ap-
ter, th ere’s a certain am ou n t of tin kerin g
in volved to get th e garm en t to look an d
fit th e way you wan t. Bu t th an ks to Even though innerwear requires a close fit,
sim ple sh apes, lin gerie fabrics th at pieces like this underwire bra and thong still
stretch , an d a lot of bu ilt-in room in ess offer pure comfort, since they’re sewn from soft,
in m an y cases, fittin g is sim ply less of flexible cotton knit with stretchy elastic at all
an issu e with lin gerie. I’ll also in clu de the edges.
in stru ction s on h ow to con stru ct a h alf-
slip, cam isole, an d pan ty from th e cu s-
tom pattern s you m ake. Garment Style Determines Fit
Gettin g a pattern to fit th e way you
wan t is on e of th e keys to su ccess for
an y garm en t. Lu ckily, m an y types of lin -

61
 gerie are very easy to fit, particu larly
lou n gewear an d sleepwear. Most gar-
m en ts in th e lou n gewear an d sleepwear
categories are eith er stretch y or relaxed
an d room y en ou gh to be deliciou sly
com fortable an d h assle-free, an d th e
pattern s ten d to h ave few pattern pieces
an d sim ple, fail-proof sh apes. So wh en I
talk abou t fittin g lin gerie, sleepwear an d
lou n gewear h ave differen t requ irem en ts
th an oth er, m ore fitted types of lin gerie.
In n erwear, on th e oth er h an d, does
n eed to be fairly fitted an d sm ooth bu t
still com fortable. For th is reason , it
m akes sen se to u se a lot of kn its an d
Lycra-blen d fabrics, wh ich , with th eir
bu ilt-in stretch an d recovery, take m u ch
of th e h assle an d stress ou t of fittin g.
E ven a sm all am ou n t of stretch in th e
fabric m akes a sn u g garm en t so m u ch
easier to fit an d forgives sm all errors. If
Basic Panty Styles
Thong String bikini
Bikini French cut Brief
62 Chapter 4
tip. . .
If your slip doesn’t have a wrap opening or
slit at the hem, try cutting it in a slight A-line
shape, or wider at the hem, for ease when
walking and sitting. This is especially helpful
if the slip is a longer length.
you ’re workin g with woven s, you can
get a sim ilar effect by cu ttin g th e fabric
on th e bias for a close, sm ooth fit th at’s
still flexible an d com fortable to wear.
Slips, alth ou gh in n erwear, fall som e-
wh ere between th ese two extrem es. By
design , th ey are easy to fit. A h alf-slip is
really ju st a tu be, an d m ost fu ll-slips are
tu bes with adju stable straps.
Pan ties, h owever, are a little m ore
com plex becau se of th e body’s th ree-
dim en sion al sh ape. Lay a pair of pan ties
on you r bed an d take a look at th e
sh ape: Th ey’re fu ller in th e back, an d
th e leg open in gs lie on th e fron t of th e
garm en t. Fittin g a pan ty pattern starts
with ch oosin g a style you like, an d a
n u m ber of in terestin g pattern option s
are available (see th e illu stration at left).
Sin ce each wom an ’s preferen ce for
pan ty sh ape is h igh ly in dividu al, I su g-
gest you u se a favorite existin g pair of
pan ties as a referen ce to h elp you m ake
essen tial decision s abou t th e perfect
style an d waist h eigh t an d th e ideal
sh ape an d h eigh t of th e leg open in gs.
An oth er great way to get exactly th e
pan ties you wan t is to draft you r own
pan ty pattern . Wh ile th is m ay sou n d dif-
ficu lt, it tru ly isn ’t. Usin g ju st fou r body
m easu rem en ts—waist, h ip, waist to h ip,
an d crotch depth —you can qu ickly
draw a basic pan ty pattern th at’s
Measuring Your Body

7 8
9
1. High bust (directly under arms)
10 2. Bust (fullest level)
1
3. Under bust (ribcage)
2 11 4. Waist
3 5. High hip
6. Hip (fullest level, and note distance from waist)
4 7. Shoulder to bust point
8. Shoulder to waist
5 9. Shoulder (width)
10. Sleeve length (shoulder to wrist, with arm bent)
11. Back waist length
6

cu stom -fitted to you r body. On ce you
h ave th is paper pattern , it’s easy to
adju st an d cu stom ize th e sh ape to devel-
op th e type of leg cu rve an d waist h eigh t
you wan t.
Bras, an oth er type of in n erwear,
requ ire th e m ost fittin g. Cu p fit is very
im portan t, sin ce th e vast m ajority of
wom en are wearin g bra cu ps th at are
too sm all! After th e cu p is correct, get-
tin g th e ban d to fit is a relatively easy
adju stm en t. An d fittin g a bra becom es
m u ch easier wh en you u se a fabric with
at least som e stretch . I’ll address m ore
of th e u n iqu e fittin g aspects of bras in
ch apter 5.
Good Fit Starts
with Accurate Measuring
Th e first step in m akin g an y type of lin -
gerie, wh eth er you ’re workin g with a
com m ercial pattern or creatin g you r
own , is to take accu rate body m easu re-
m en ts. It’s best to h ave som eon e else
h elp take you r m easu rem en ts, alth ou gh
it’s n ot always easy to rou n d u p a h elper
wh en you n eed on e. To m easu re for
in n erwear, wear u n dergarm en ts th at fit
well; if you ’re sewin g sleepwear, th is
isn ’t really n ecessary. You won ’t n eed to
com pare all th ese m easu rem en ts every
tim e you sew; ju st u se th e on es th at
relate to th e garm en t you ’re m akin g an d
to you r figu re variation s.
First, place a 1-in .-wide belt or pin a
piece of firm , n on stretch y ribbon or
trim sn u gly arou n d you r waist an d
adju st it to you r n atu ral waistlin e. Th is
will serve as a gu ide wh en takin g you r
waist m easu rem en t an d fron t- an d
back-waist len gth s. E specially if you ’re
workin g alon e, stan d in fron t of a fu ll-
len gth m irror so you can ch eck th at th e
tape is level for each m easu rem en t.

Fitting and Creating Patterns 63

Measuring Your Full Torso for a Bodysuit or Teddy
Compare your full-torso measurement to that of your pattern to decide whether the pattern needs adjusting.

1. Measure your 2. Measure the front and

torso back to front
from the bone at
the base of your
neck, down
Begin. End.
between your legs,
and up front to the
hollow at the base
of your neck.
Follow the curves
of your body, keep-
ing the tape snug.
back pattern tissue at the
center from the shoulder
to crotch seam, following
the curves at the center
back. Add the front and
back lengths for the full-
torso length, then compare
that with your body mea-
Center Center surement.
front back
For a pattern with separate
straps, measure your body
and the pattern from the
bust point to the back
waist.

Alter
here.

3. If you need to alter the pattern, adjust the front and back between the bust and
waist and/or between the waist and hip.

Th e illu stration on p. 63 lists th e sh own in th e illu stration on th e facin g

body m easu rem en ts you ’ll n eed to kn ow
for sewin g variou s types of lin gerie.
Take you r m easu rem en ts as sh own an d
record th em on a sh eet of paper. Th e
fu ll-torso m easu rem en t, sh own in th e
illu stration above, is h elpfu l for fittin g
on e-piece garm en ts like bodysu its an d
teddies (an d also, by th e way, for swim -
su its). Th e crotch -depth m easu rem en t,
tip. . .
Write down your measurements and
date the list for future reference. It’s best to
measure yourself every six months to a year,
since your body may change frequently.
page, will be u sed for adju stin g pan ts
an d for creatin g a cu stom pan ty pattern .
Working with
Commercial Patterns
Com parin g you r body m easu rem en ts to
th e su ggested m easu rem en ts on th e pat-
tern will, ideally, h elp you select a pat-
tern size. Bu t m an y bodies requ ire dif-
feren t sizes in differen t areas, wh ich
can m ake ch oosin g a pattern size m ore
con fu sin g.
For lin gerie oth er th an bras, th ere’s
n o n eed to m ake th is com plicated. For
fu ll-body garm en ts, it’s often better to
ch oose a pattern based on you r h igh -

64 Chapter 4
Measuring Crotch Depth
Sit on a flat surface such as a table or
countertop. Measure at the side of your
body from the bottom of the waistband,
over your hip, then straight down to the
flat surface. This is your crotch depth.
Bottom of band
Crotch depth
bu st in stead of you r bu st m easu rem en t,
especially if you r body is larger th an
you r fram e or bon e stru ctu re or if you
on ce u sed a sm aller-size pattern bu t
h ave gain ed weigh t. Th is will give you a
sm aller pattern th at fits m ore n icely
th rou gh th e n eck an d sh ou lders (th e
areas th at are m ore difficu lt to alter an d
wh ere m ost wom en don ’t gain m u ch
weigh t), an d you can easily add width at
th e bu st, waist, an d h ip for th e correct
body m easu rem en t, in clu din g plen ty of
ease. H ow m u ch ease depen ds on you r
fabric an d th e kin d of fit you wan t.
Startin g with a sm aller pattern th an
you r bu st m easu rem en t in dicates will
Comfort Zone
E ase is the difference between the measurement
of your body and the measurement of the pat-
tern or garment in a given area. There are really two
types of ease: ease that’s added for comfort and
wearability, and “design ease,” which is ease that’s
added by the designer to create a style or look.
On the back of a pattern envelope, the words
used to describe the garment provide a clue as to
how much ease the style includes. Words like
“fitted” and “close fitting” indicate that less ease is
added, while “loose fitting” or “very loose fitting”
suggest that the style includes more ease. In
general, fluid fabrics require more ease to look and
feel right, and firmer fabrics and those that stretch
require less. By comparing your body measurement
with that of the pattern (after subtracting seam
allowances), you’ll get an idea of how much ease
you will have in an area so you can add more if
needed when cutting out the pattern.
Sleepwear and loungewear are generally
designed to include plenty of extra ease for comfort
so the garment will feel wonderfully unrestricting.
Even elegant silk satin and chiffon gowns and
robes allow 10 in. or more of ease at the hip. True
luxury can also be comfortable! Be sure to check
the crotch depth on pajama pants and shorts; I like
it to be 1 in. or so deeper than for regular pants. If
you don’t have plenty of ease, add more. One easy
way to check is to compare the crotch depth with
that of a pj pant you love.
Innerwear garments generally include a minimal
amount of ease so they’ll be smooth and bulk-
free under outer garments. This is why knits and
other stretchy fabrics make so much sense for
innerwear—the garment can be sleek and close
fitting, even cut smaller than the body, and still be
comfortable and easy to fit and wear.
Fitting and Creating Patterns 65
 Adjusting a Full-Slip Pattern
for a Larger Cup Size redu ce th e ch an ce of h avin g pajam as
an d gown s with gapin g n eck open in gs

I f you’re larger than a B cup and want to make

a full-slip that fits smoothly in the bust area, a
pattern with princess seams is fairly easy to adjust
by increasing the curve in the bust area. Tape
the side-front pattern over a piece of paper, and
redraw the princess-line curves in the bust area
to add about 3/8 in. for each cup size above B, taper-
ing to the original seamline above and below the
bust apex.
On the center-front pattern, draw a horizontal line
at the bust point, cut along the line, and spread
the pattern the same amount you added to the
side front, taping the pattern to paper. Baste the
slip together, then try it on wrong side out so
you can adjust the bust area if needed before
completing the slip.
Adjusting a Princess-Seam Slip Pattern
for a Larger Bust
Redraw the curve
according to
your bust size.
Slash
and
spread.
Side Center
front front
an d baggy sh ou lders, wh en wh at you
m ay really n eed is ju st extra room in th e
bu st or h ip. For a lower-body garm en t
su ch as a h alf-slip, pan ty, or pair of
pan ts, ch oose th e pattern based on you r
h ip m easu rem en t.
If th e pattern you ch oose is m u lti-
sized, with several sizes drawn on each
pattern section , th en you r work
becom es easier. Ju st ou tlin e a sm aller
size to cu t th e n ecklin e, sh ou lders, an d
arm h oles, an d a larger size for th e bu st
an d h ip to su it you r m easu rem en ts.
Taking fabric stretch into account
Wh en sewin g with kn its an d Lycra-
blen d fabrics, it’s essen tial to pay atten -
tion to th e am ou n t of stretch in you r
fabric. Th e am ou n t of stretch varies
widely between fabrics, from less th an
25 percen t to 100 percen t, an d th is vari-
ation can dram atically affect th e fit of
you r garm en t. For exam ple, if you ’re
workin g with a stretch y Lycra-blen d fab-
ric, th e addition al stretch m ean s th at
th e garm en t can be cu t sm aller, often
even sm aller th an you r body, depen din g
on h ow you wan t th e garm en t to fit.
Th in k of a swim su it: Wh en you h old it
u p to you r body before pu ttin g it on , it’s
defin itely sm aller th an you are.
Pattern s design ed for stretch fabrics
are created with th is stretch factor in
m in d; th e back of th e pattern en velope
will recom m en d fabrics an d tell you th e
am ou n t of stretch th e design er calcu lat-
ed for th at style. Becau se th e stretch
dram atically affects th e fit, it’s best to
stick with a fabric th at h as th e recom -
m en ded am ou n t of stretch , at least u n til

66 Chapter 4

you ’ve h ad som e experien ce workin g
with stretch fabrics.
Usin g a ru ler or tape m easu re, it’s
easy to determ in e h ow m u ch stretch a
fabric h as in each direction . Test th e
stretch both h orizon tally an d vertically,
sin ce m ost fabrics h ave m ore stretch
on e way th an th e oth er. In fact, som e
h ave stretch in on e direction an d n on e
in th e oth er. As a gen eral ru le, you ’ll
place th e direction of greater stretch
goin g arou n d th e body, so th e stretch of
you r particu lar fabric m ay also affect
th e pattern layou t.
To determ in e h ow m u ch a fabric
stretch es, start by foldin g th e fabric
crosswise, abou t 12 in . from th e cu t
en d. Lay 10 in . of th e folded edge alon g
th e first 10 in . of th e ru ler. H oldin g th e
left side of th e fabric station ary, stretch
th e fabric with you r righ t h an d as far as
it will com fortably go (see th e ph oto
above). If th e fabric stretch es easily to
It’s easy to test each
stretch fabric to deter-
mine its percentage of
stretch. If 10 in. of
fabric stretches easily
to 171/2 in., the fabric
has 75 percent
stretch.
12 1/2 in ., it h as 25 percen t stretch ; if it
stretch es to 15 in ., it h as 50 percen t
stretch ; if it stretch es to 17 1/2 in ., it h as
75 percen t stretch ; an d so on . To test a
fabric’s len gth wise stretch , fold th e fab-
ric parallel to th e selvages an d repeat
th e procedu re.
If you ’re u sin g a pattern design ed for
tricot or stable cotton kn it (with 25 per-
cen t stretch ) an d wan t to su bstitu te a
Lycra-blen d fabric (with 50 percen t to
100 percen t stretch ), be aware th at
you ’ll n eed to adju st th e pattern to be
sm aller. A stretch y fabric requ ires little
or n o ease, or even a n egative am ou n t of
ease (sm aller th an th e body), an d will
still m ove with th e body an d be qu ite
com fortable to wear. Make a n ew paper
pattern to reflect th e ch an ges, an d label
it “for fabrics with XX percen t stretch .”
For you r first try at m akin g a gar-
m en t in a Lycra blen d from a pattern
design ed for kn its with less stretch , u se
Fitting and Creating Patterns 67
 The Skinny
on Shoulder Pads
Y ou might not associate shoulder pads
with lingerie, but think again. In my
opinion, they almost qualify as innerwear.
Many women wear at least a small shoulder
pad in their clothing, not only to balance
the proportions but also to help support the
weight and shape of a garment. But shoulder
pads can present a number of challenges:
Which shape and size to wear with each
garment? Where to get them? How to attach
them? I can suggest two simple solutions:
Make use of shoulder pads built into
a camisole or attach them to your bra straps.
When you combine a camisole with shoulder pads, like the one shown above made of cot-
ton lace, they’ll be smoothly and securely in place for every garment you wear over it, and it’s
an easy garment to construct. Stretch & Sew 2072 includes a unique camisole pattern with
raglan-sleeve lines and a slightly extended shoulder area with a built-in pad. The pattern
instructions result in a pad created from several layers of fleece, but you can adjust the num-
ber of layers for the thickness you want, which is especially useful when styles dictate a more
natural shoulder line.
Another option is to attach removable shoulder pads to your bra straps, using either
purchased pads or ones that you sew yourself. This allows you to wear the size and style
of pad that suits your shape and garment without sewing a pad into each outfit or being
stuck with the pad that comes sewn or Velcroed into every purchased garment.
To make a removable pad that attaches to your bra strap, sew a small strap on the
underside of the pad and fasten it either with a snap or with hook-and-loop tape. For the
strap, use a 11/2-in.- to 2-in.-long strip of 3/8-in.- or 1/2-in.-wide ribbon, bias tape, or twill tape
and a sew-on snap or small piece of hook-and-loop tape. Pin the pad to your bra strap
to determine the correct placement with a garment, then turn under the raw ends of the strip
and sew one end to the underside of the pad. Sew the hook side of the hook-and-loop tape
to the other end of the strip, and sew the loop side to the pad so it lines up with the piece
on the strip. Or sew both halves of a snap to the strip and pad.

68 Chapter 4
a cou ple of sizes sm aller th an you r m ea-
su rem en ts su ggest, th en cu t ou t an d
baste th e garm en t section s togeth er, try
it on , an d m ake adju stm en ts as n eeded.
You m ay n ot get it exactly righ t th e first
tim e—even cloth in g design ers m ake a
n ew style m ore th an on ce—so don ’t be
con cern ed if you n eed a secon d attem pt
to adju st an d m ake ch an ges. With each
experim en t, you ’ll get closer to th e per-
fect fit.

Creating a Pattern
Becau se I’ve n ever stu died pattern draft-
in g, m y approach to m akin g m y own
pattern s is extrem ely basic. I frequ en tly
u se a garm en t I already own as a gu ide,
wh ich h as always been m y m ost direct
rou te to su ccess. To m e, a garm en t th at
I can try on an d m easu re is m u ch m ore
tan gible th an workin g with a paper pat-
tern alon e. So if you h ave a pajam a,
gown , or oth er piece of lin gerie th at you
love, con sider creatin g a pattern from it
so you can sew it again (an d again !). A straight half-slip is
I’ve already talked abou t h ow rela- a simple garment to
tively sim ple garm en t sh apes are for Copyin g from favorite garm en ts is copy. Basically a tube
m ost lin gerie an d lou n gewear, especially th e way I developed pattern s for several with a sewn elastic
wh en com pared with jackets an d oth er of th e pieces in th is book—th e pear- waist, the slip’s fabric,
com plicated garm en ts with m an y pat- prin t pj sh irt sh own on p. 32 was copied color, and rich lace
tern pieces. For exam ple, m ost ready-to- from a favorite old flan n el pj sh irt, an d hem are the details
wear sleepwear is con stru cted as qu ickly th e sim ple brown -prin t cam isole sh own that make this piece
an d in expen sively as possible, with on p. 60 was copied from a J. Crew on e special.
sim ple, boxy sh apes, few or n o darts, th at I recen tly bou gh t an d loved.
an d elastic at open in gs for com fort an d If you ’d like to copy on e of you r
sh ape. (Th is is wh y th ey’re easy gar- favorite lin gerie garm en ts, first th in k
m en ts to copy!) It’s th e fabric, topstitch - abou t sm all or large im provem en ts you
in g, an d details th at m ake th ese gar- can m ake, an y ch an ges th at will m ake it
m en ts special. even m ore won derfu l to wear. Perh aps it

Fitting and Creating Patterns 69

The cut-apart sections
of a treasured
favorite, like this cot-
ton flannel sleepshirt,
provide all the infor-
mation you need to
draw a new paper
pattern and sew your
own copy. Remember
to add seam
allowances where
needed.
n eeds to be an in ch or two lon ger? Or
h ave a sm ooth er fin ish in side? Or m ore
topstitch in g to preven t th e edges from
floppin g ou t? You can fix all th ese prob-
lem s n ow, wh ile you ’re sewin g it again .
Making a copy
If you r old garm en t is worn ou t, sim ply
cu t it apart alon g th e seam lin es, clip or
rem ove an y elastic, an d u se th e section s
to m ake a n ew pattern (see th e ph oto
above). Sm ooth ou t, press, an d th en
trace each section on paper, addin g
len gth for h em s, drawin g on seam
allowan ces wh ere you cu t th em away,
an d m akin g an y n eeded im provem en ts.
If you ’re n ot ready to
cu t apart th e garm en t ju st
yet, you can still copy it.
On e option is to trace th e
sh apes of th e garm en t sec-
tion s on paper to create
pattern pieces. An oth er
way is to fin d a pattern
th at’s as sim ilar to it as
possible, th en m easu re
each section of you r gar-
m en t an d jot th e n u m bers
on a qu ick rou gh sketch of
each section ’s sh ape. Usin g
you r m easu rem en ts an d
observation s, alter th e pat-
tern so it’s as close as pos-
sible to you r favorite,
in clu din g pipin g, top-
stitch in g, pocket an d bu t-
ton placem en t, an d oth er
im portan t details.
If th e sh ape is very sim -
ple, like m y cam isoles
sh own on p. 25 an d p. 92,
you m ay n ot even n eed to fin d a sim ilar
pattern . In stead, lay th e garm en t flat on
pattern paper, side seam s togeth er, an d
draw th e fron t an d back pattern sh apes
on th e paper. Th en add seam an d h em
allowan ces wh ere n eeded. Cu t ou t th e
pattern pieces, an d you ’re ready to m ake
th e n ew garm en t.
If th e garm en t you wan t to copy is a
bra, be persisten t; a bra is a m ore com -
plex garm en t. Search for th e righ t fab-
rics an d fin din gs, an d u se th e old bra to
m ake a n ew pattern (see pp. 91–92).
An d, again , be willin g to m ake th e bra
m ore th an on ce if n ecessary. Th e resu lts
will be worth it.

70 Chapter 4
 Make your own easy,
custom-drafted pat-
terns for a wrapped
half-slip and V-neck
camisole, like the
ones shown here,
which are both cut on
the bias and sewn
from silk seersucker.

Drafting a new pattern E ach of th e th ree pattern s is design ed

An oth er way to create a pattern is called
draftin g—u sin g you r own body m ea-
su rem en ts to develop a cu stom pattern .
To illu strate h ow sim ple th is process
can be, I’ll sh ow you h ow to create you r
own pattern s for a wrap-style h alf-slip, a
V-n eck cam isole, an d a basic, brief-style
pan ty. Th e basic pan ty pattern is th e
m ost excitin g, I th in k, becau se on ce you
create th e pattern , it’s easy to adju st it to
you r favorite style, wh eth er you prefer a
h igh -cu t leg, a low-cu t waist, or a bikin i.
for kn its or woven fabrics (be su re to
cu t woven s on th e bias so th ey’ll be flu id
an d com fortable). Th ese pattern m akin g
in stru ction s are adapted from th e work
of Jan Bon es, teach er of pattern m akin g,
garm en t con stru ction , tailorin g, an d
drapin g at th e Un iversity of Man itoba in
Can ada.
Tools for making patterns
To m ake you r own pattern s, you ’ll n eed
som e fairly large, paper, a tape m easu re,

Fitting and Creating Patterns 71

 Karen’s Closet

W hile visiting my sister in Galveston, Tex., we used to shop at a

fabulous military-surplus store called Colonel Bubbie’s. This
store stocked absolutely everything (including a genuine NASA space
capsule, displayed out front) and was a wonderful place to prowl
around. One day I found an incredibly soft, thick, cotton-flannel
sleepshirt in a soothing medium blue, with a sort of Nehru collar and
utilitarian ring snaps up the asymmetrical front. This English-army
pajama shirt turned out to be the most perfect, goofy pj shirt I ever
owned. When it started to show wear, I bought another one by mail.
These two wonderful shirts lasted for years and became the back-
bone of my early at-home comfort-clothing outfits.
When the second shirt started to wear out, I panicked. I stitched
machine-embroidery on the front in an effort to strengthen it and did other last-ditch mending
jobs to keep the shirt going. Finally, when it was too fragile to wear, I washed it one last time
and folded it into a ziplock bag, then labeled and stored it in my attic with the intention of mak-
ing a pattern from it someday and sewing a new, perfect pj shirt. For some reason, I never did,
although each time I moved to a new house, that silly shirt went with me. The original English-
army shirt is pictured here, and the result (finally!) of my efforts to copy it, the pear-print pajama
shirt, is pictured on p. 32. The new shirt is made from fabric that, if possible, is even softer and
thicker than the original. My only style change was to lengthen and curve the hemline to create
shirttails; the original had a straight hem.

a ru ler (I prefer a large, clear plastic
ru ler like th e 6-in . by 24-in . on e from
Om n i-grid sh own on p. 70, so I can see
wh at I’m doin g), an d a pen cil. Also h ave
h an dy you r basic body m easu rem en ts
described earlier in th is ch apter. You
can pu rch ase a roll of gridded pattern
paper (see Resou rces on p. 135), wh ich
is perfect for th e task, or a reason ably
priced roll of m edical exam in in g-table
paper at m edical-su pply stores. Th ere’s
also a pattern m akin g m aterial called
Mön ster paper, m ade from a stron g syn -
th etic sim ilar to Tyvek. Th e advan tage of
Mön ster paper is th at it’s n early in de-
stru ctible; you can fit th e pattern by
actu ally bastin g it togeth er an d tryin g it
on before cu ttin g ou t you r fabric.
All th ese option s are great, bu t I
som etim es en d u p sim ply u sin g freezer
paper. It’s stu rdy, in expen sive, readily
available at grocery stores, an d fairly
wide (25 in .). If you n eed wider paper
for certain section s, you can easily
tape two pieces of paper togeth er. For
sm aller pattern s, don ’t forget th at
classic—th e stu rdy brown paper
grocery bag, wh ich m akes a very
du rable pattern .

72 Chapter 4