Why Blending Is Important

We all want the perfect fitting garment, right? Well, no matter your body type, you CAN get that! How? By blending sizes! Let us show you why blending is so important and how do do it correctly!


Why Blending Is Important


In order to blend sizes properly, you will need current and precise measurements for the person the garment is for. You can find a handy graphic in all BSD patterns to show you how/where to get these so your sew comes out perfectly. Make sure if you're using layers, that you leave on all of the ones that match your measurements. Keep in mind, that most bodies will not fit one specific size perfectly. To give you some perspective, I personally am a size 12 in the bust/overbust, a size 16 in the waist, and a size 8 in the hips. If I didn't blend, I'd either be WAY baggy in the bust and hips or WAY tight in the waist.

Example:


Recently during our Sophia testing, one of our amazing testers sewed up 2 versions of our new Sophia top. One blended incorrectly, and one blended correctly. Here are her results.

Incorrect




You can see here that the blending did not go well. The back curve of the racerback is pinched and doesn't lay right. This happened because the width of the back piece was blended incorrectly in proportion to the length.

Correct




In this picture, you can see that the pulling is not happening in the curve of the racerback and the back lays so much nicer. This is what a correct blending should look like in a finished project.

If you aren't sure what you're doing as far as blending, Melissa has created some pretty great videos that make it clearer. The first one was a blending video for the Apple Cardigan. And the other was a blending video for the skirt of the Emmaline dress. Or you can find a whole channel FULL of blending videos here.

Of course, if you need help, we also encourage you to join our Facebook group, where you can get help from the designer herself or any number of our amazing and talented followers! We have one of the best and most helpful communities out there and we are SO proud of it!
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1 comment

I like using the Alice blending video for dress bodices. It explains the basics of the height-chest-waist blending very well.

Nathalie V

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