Sizing down from a pattern

[amhancock]

Hi! I hope someone can give me some advice.

I have a pattern for sizes 5-6x. I would like to sew the dress in a 2-3T. Is there a way to size down this pattern? Would taking it to a copy shop work? If so, how small do I go? Just thinking off the top of my head. The pattern is OOP and very hard to find.

I wish I had more experience with this, but I'm still kind of new to sewing clothes.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[Angelorum]

Well, I wish I had better advice, but I can tell you that you can't just shrink the pattern pieces at the copy store. Little kids don't keep the same proportions all their childhood and grow exactly the same amount everywhere, ykwim? I would start by taking lots of measurements of the kid you're making it for (or of similiar clothing in the right size) and then figure out what the finished measurements of the pattern you've got are. That can be tricky, you'd have to measure all the pattern pieces at a specific point, say waistline, and then subtract the seam allowance at each seam on each pattern piece to figure out what the finished waistline measurement is. Then you can compare the finished garment waist measurement, to the actual waist measurement given for a kid that wears a size 5t and find out how much ease the garment is supposed to have. Then you figure out what your finished garment's measurements need to be, (measurements of the kid, plus ease) and redraw the pattern pieces with those measurements, then draw another line around the pattern pieces for seam allowances where they are needed. You could probably draw the pieces with the seam allowances accounted for, but its easier to check your work when you don't have to account for seam allowances first.

If you comprehended that, I commend you : There very well may be a better way to do this, but I don't know what it is.

Oh yeah, and 1 inch grid tracing fabric is your friend.

[amhancock]

Hey, thanks so much for your advice. When I get some free time, I might give it a whirl. At the very least, I can make the dress in the smallest size and just wait for her to grow into it!

Again-thanks so much!

[rubelin]

If it's a multi-sized pattern where all the sizes are nested together, you can try proportionally cutting it down the same way each size has already been done. So if the shoulder line goes in a 1/2" for each size, then do that again.

The biggest problem you'll have is that 5 - 6x is different range proportionally than toddler sizes, so you can make it smaller but it might be a little wonky.