Blending Sizes for the Dungiven Dress

It’s pretty common to want to blend sizes when making a new pattern, and each style needs a different approach. Since the Dungiven Dress has several seams and eight pleats, there’s lots of room for fine-tuning the fit. 

What to Consider When Blending Sizes

On a dress that has a fixed waist circumference (no elastic or ties to adjust), comfort when standing and sitting are important to consider. The waist circumference is taken standing, and when choosing a size for a dress with a fixed waist circumference, I like to use my seated waist circumference to help me determine the minimum ease that I’m comfortable with. The difference between my standing waist and seated waist is about 1.5” (3.8 cm).

Recommendations for required ease at the waist can vary from 1” (2.5 cm) to 2.5” (6.4 cm) or more. So as long as the finished waist circumference is at least 2.5” greater than my standing waist, I’ll be able to sit and breathe comfortably.

One more thing that I consider before determining the final size selection is whether I have any fluctuations in my measurements during the day or through the course of the month. I recommend making sure that the finished waist will have enough ease on the high end of your data set, so that you can enjoy wearing your dress any time without worry.

How to Blend

If you’re wanting to blend sizes at the waist, which is the most common place to make this change, you can! There are a few places to do so:

• If you’re also doing an FBA, then you’ll gain some extra waist circumference there. And it’s okay to add a dart during the FBA rather than altering the pleats! They won’t be in the way of each other, and it’s less fuss. 
• One way to add a whole 2” (5 cm) to the waist circumference is to sew each pleat ⅛” (3 mm) smaller (narrower). The final pleats will measure ¾” (1.9 cm) wide (so, ¼” (6 mm) less wide, but you won’t have to change any seams. 
• Use the princess seams and the side seams to further adjust the waist as needed. In the diagrams, you can see the red line on the side seams blending two jumps, and that’s a bit curvy. So using the four seams available makes the difference a bit more subtle. The blue line on the princess seams shows a subtler option. 

Use a combination of these techniques to achieve the waist circumference that works for you and make your perfect Dungiven Dress.