Hey mates, today I'll be showing you how to alter your Staley Top pattern to have a straight hem with a band that goes all the way around.
As much as I love the cool hemline action in the original design - it's super handy to have some basics in the wardrobe and I think view A of the Staley Top is ideal for this purpose. It's a very easy change to make to the pattern and sews up so quickly!
Let's crack on.
Start by tracing the front piece of the pattern onto a fresh sheet of paper.
Use a ruler to extend the line of the side seam straight down.
Decide where you want your jumper hemline to finish on your body (keeping in mind that you will be adding a band around the bottom with a finished measurement of 5cm) and mark this on the side seam.
I wanted mine to sit a bit below my waist, which for me is a 28cm measurement down from the underarm.
Draw a line at a right angle from the centre front seam, to meet this measurement.
Cut your new pattern piece out - and that's it for the front. Too easy, ammiright?!
Repeat this process for the back. Use the same measurement down the side seam to mark where the new hemline will be drawn in (28cm in my case).
Cut out your new back piece.
Now we'll need to create a new pattern piece for the hem band. I want to cinch the hem in slightly, so I'll be cutting my band at 80% of the width of the hem. By all means, please feel free to tweak this amount depending on your own preference and fabric choices!
Measure the bottom of your pattern piece, and take 1cm away (for the seam allowance). Multiply this measurement by 4.
Now multiply this measurement by 0.8 (to get the 80%). Add 2cm for the seam allowance.
On my garment, that was:
29cm - 1cm S.A. = 28cm
x 4 = 112cm
+ 2cm S.A. = 114cm
Width of band = 114cm
Height of band = 12cm (for a finished height of 5cm once sewn on with a 1cm S.A.
Hopefully that makes sense. Maths has never been my strong suite so I can only imagine me trying to explain maths is even more of a struggle.
Sew the garment up as described in the instructions - leaving out steps 1 and 8.
Instead you'll be attaching the hem band in the same fashion that the cuffs are attached in Step 9!
And you should end up with something like this! I'll try to get a photo of this on a body when I can. But please enjoy it hanging lifelessly on a hanger for now!
