altering a folkwear pattern

This is more of a long ramble than an actual question. I am going to make the Vietnamese Ao Dai pattern from Folkwear. It is a close fitting top with raglan sleeves. The sleeve head is shaped with a long dart running down the length of the sleeve from the neck to just over the shoulder point. As usual with most patterns, I am going to have to increase the diameter of the close-fitting sleeve to fit my large arms. The sleeve pattern measures 14.5 inches and I need it to be at least 16 inches. Has anyone out there made up this pattern? I wish I had the ability to post a sketch of the sleeve pattern! It would make this question much easier. What I believe will work is to split the sleeve along the grain line in two places, on either side of the centerline of the sleeve. This will have the effect of increasing the diameter of the sleeve, lengthening the dart in the sleeve, but not changing the length of the edge that attaches to the body of the garment. It will also not affect the size of the neck opening. I think it will work, of course I'll make a muslin to check the fit.

liz young

Looking at the pattern, I wonder if you might like more depth in the armhole anyway. Vietnamese women are usually small-busted, with thin arms, and this style is designed for that shape - you don't want it ending up too tight across the bust. When I draft a sleeve, I usually go for 4 inches of ease around the bicep, BTW.

Re this and your other question, have you seen Connie Amaden Crawford's patterns? Someone - Stefanie I think - pointed me in their direction because they're based on draping, in which Crawford is very skilled. Kay Lancaster told me that they're properly graded for larger-size women, to keep all the shoulder seams, etc, in just the right place - ie they treat a heavier body as a body with more flesh on it, not a body whose bones are growing exponentially.

You can see them at

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and don't let the pictures put you off.

:) Trish