Help with Simplicity 2817 pattern adjustment

I'm making a Snow White dress for my soon to be 3 year old granddaughter from Simplicity pattern number 2817. It needs to be about 4 inches shorter in length but there are no lines on the pattern showing me where to fold to shorten the pattern. Does it matter where I decide to fold the pattern as long as it's in the same place on the front and the back? I also plan to use knit ribbing instead of the armbands on the bottom of the puff sleeves and velcro instead of a back zipper. The skirt is gathered to the bodice. The bodice has darts going toward the waist. I was thinking of eliminating the darts and using elastic at the waist to make it easier for her to get this dress off and on all by herself. Or mostly by herself. She has a purchased Sleeping Beauty dress that is made with the elastic waist and the velcro.

Any suggestions are more than welcome, thanks.

Judie

Reply to
Judie in Penfield NY
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The kid is THREE. She isn't going to notice the fanciosities. Give her an elastic waistline, and just hem up the skirt to the right length, then it can be let down when she grows. If you want to be fancy, take a series of horizontal tucks in the skirt, then they can be let out, one at a time. At her age, as long as it has the right neckline and sleeves, and is the proper color, that will be all she'll notice.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans

Reply to
Olwyn Mary

Four inches???!!! Do you mean it needs to be shorter in the bodice or the skirt? Maybe you needed a smaller pattern?

Since that design has a Basque waist, you could pinch out an inch-or-so horizontaly in both front and back bodice pieces and taper the side seams, or just shorten evenly all across the bottom, but a 4" reduction in the bodice would be a

*lot*.

If it just needs to be "shorter" but the bodice fits, then put in a deeper hem or a couple of "growth tucks," which can be let out later as she grows taller.

Those substitution are fine, in fact highly desirable for a three-year-old.

A three-year-old probably does not need shaping darts so substituting elastic in the back waist might be fine, but it won't work in the front.

HTH,

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

I should have been more specific, sorry. It just needs to be shorter as we don't want her going up and down the stairs in a floor length dress. The pattern already calls for a 2 inch hem and I want to make it hit just about mid calf. Not authentic I know but safer for her.

Right, I see what you mean. Since I'll be making a placket for the velcro closure in the center back I might as well go ahead and make darts in the front and the back.

Thank you so much for your help, your advice is always just what I need to know.

Judie

Reply to
Judie in Penfield NY

Thank you,

Judie

Reply to
Judie in Penfield NY

You're so welcome, have fun making the dress-up dress for your DGD.

Beverly

Reply to
BEI Design

When you alter a pattern, you take out fabric in the place where you have too much of it, and add fabric in the place where you have too little.

In this case, you want to convert a long skirt into a shorter skirt, so you cut the pattern off at the bottom -- or fold a tuck that has the same effect, if you want to use the pattern again.

Joy Beeson

Reply to
Joy Beeson

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