Shoulders can be a tricky body part to make adjustments for, but shoulder adjustments make such a difference in how a garment fits!

Determining Shoulder Adjustment Needs

NOTE: These adjustments focus on set-in sleeves, with a traditional shoulder or armscye. If you are working with a pattern that has a dolman sleeve, raglan sleeve, drop shoulder, etc., the adjustments will be a bit different.

Wondering if you have either broad or narrow shoulders, or sloping or square? Before you can make this determination, you first need to gauge where your shoulder is. The natural shoulder is where your arm and shoulder socket meet.

Once you’ve found your natural shoulder, try your garment on. This can be a piece you’ve made, or a ready-to-wear piece if you prefer. Note where the shoulder seam is hitting in relation to your natural shoulder. Check your garment for the indicators below. Also note that the indicators can point to other adjustments needed; for example, if you are shorter than 5’5″, but did not adjust for height, you may have baggy sleeves due to height vs. needing a narrow shoulder adjustment. Alternatively, you may need an FBA/SBA, or other types of adjustments instead. Be sure to look at the “whole picture” of your measurements and the pattern/garment.

Square Shoulder Indicators

• Horizontal wrinkles at the base of the neck
• Potential wrinkles pointing to the shoulders

Sloping Shoulder Indicators

• Drag lines pointing from armpit to shoulder

Narrow Shoulder Indicators

• Garment shoulder seam falls beyond natural shoulder
• Extra fabric in the armpit and/or sleeves
• Vertical wrinkles

Broad Shoulder Indicators

• Shoulder seam “sits up”
• Lines/pulling (may be especially evident on back shoulder seam)
• Shoulders feel tight

Adjusting Your Pattern for Square or Sloping Shoulders

How Much To Adjust

You can get a rough idea of how much to decrease/increase this height by “pinching” the fabric at the shoulder of your garment. It’s also possible and completely normal to have uneven shoulders; in this case, you would simple make the adjustments on only one side, or a different adjustment on each side if you need it.

How To Adjust

To accommodate square shoulders, the shoulder seams on the pattern will need to be raised. When you adjust the shoulder seam, this will increase the height of the armscye as well. You may need to adjust your sleeve cap to account for the increase.

To accommodate sloping shoulders, you will do the opposite. Reduce the height of the shoulder seam. Again, depending on the adjustment, you may need to modify the sleeve cap as well. This will make sure the sleeve cap still fits in the armscye when you sew your garment up.

It’s possible you will need to remove height as well, rather than just straightening/sloping the shoulder seam. Depending on how your garment is fitting in the shoulders, you may need to remove height or draw your new cut lines from the opposite direction.

Adjusting Your Pattern for Narrow or Broad Shoulders

NOTE: If you are adding more than 3/4″, you will likely need to adjust the sleeve cap as well. For a broad shoulder adjustment, you would decrease the sleeve cap height. For a narrow shoulder adjustment, you would need to increase the sleeve cap height. As always, a muslin or “trial run” is suggested. Remember to use a quality fabric, similar in fabric content and weight to your final fabric of choice.

How Much To Adjust

To determine how much of an adjustment to make, simply measure the difference between your natural shoulder and the shoulder seam of the garment. If you feel the top of your shoulder cap, you’ll notice a small divot. That’s approximately where your shoulder seams should be. 

How To Adjust

To account for narrow shoulders, you can do a number of different things. The simplest method is to simply add the difference to the shoulder seam, then use a French curve or similar tool to add to the armscye.

Alternatively, you can manipulate your pattern pieces by creating “hinges”.

BROAD AND NARROW:

• Mark seam allowance
• Draw line from center of shoulder seam to 1/3 of the way down the armscye

• Draw perpendicular line to the corner of shoulder seam

• Cut line 1 (shown in teal); start at shoulder seam, cutting down to the armscye. Cut slightly in to seam allowance, leaving a very small hinge.
• Cut line 2 (shown in pink); start at intersection and cut toward shoulder seam corner. Cut slightly in to seam allowance, leaving a very small hinge.

After completing the initial steps, the next steps will be determined based on if you need a broad or a narrow adjustment.

BROAD:

• Rotate triangle pieces out to add width to the shoulder; how much you swing your triangle pieces out will be determined by how much width you need to add
• Put plain paper under your pattern piece

• Mark the paper based on where you want your adjustment to hit
• Manipulate your triangle pieces to line up with this measurement; your triangles should overlap at least slightly
• Tape or glue your paper pattern piece down to the plain paper
• Use a ruler and a French curve to smooth out the shoulder seam and the armscye

• Trim excess paper from back

• Repeat steps for BACK pieces

NARROW:

• Mark adjustment amount to the LEFT of line 1 (since we are reducing width here)
• Put plain paper under your pattern piece

• Manipulate triangle pieces to meet mark
• Instead of overlapping, triangle pieces should have a gap

• 

  
  
• Tape or glue your paper pattern piece down to the plain paper
• Use a ruler and a French curve to smooth out the shoulder seam and the armscye
• Trim excess paper from back

• Repeat steps for BACK pieces

 

Shoulder adjustments don’t have to be scary! It really just takes a few simple steps after you determine which adjustment you need. 🙂

Happy sewing!