It’s been a dream to have the Pake Muu pattern (Polynesian Pattern 130) available in larger sizes – and after three years I finally found a grader who could work with me to bring my dream to life!
Both my grader and I were suprised at how wonky the original pattern was – darts on an angle, notches not matching, etc – a lot of time was spent just cleaning up the pattern.
I’m pleased to be able to offer it in sizes 32-44 inch busts, in two printing formats – A4/Letter for home printers, and large format A0 for plot printing.
You can find the pattern for purchase over here, but I’d like to chat about the modifications I made for perfect fit.
It’s very rare for a pattern to fit perfectly straight out of the envelope (unless it’s a fairly loose design) – people’s bodies vary too much and mine is no exception.
Based on the size chart and finished measurements, I used a size 42 bust, and 44 hip (that gave me 6 inches of ease across my hips and 2 across my bust).
I ended up doing a FBA (full bust adjustment) of two inches in total, as this would have been sized for a B cup and I’m closer to a D. The good thing about a FBA is it also drops the bust dart point. I also lowered the points of the front verticle darts slightly too.
The second adjustment I made was for a sway back. This adjustment is needed if you are short waisted or have a large difference between your hip and waist – you’ll see fabric pooling at the back of your waist.
I used the method in the Palmer and Pletsch books, but there’s a great online tutorial here which is basically the same – it’s a very easy adjustment to make!
For fabric, I used this lovely orange rayon crepe that I found back in May at Hawaii Fabric Mart, and some lime green poly-rayon blend for the sleeve lining.
I hope this post helps people understand some of the mods I made for perfect fit – and I hope you enjoy the new pattern release! A big thanks to Gwenda my grader too!
No Comments