I’m a small-bust lady, so this tutorial is near and dear to me. One of my daughters is also in the small-bust group, while the other has a fuller bust, so our household has experienced the challenges—and blessings—of both! We’ve often talked about shopping for clothes and customizing sewing for each body type. The friend in these photos has an average bust line, so no alterations were needed for her pattern. Hopefully this article helps you see that you can make any pattern work for you.

I’ll admit, I’ve often just omitted darts on a pattern. That works with many designs, and with today’s pattern if your bust is quite small. But while skipping darts is an option, there are proper sewing techniques worth learning and practicing. So here, I’ll show you one of those methods.

If your pattern includes a dart, here are the steps to adjust it for a smaller bust. First, decide how much you want to reduce. Remember—you only need to remove half that amount from the pattern piece, since you’re working with just one side of the bodice. For this example, let’s say you need to reduce the bust by ½”. That means you’ll remove ¼” from the pattern.

A quick note on terminology: the apex is the bust point—the fullest, most projected part of the breast. On a pattern, darts should point to this spot.

Supplies needed

Gather your supplies: ruler, pencil, scissors, tape, and an extra sheet of paper. Then follow these steps:

1. Draw a line from the waist up to the apex, about 2″ from the center front.


2. Draw another line from the apex to the lower part of the armhole.


3. Draw a line through the dart, pointing to the apex.


4. Add a perpendicular line from the first waist-to-apex line over to the fold line, just above the waist.


5. Cut along the waist-to-armhole line, leaving it attached at the armhole.


6. Cut along the dart-to-apex line, again leaving it attached at the apex.


7. Cut out the little rectangle piece completely and set it aside.


8. Place your extra paper under the pattern.


9. Mark the reduction line (¼” in our example) with your ruler and pencil.


10. Slide the pattern over so it lines up with that mark. Tape it in place.


11. By overlapping, you’ll raise the waistline. Tape the little rectangle back in.


12. The waistline is now slightly smaller—if you don’t want that reduction, add the width back in on the under paper.


13. Cut out the dart triangle so you can see the adjustment.


14. Redraw the dart from the apex. Fold it to check—you’ll see the dart is now smaller.


15. Trim away the excess paper underneath. Your adjusted bodice pattern is ready to use!

Done! If you have any questions or would like to add some sewing stories on the subject, you can comment below.