How to Do a Narrow Shoulder Adjustment

Is your shoulder seam falling off your shoulder and down your arm? Learn how to do a narrow shoulder adjustment with this simple pattern fix.

If you’ve ever put on a garment and noticed the shoulder seam is drooping past your actual shoulder and heading down your arm, you’re not alone. This is a super common fit issue, and the good news is it’s a straightforward fix.

How to Tell If You Need a Narrow Shoulder Adjustment

• The shoulder seam extends past your shoulder and falls down your arm
• The edge of the garment shoulder sticks out or droops

Tip: If you have generous upper arms, it can be tricky to find the exact edge of your shoulder. Try raising your arm until a little dimple appears—you should be able to feel your shoulder bone right in that dip.

Measuring How Much to Adjust By

On your muslin, mark where you want your shoulder to actually end. Measure the distance from that mark to the current shoulder seam—that’s how much you need to subtract from your pattern.

Making Your Narrow Shoulder Adjustment

Step 1: On your front pattern piece, mark the seam allowance along the shoulder and around the top of the armscye.

Step 2: Draw a diagonal line (Line 1) from roughly one-third of the way up the armscye to a point on the shoulder about one-third in from the neckline. Then draw another diagonal line (Line 2) that goes from Line 1 through the outer shoulder corner and its seam allowance.

Step 3: Cut along Line 1 from the shoulder down to the armscye seam allowance, then snip in from the opposite side to create a hinge. Pivot the large triangular section to the right.

Step 4: Cut along Line 2 from where it meets Line 1 to the seam allowance corner, snipping from the other side to create another hinge. Pivot the top triangle upward until the shoulder seam forms a straight line again. Overlap the pieces at the shoulder by the amount you measured earlier, keeping everything flat and your hinges intact.

Step 5: Trace your adjusted piece onto fresh paper, using a curved ruler to create a smooth armscye.

Step 6: Repeat steps 1-5 on the back pattern piece.

A Note About Sleeves

Here’s the beautiful thing about this adjustment: because we haven’t changed the length of the armscye seam, you don’t need to adjust your sleeve at all. One less thing to worry about!

You Did It!

No more shoulder seams sliding down your arms! Once you’ve made this adjustment, your shoulders will sit exactly where they should, and your garment will look so much more polished.

Want to dive deeper into fitting? This adjustment and many more are covered in detail in “Ahead of the Curve,” our best-selling book on fitting for curves. And if you’d like in-depth video tutorials that go much deeper, check out Cashmerette Club‘s library of fitting masterclasses.