How to Do a Wide Shoulder Adjustment

Is your shoulder seam pulling toward your neck and feeling too tight? Learn how to do a wide shoulder adjustment with this simple pattern fix.

If the shoulder seam of your garment sits too close to your neck and feels like it’s pulling inward, you need a wide shoulder adjustment. This is essentially the reverse of a narrow shoulder adjustment—instead of removing width, we’re adding it.

How to Tell If You Need a Wide Shoulder Adjustment

• The garment’s shoulder seam sits too close to your neck
• The shoulder area feels tight or restrictive

Measuring How Much to Adjust By

While wearing your muslin, mark where your shoulder actually ends. Measure the distance between that mark and the existing seam—that’s the amount you’ll be adding to your pattern.

Making Your Wide 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 left (the opposite direction from a narrow shoulder adjustment).

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 downward until the shoulder seam forms a straight line again. Spread the pieces apart at the shoulder until the gap equals 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

Just like with a narrow shoulder adjustment, we haven’t changed the length of the armscye seam—so your sleeve doesn’t need any alterations. Nice and simple!

You Did It!

No more tight, pulling shoulders! Your garment will now fit the full width of your shoulders comfortably.

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.