Easy Ways to Hack Any Pattern 

There’s something magical about wearing clothing you’ve crafted by your own two hands. But most commercial crochet charts and written patterns are created with one body type—and one aesthetic—in mind. The “Body” depicted on a pattern envelope seldom aligns with your unique proportions, personal style, or artistic inclinations. That’s where pattern hacking comes in: sometimes it’s much easier to modify an existing blueprint than to start from scratch. By customizing a commercial pattern, you have the power to adjust!

Make Sure You Understand the Base Fit: Read Your Pattern First

Lots of adjustments alter or shape the structure of a pattern. Before making those types of changes, make sure that you understand how the garment is constructed as it is. Don’t jump into crocheting and adjusting your pattern until you have a good idea of how the base version is put together. It’s easy to throw things off, and you don’t want to end up sewing a completely new pattern for a Franken- fit.

Take notice of grainlines, seam allowances, bust apex placement, dart placement, and any other markings that will affect how the garment will fit on your body. Cut a muslin- always try on a test garment before you cut into what you want to use to make your fashion creation. You will understand how the pattern shapes work together by trying on your muslin before cutting into your fashion dreams. Read the instructions all the way through and mark any areas that you know you’ll be changing that won’t alter the structure of the garment.

Swap Swatches: Simple Fabric Substitutions 

For beginner pattern hackers, start with easy style changes. Cosmetic alterations can make a garment look and feel like something else entirely. You don’t need to break out your calculator or tracing paper to transform your finished sew. Change the yarn to give your favorite pattern a new look.

Structured cotton yarn will drape completely different than bohemian silk or linen. Bulky boucle looks gigantic next to smooth bamboo. You can even change the level of formality or drape of your garment by switching up your yarn or fabric. Separating pattern pieces along the seam lines creates an opportunity to color block or even pair crazy stitches together. Dividing up your pattern along existing seams can create a sleek graphic contrast that looks utterly modern. Hardware is also an easy way to add some subtle handcrafted glamour. Trade in that factory plastic for some antique brass buttons. Try adding embellishments like edgings and borders.

Alter to Flatter: Changing Style Lines 

Once you’ve got the basics down, you can start making adjustments to the actual style lines of a garment. Move hemlines and sleeves to change the silhouette. Lengthen a cropped T-shirt into a maxi dress, or crop a long sleeve into a cap sleeve. Convert straight lines to curves to create an asymmetric hem. Add pockets. It doesn’t matter how tailored a jacket or structured a blouse may seem—there is always room for pockets. Add them to the outside as fun patch pockets, or crochet hidden pockets into your skirts, or dress bodices at the side seams. Modify the neckline to dress up or down basic templates. Try lowering an effortless crew neck into a scoop, or convert a round neckline to a V-neck. Draft a quick collar and button closing to create a removable statement piece.

Change Your Measurements: Crocheting To Fit Yourself 

Pattern hacking becomes most useful when you alter a pattern to fit your measurements. Every person’s body is different, and most of our bodies don’t fit into the little guidelines on a pattern envelope. Stop worrying about picking one size! Trace your pattern at your biggest measurement (usually full bust), then grade out to your smaller measurements (like waist and hips) so the lines curve smoothly. Shift dart positions to accommodate the curves you want to enhance. Combine different bodices with skirts, or sleeves with hoodies from separate patterns for a truly unique custom outfit.

Keep it Together: Pattern Hacking Best Practices. 

When you’re just starting out, it can be easy to get frustrated. Here are some tips to help streamline your workflow and stay organized.

• Never stitch into your original pattern! Whether you printed from a PDF or created a chart of your work. Transfer your adjustments to your copy, and save your original sample intact for next time.
• Make one change at a time. It’s tempting to want to change a million little things to your custom pattern because you can now see the potential of it, but if you change everything at once, you won’t know which change didn’t work if the fit is off.
• Take notes! Write yourself reminders directly on the pattern about changes you made, where to add new stitches, or even specific notes on how to assemble it if you want to crochet it again later.