I decided last August to make a new apron-front gown, basing it upon several gowns I've handled in person, plus an extant garment in the National Museum of Australia that I found online with detailed photographs.This time, I've used my Elegant Lady's Closet pattern as the base, since it has no back opening to begin with and features the more fitted long sleeves I planned to use for my undersleeves and the short, puffed ballgown sleeves I'd use as the over sleeves.

No matter how well designed a pattern may be, it cannot fit each individual perfectly. Each human body has its own quirks, and each person has different fitting needs. You may find that you need to enlarge a pattern beyond the sizes available on the sheet, or you might need to shrink it. Perhaps you would like to reduce a woman's pattern to fit a little girl. Or maybe you found an out-of-print pattern you'd love to make ... but the sizes are too small for you. Anything is possible once you know how to resize a pattern!