Shoulder Width Adjuster
Broad or narrow shoulders? Calculate how much to add or remove at the shoulder point, and get step-by-step instructions for both pattern pieces.
Enter your measurements
Measure your shoulder width on your body, then measure the same distance along the pattern shoulder seam.
Neck base to shoulder point
Along the shoulder seam on the pattern
Check this if there is a dart on the shoulder seam. It changes how the adjustment is applied.
How to measure shoulder width
Stand naturally with arms relaxed at your sides. Have a helper place the tape at the base of your neck — the point where your neck meets your shoulder (you can feel the shoulder bone running outward from here).
Measure straight across to the shoulder point— the tip of the shoulder where the arm begins to hang. On most people this is about 4½–6".
Measure both sides and average them if they differ slightly.
How to measure the pattern shoulder width
Lay the pattern piece flat. On the front (or back) piece, measure along the shoulder seamline from the neck point to the shoulder point (where the shoulder seam meets the armhole seam). This is the pattern shoulder width for one piece.
The front and back should measure the same (they are sewn together). If they differ, use the back measurement as the reference — the back is usually drafted to the body measurement, and the front may have ease built in at the chest.
Do not include seam allowances in your measurement.