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This seems like a basic question, but I have to ask. A thought occured to me as I was cutting out the new vested bodice pattern. I remember in my first bodice fitting attempt, I had to shorten the bodice and inch or less. That's easy enough to take off the bottom of the basic EB bodice, so that's what I did. Not so easy with this new bodice. So should I treat the natural waistline lines as a lengthen/shorten line? What about in the front pieces when the waistline line curves? (or is it simply curved that way because it will be straight once I take up the darts?)

[Heather]

You want to shorten just above the waistline. If you know how much to take out, you can take a tuck in the pattern before you cut it. Keep the front "dip"; you need it for the darts, and because the front needs to be longer to get over the bust.

Okay, so everything below the waist needs to stay the same. I'm having a brain freeze right now and wonder if pinching and folding versus cutting and shifting would make a differrence, so I'll just do the latter to avoid confusion and having to recut my pattern. For the pinching and folding method, should the bottom line be the waistline line or a little bit above that?

Speaking of shortening, I need to remember to shorten my corset too. At least that's easier to do...

[Heather]

A little above works great.