Who knew I would love a duster cardi as much as I love this Phinney Ridge duster cardi.  I just keep looking at the pictures and am surprised I like it so much.  I am convinced it’s the amazing loose weave sweater knit I picked up at Joann Fabrics.  It gives it such a light flowy look that suits my body shape so much.

When I designed the Phinney Ridge I was going for a classic cardi that was missing in the indie pattern market.  What I didn’t even consider was how it could easily be made into a long or extra long cardi with just a few alterations.  So today I am sharing the alterations you need to do to lengthen your Phinney Ridge into any length, although I would encourage a duster length!

The first thing to consider is how long you want your cardi to be.  The easiest way to so this is hang a measuring tape from your shoulder and once it is at the desired length just make note of the total length.  Now lets have a look at the finished garment measurements to know how much to add to the front and back pieces.

According to this chart the size I was cutting out was 26.5″ long, and that includes the bottom band which is 3″ of the total length.  For a duster length and my height of 5’9″ I wanted a finished length of about 45″.  This meant that I needed to add about 16″ to the length of the front and back pieces and the button band.  Your numbers will probably be very different but the process is the same.

The first step is to add the length to the front and back piece.  Take a piece of tracing paper and tape it to the pattern pieces you are adjusting.  I like to tape it at the underarm point because you may need to adjust the curve of the piece to accomidate for your full hip measurement.  But before we get to the curve lets look whether you need to grade out for your full hip.

The easiest way to figure this out is to measure your full hip.  Add 2 inches for ease and seam allowance and then divide that number by 4.  If you want more ease you can easily adjust that 2″ measurement.

For my measurements here is the math.  My full hip is 44″, so with the 2″ for ease my final measurement is 46″.  That means I need to make sure that the pattern pieces are 11.5″ wide at the hip point and below.

Now that you have the new center front seam and your mark for the full hip measurement you can adjust the curve as needed.  Not everyone will need to make a new curve, my measurements are just pretty drastic from my waist to my hips so I needed a new curve.

Repeat the above steps for the back pattern piece.

All that is left to do is add some length to your button band.  This part is super easy.  Whatever measurement you added to the length of your cardi needs to be added to your button band.  The most important part though is that you need to add it to the end of the button bad that doesn’t have the notch.  Because you aren’t adjusting the top of the cardi the notches aren’t changing.

Leave the buttons off or adjust the button band for a buttoned duster length cardi, it’s totally up to you!

In no time at all you will be rocking your duster length Phinney Ridge!  The pattern is on sale through Sunday so grab your copy now.