Ever have that perfect pattern, but you really want to increase the size by certain amounts - such as the Mini Billy Backpack, and you want to make it larger by 25%. Let's think about what is involved in that.
Keep the Math Simple - But you still have to do it :P
The original size of the Mini Billy Backpack is 9 1/2" tall x 8" wide x 4 1/2" deep. There is some math to consider to figure out how big it will be when finished - let me break that down.
Currently, the pattern is printed at 100%. If I want to increase the size by 25%, then that means it's a total of 125% that I need to work with.
Height - 9 1/2" or 9.5" x 125% - can be done on a calculator, time to pull out the cell phone - it comes out to 11.875"
Width - 8" x 125% = 10"
Depth - 4 1/2" or 4.5" x 125% = 5.6"
My new Mini Billy Backpack will be 11.875" tall x 10" wide x 5.6" deep - if that's not the size you were aiming for, try a different percentage, such as 110% if you want a bit smaller or 135% if you want a bit larger - redo your math to see how big that will finish at.
How do we Print it?
The pattern pieces now need to be printed at your new scale of 125% or 110% or 135% - whichever one you decided - we will go with 125% - but when you change that in Adobe Reader, the pattern pieces fall off the page... that's not very helpful at all! Let's change some settings and get this fixed:
- Select the pages you need to print - this will be only the pages with pattern pieces since you don't need to enlarge your instructions. For the Mini Billy Backpack, this will be pages 7-11 or page 12 depending on which gusset you want to use.
- Select the button "Poster" - this will change you to the setting that spreads each page across multiple papers when it prints.
- Where it says "Tile Field" we want to enter our new size, in this case, 125%. Then we want to tell Adobe how much "Overlap" we want each pattern piece to have when we tape them together - you may want this to be 0 so that you are butting up the edges together. I like to overlap by 1/8" so I set Overlap to 0.125" or if I wanted to use 1/4" then I'd set it to 0.25". And then check the box for "Cut Marks" - this will add little marks in the corners of your pages to show where you need to cut off the page to align it with the others.
- Now select Print!! Every page of the pdf will become 4 pages printed.
Because you checked the box for Cut Marks, you will see little crosshairs in the corners of your pages, when it should line up with another page. And if you selected an overlap, there will be a little line inside those crosshairs for where your pages should line up. You now have some extra taping to do.
Yay! I'm done - Almost
We're ALMOST done... there are some pattern pieces that are rectangles - what about them??? Sometimes you want to think about the purpose of the piece - such as a Slip Pocket for pens - do you want to increase the height of that? Probably not if you still want to see your pen inside the pocket - but you do want to adjust the width of the pen pocket piece so it fits all the way across the body of the bag.
In this case, the width of the Slip Pocket is 9" so we need to do some multiplication: 9" x 125% = 11.25"
We then have the Strap Anchors, Straps and Handle - you may want to increase the size of them to a finished 1" width or keep them at 3/4" width, which is completely a personal preference.
And last, double-check the amount of everything you need - if you increase the size of the bag, you will not only need more foam, exterior fabric, and lining fabric, but also binding. You're a pro now, so you can do that math ;)
When in doubt, ask in the Facebook group - Sewing UhOh Creations Patterns, we're all there to learn and help each other!! And don't forget to share your bag throughout the groups! Everyone wants to be inspired by your new creation!!!!