What changes when you change a pattern setting?
Three side-by-side comparisons from the circle-skirt generator: ease, seam allowance and circle fraction. Each pair changes exactly one input, and the outlines are taken from the real printable SVG.
Both outlines in a pair share the circle centre and scale, so you can compare them directly. Blue dashed is the starting draft; rust solid is the changed one. Where the change is small, an enlarged view shows the spot where it happens.
1. Ease changes the finished waist, not the seam allowance
Waist ease goes from 1 cm to 5 cm; body waist, length, circle fraction and allowances stay the same. The waist seam grows by 4 cm, so the waist radius grows too: the same angle now has to carry a longer arc.
Waist corner, enlarged: the waist seam moves outward by about 1.3 cm of radius.
Seam outlines from both exports: a larger waist opening, not a wider cutting margin.
| Quantity | Before · blue dashed | After · rust solid |
|---|---|---|
| Waist ease (cm) | 1 | 5 |
| Calculated waist seam, all panels (cm) | 73 | 77 |
| Waist seam radius (cm) | 23.24 | 24.51 |
| Hem seam radius (cm) | 83.24 | 84.51 |
| One panel angle (degrees) | 90 | 90 |
Inputs that stay the same (8)
| Body waist (cm) | 72 |
|---|---|
| Skirt length (cm) | 60 |
| Circle fraction | Half circle |
| Panels to cut | 2 |
| Fabric width (cm) | 140 |
| Waist allowance (cm) | 1 |
| Radial-seam allowance (cm) | 1 |
| Hem allowance (cm) | 1.2 |
Use ease for the finished size you want, and enter it once — not in the body measurement and again in the ease field. The distance from waist seam to hem seam stays at the entered skirt length.
2. A seam allowance changes the cutting edge, not the finished waist
Only the radial-seam allowance changes, from 1 cm to 2 cm. The figure shows the cutting outlines, because the seam outlines are identical. Waist and hem allowances stay at their starting values.
Side edge, enlarged: the cutting line moves 1 cm further from the seam.
Cutting outlines from both exports: the extra margin appears along the two side edges that join the panels.
| Quantity | Before · blue dashed | After · rust solid |
|---|---|---|
| Radial-seam allowance (cm) | 1 | 2 |
| Calculated waist seam, all panels (cm) | 73 | 73 |
| Waist seam radius (cm) | 23.24 | 23.24 |
| Hem seam radius (cm) | 83.24 | 83.24 |
| One panel angle (degrees) | 90 | 90 |
Inputs that stay the same (8)
| Body waist (cm) | 72 |
|---|---|
| Waist ease (cm) | 1 |
| Skirt length (cm) | 60 |
| Circle fraction | Half circle |
| Panels to cut | 2 |
| Fabric width (cm) | 140 |
| Waist allowance (cm) | 1 |
| Hem allowance (cm) | 1.2 |
Seam allowance is not wearing ease. The waist seam, both seam radii and the panel angle are unchanged; only the amount of fabric you cut grows.
3. More circle changes the flare without changing the waist seam total
Half circle becomes full circle, with the same two panels, body waist, ease and length. Each panel now spans twice the angle, so the waist radius halves to keep the same total waist seam.
Seam outlines for one panel of each version; both versions still need two panels.
| Quantity | Before · blue dashed | After · rust solid |
|---|---|---|
| Circle fraction | Half circle | Full circle |
| Calculated waist seam, all panels (cm) | 73 | 73 |
| Waist seam radius (cm) | 23.24 | 11.62 |
| Hem seam radius (cm) | 83.24 | 71.62 |
| One panel angle (degrees) | 90 | 180 |
Inputs that stay the same (8)
| Body waist (cm) | 72 |
|---|---|
| Waist ease (cm) | 1 |
| Skirt length (cm) | 60 |
| Panels to cut | 2 |
| Fabric width (cm) | 140 |
| Waist allowance (cm) | 1 |
| Radial-seam allowance (cm) | 1 |
| Hem allowance (cm) | 1.2 |
More flare is not a bigger waist. The hem radius changes too, while the skirt length from waist to hem stays the same. After changing the circle fraction, check the generator's panel-width warning before planning your layout.
What these examples cover
The numbers are calculated by the circle-skirt generator for these inputs. They show how each setting moves the geometry; fabric choice, cutting layout, closures and fit are still yours to check. In this generator the fabric width checks whether a panel fits across the fabric, not how much fabric to buy. Other generators may apply ease and allowances differently.
Inputs to reproduce the example
Each table shows the inputs that changed and the results; the unchanged inputs are listed below it. Enter one column into the generator to reproduce that version.
The examples do not touch your saved measurements. The generator opens with your own values; type in an example column to reproduce it.