A follow on post from the bespoke skirt draft.
If you have drafted the skirt block using my method in yesterdays post, or if you have used your own method, or you are using a ready drafted skirt block, the following information will be useful for you!
Let’s adopt good working practice here and do it properly! I have a few rules I always follow and they have served me well over time.
I never cut up a pattern draft, even if I think I won’t need it again, I always take the time to trace the size I need, particularly if there is more than one size on the pattern sheet.
It’s also a good idea to arrange your patterns on your paper in a logical way, usually this would be in the position they were originally drafted, so for the skirt, this would be with the hip level aligned and the side seams placed a short distance apart.
The next step is to create a basic pattern for a ‘toile’ so we can test and fit the block. A ‘toile’ is a common term in pattern cutting and just means a test garment.
Strictly speaking a toile does not need seam allowance on any hem lines, so we don’t need to pop seam allowance on the waist or hem. This means we can see exactly how the block sits and fits.
Therefore we only need SA (seam allowance) on the side seams and CB (center back).
We also need some sewing notches and some balance notches.
Sewing Notches
Let’s place a notch at the hip levels, notches at the end of the dart legs and the center of each dart, and a notch between the hip line and the hem line to aid sewing and matching the side seam. Also a notch should be placed 20 cm (7 7/8″) down from the waist at CB.
Balance Notches
Balance notches let us see that the garment is ‘balanced’ and is sitting on the body and hanging correctly. Place balance notches at the CF and CB
Drill Holes
Drill holes are markers that let us know that the dart is coming to the end and a mark is normally placed around 1.5 cm (9/16″) before the dart apex (end of the dart).
Make sure the grain line is marked on the pattern and also the hip line. Place a fold line or an instruction to mirror the front skirt on the center front and also place an instruction to cut 2 back skirts as a pair.
Take special care when marking in the darts, particularly if you have followed my instructions to contour the darts to the shape of the body.
Here is a brief order of assembly for sewing your skirt toile
- Sew up the CB seam to the zip notch – tempted to press it open now? if you want to be a proficient sewer you can wait until you have more to do at the pressing table!
- Sew all darts – I have a special way to sew darts that avoids nasty bumps at the end of the dart. Darts should not be visible once sewn and should like flat.
I like to compare the sewing of a dart to landing a plane. You would not want the pilot to land the plane at a steep angle! You want the approach to be smooth and almost flat, with a gentle touch down and the plane should keep on travelling.
When you come to the drill hole you know you only have 1.5 cm left to ‘land’ your dart. Sew as close to the fold of the center of the dart as possible, so that when you come to the ‘apex’ i.e. the end of the dart, you can just sew off and carry on sewing. This forms what I call a piggy’s tail! Do not back tack at the end of a dart.
If you sew your darts like this they will look flat and sit well on the body. Now you can give the seams a press!
3. Sew the skirt side seams.
You are ready to have a fitting.
Remember that you do have some ease at the waist, this ease is there to allow you to move in the garment, and is also there to be eased into the waistband, so allow for this excess. You do not want the waist too tight.
I am happy with the fit at the back, but would like to take a little extra out in the darts at the front waist. Here I can choose to either add an extra dart or make the existing dart a little larger.
Any changes you choose to make should be marked on the original pattern and noted.
It’s worth taking a little time to perfect the fit, as this is now your base for all skirt style developments. Keep posted and subscribe to be updated with future posts and learn to make lots of different styles from this basic block!
Happy pattern drafting,
Nicola x
