Beginners Pattern Drafting Info, Free Downloads, General Info, Pattern Cutting Techniques

Garment Ease – Pattern Ease- Explained

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Ease – Explained – What is ease?

There is a lot of confusion out there about ‘ease’. I have read some rather misleading definitions on many a web page. Here I will give a detailed explanation about ease. You can also download your free PDF Ease Allowance Chart below –

Why have ease?

Ease is incorporated into a block or a pattern to allow the wearer to move, therefore ease is “allowance for movement”. Ease allows the wearer to breath, bend, sit down and move around. Ease is particularly important in children’s’ and babies wear and again becomes important in older peoples clothing.  If there is too little ease in a garment then the “look” of the garment may also be compromised, skirts will ride up, trousers will wrinkle and jackets will be restrictive. Therefore getting the right quantity of ease in your patterns and garments is important.

Ease Allowance Chart Free Download

Hopefully the above chart will give you a guideline for classifying the quantity of ease that a garment contains but lets look at the meaning of ease.

Ease is the difference between the measurement of the body (without clothes) and the measurement of the block, pattern and ultimately the garment that fits over the body.

Lets look at a real example – Using my basic bodice block in the Modeliste Creative Range available on Etsy.

The bust measurement the size 12 block is designed to fit is a 90.5 cm bust (34 1/16 inches). That is the measurement from the size chart I used to draft the block and relates the the measurement of the actual body the block is drafted to fit.

When I drafted the block I allowed 6.9 cm ( 2 3/4″)  ease over the bust as ease in this block range, as its developed for a curvy figure.

Therefore if we measure the block itself the measurement will be 94.4 cm (38 3/4″). This is the body measurement plus the ease.

If we produced a pattern from this blocks and made no changes to the block, then this quantity of ease would stay the same. However, usually during the course of making a pattern, we either reduce or increase the quantity of ease as we create the pattern. The extra we add in or take away during the pattern making process is called design ease.

We now have 2 types of ease –

  • Block Ease
  • Design Ease

There is a third type of ease, we will come onto that in a moment. The information above relates to woven fabrics or stable knits. If we are dealing with stretch fabric then this is where we come onto another type of ease.

  • Negative ease

Negative ease occurs when a block or pattern is smaller than the body it is designed to fit. Negative ease becomes important when drafting patterns with over 18 – 20 % stretch percentage. If you are drafting patterns with a stretch percentage of under that amount then you can use a woven fabric pattern.

Adjusting patterns and blocks for stretch percentage and negative ease percentages is a book in itself and I have come across many different methods in my career. That’s a topic for another day!

I hope this helps and as always, if you have any questions or comments then please let me know.

Happy Sewing,

Nicola

 

 

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Beginners Pattern Drafting Info, Pattern Cutting Techniques

Bodice Darts- How To Move Darts

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Princess Line Shaping On a Basic Bodice

It always amazes me that a designer can give a pattern cutter a sketch, for a fitted dress or top, in a woven fabric, and there are no darts at all illustrated on the sketch. It’s as though they imagine that a garment will fit the body in some magical way.

I realised along the way that nowadays most clothing is made in stretch or knit fabric, and this can eliminate the need for darts in some circumstances. This has resulted in many students not being aware of darts and their importance. But the fact remains that if you are designing garments in a woven fabric such as a cotton or denim, if you want the garment to fit the body, then there must be darts in some form or another. You don’t necessarily need to see them, but they must be there in some form.

This led me to create my darts booklet -which is available as a PDF instant download on Etsy. The booklet covers everything you need to know about darts!

In this post I am going to cover the method for creating a princess line shape on a basic bodice.

Step 1

The shaping above is a design choice, and can be adapted to your own design, as long as the princess line shaping goes through the bust point.

Close the  front shoulder dart to form the center front section, detach the side back panel too. You now have the sections you need.

If you don’t want a back shoulder blade dart in the center back panel, then please see my video

Removing the back shoulder blade dart for instructions on how to remove this correctly.

When you have finished your pattern you can then add seam allowance and test the pattern as a ‘toile’

Hope this helps and again if you have any questions I am always happy to answer – please subscribe to see more pattern cutting tutorials.

Nicola x

 

 

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General Info, Pattern Cutting Techniques, Sewing Techniques

Fabric Width Conversion Chart –

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Have you ever picked up a pattern and noted the amount of fabric you need for a particular width, only to find that the fabric you love is a different width. There is nothing worse than buying too little fabric for the design you want to make.

Below is a handy conversion chart that will give you some idea of the fabric you require in different widths. print a copy and keep it in your bag!

Hope this helps!

Happy Sewing,

Nicola x

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Sewing Techniques

How To Apply Bias Binding To A Seam Edge

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The example below shows how bias binding tape is applied to a facing edge, see our previous post to see how you can make your own bias binding tape and download our free binding template pattern here!

Bias Binding Template

Firstly fold the bias binding short edge back on itself as shown, so that the wrong sides are together. If this is not done then there would be a raw fabric edge showing when the binding is turned over and sewn to the right side of the fabric.

With the right side of the binding placed to the wrong side of the fabric ,pin the edge of the binding, to the edge of the hem you are binding.

Ease the binding when going around curved edges, do not pull it, this is a gentle process. Easing the binding as opposed to stretching it, allows the binding to travel around curved edges easily.

Once pinned, stitch the binding in place, using the lower crease in the binding as a guide. When you return back the beginning (the folded over piece) overlap by around 1. 5 cm (half an inch) and trim off any excess.

Turn the binding over onto the right side of the fabric. Tuck the top fold down to meet the center line crease, and pin flat to the fabric.

Pattern pieces with bound edges do not need seam allowance adding. This is because the binding sits on the edge of the hem line. therefore if you decide to apply binding to an edge, for example a neckline, that already has seam allowance, then the seam allowance will need to be trimmed away.

Now you have this new skill – there are so many things you can do with bias binding tape –

  • Use binding as an edge in place of a facing on armholes and necklines
  • Use binding to neaten and finish internal seams
  • Use as a design detail
  • Ideal as a hem
  • Fold in half and use as a tie
  • Use as a casing to insert piping cord and insert between seams…

Happy Sewing!

P.S. This binding technique is the same type of sewing technique used to apply waistbands and collars etc.

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Sewing Techniques

Make & Sew Your Own Bias Binding Tape

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Bias Binding Template

Click the link above to download your free PDF download of a bias binding template pattern!

Making bias binding can take a lot of fabric, therefore it is more economical to cut pieces that can be joined to form one long strip.

Joining the bias strips –

Trim the fabric strips that need to be joined as shown below. Use the binding template to make sure the joining lines are correctly cut.

Place the sections to be joined as shown, taking approximately half a centimetre or a 1/4 inch seam
allowance. The amount of seam allowance you take is not crucial, as long as the amount taken is even and the strips form a continuous line at the top and bottom when joined.

Now trim as shown and press the seam open.

Press the strip in half to form a gentle crease line.

Press each edge almost into the center crease, leave a tiny gap, watch your fingers with the iron.

If you are anything like me you will love making this gorgeous trim, particularly if you don’t have an overlocker
(serger). Please see my post – Applying Bias Binding for sewing instructions.

Happy Sewing!

 

 

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General Info

The Story Of How Our Pattern Blocks Are Created.

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All my blocks are created either from scratch, or they are blocks that I have developed throughout my career, they are all tried and tested.

We use the most up to date size charts that we can and all our latest blocks have centimetres and inches with both UK and USA sizing and the EU equivalents too!

I revisit my tried and tested blocks constantly to review the sizing, ladies waists have become larger, so that’s a measurement we always keep our eye on.

We start with a set of basic measurements and a sheet of pattern paper, from there our years of practice allow us to draft the block in a size 12 or sometimes a size 14 to begin with.

 

Once I am satisfied with the draft, I then make a sample and fit this to my concept stand, made by Kennett & Lindsell. I bought this stand because of its measurements, they are almost identical to the latest data for size 14 (UK) measurements, within a couple of millimetres. It was only after I bought the stand from Saville Row in London that they told me it had only been used once to make a dress for Byonce. She obviously has a perfect figure, nice and shapely. The deficiencies of modern dress stands are a subject for another day!

I then fit and perfect the block on the dress stand and make any amendments necessary, this is commonly referred to as ‘toiling’ in the fashion industry.

We Have One Size – How do we then make the full range of sizes we supply –

 

Once we are satisfied with the ‘base size’ we can then ‘grade’ the block. Grading is the term used to create a range of sizes from a base size; in this case our base size is a size 12. (In the case of our outsize blocks our base size will be larger).

Pattern grading uses a set of mathematical formulas to grow a pattern piece by a specific amount and small movements in a positive of negative X or Y direction are made. This is how the various sizes of a pattern or design are developed. Every company has its own set of grade rules, and these are usually guarded closely as a trade secret because they take a lot of time and effort to develop. Once a company has an established set of grade rules, they tend to keep top secret. There are many variations of grading that exist in the industry. On your pattern block size guide you will see that I have indicated the total grading increment. This is the amount your block increases or decreases per size. For example there is usually a 5 cm difference between a size 12 and a size 14 bust. The same difference applies to the waist and hips. Some companies use a 4 cm difference.

Each small increase or decrease of the pattern is carried out in millimetres.

Hopefully this has given you an idea of the time, skill and effort that has gone into creating these blocks for you. If you have one of my blocks then hopefully I have saved you a great deal of time and stress!

If you have any question, comments or ideas please email me at onitnotinit@mail.com

Please see our shops page within the blog for places you can purchase our blocks, we have over 100 different blocks sets. Ranges include Ladies Blocks, Plus Sized Block, Baby, Child and Teen Blocks, and Menswear Blocks.

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Beginners Pattern Drafting Info

What Equipment Do I Need To Begin Pattern Cutting?

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There are 2 ways of answering this question, one is to list absolutely everything that you could possibly need to buy to begin your journey as a pattern cutter. The other way is to list the absolute essentials you could begin with now. When you first start a new hobby it can be motivational to buy all new equipment, but what happens if you don’t like it or you don’t want to spend too much all at once? Below I will give you both scenarios and you can take it from there!

The items highlighted are the ones I feel you could get away with if you want to give pattern making a try but don’t want to break the bank.

The Dream List

  • Good quality pattern cutting paper – spot and cross or plain tracing or both
  • Manila drafting paper – to draft basic block on- slightly heavier than the paper.
  • Some heavy card or plastic sheeting to make copies of your basic blocks
  • A set square to help make right angles and mark angles
  • A clear ruler to add seam allowance and measure small sections
  • A pattern master – a special ruler for marking seam allowance and drawing pattern lines
  • A flexi curve – to allow you to copy curves and transfer them to other pattern areas
  • French curves to help draw curves such as armholes and necklines
  • A good pair of paper scissors
  • A 3H pencil 
  • An eraser as you WILL make mistakes
  • Some colour pencils or marking pens to highlight special areas
  • A tape measure – not a fabric one
  • Sellotape or masking tape or both
  • Some dressmaking pins
  • A meter rule for marking long lines
  • A tracing wheel – there are many types – to trace patterns
  • A cutting board to place under your patterns when tracing
  • Push Pins to secure patterns to the cutting board
  • Pattern weights to hold patterns down
  • Letter template – to apply annotations to your patterns
  • A pattern notcher – to cut out a notch in your paper pattern
  • Pattern Drill or Awl – for making small drill holes to mark dart ends etc
  • Pattern Punch – to make holes in the pattern so they can be hung
  • Pattern Hooks – to hang your patterns from
  • A notebook for recording what you have done and any changes required
  • A dress stand – to apply your patterns to to see how they fit together
  • A set of basic blocks ( we supply these) if you don’t want to draft your own blocks to start with.
  • Quarter or half scale blocks to practice with, so you can save paper!

Subscribers can gain access to my free scaled blocks to use for practice – head over to the subscribers and enter the password you were sent when you subscribed!

Phew! I think that’s it. If you can think of anything else then please let me know. I must say that as a professional pattern cutter I use most of the above at some point in the pattern making process, but not all the time.

There are many fancy pattern masters and pattern cutting rulers out there. My favorite tool is a clear set square, but you can get away with a regular clear perspex ruler.

Join me on YouTube and follow my series on moving darts, it’s a great place to start!

www.youtube.com/modelistecreative

Happy Pattern Cutting!

Nicola x

 

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Beginners Pattern Drafting Info, Pattern Cutting Techniques

Removing a back shoulder dart from a bodice block

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Today most styles and designs don’t require a back shoulder dart, it’s considered a little old fashioned, however designers and pattern makers still want a good fit. The video below shows the various methods for removing a back shoulder dart, the advantages and disadvantages of each method are presented. Finally I show you my favourite method for doing this. As a pattern cutter, if you remove a dart, you should always be able to account for where it went, as it can’t just simply disappear! If you subscribe to me on YouTube you will be sure to receive all my video releases.

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General Info

Welcome To My Blog!

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<a href=”https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19338753/?claim=echdagrhssg”>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

 

Welcome to my blog.

Join me on my journey as I revisit my fashion education.

My blog will document all my fashion learning over the years as I progressed from knowing very little to having a Masters Degree MSC in Clothing Advanced Manufacture (with distinction) and a career as a senior fashion lecturer.

I have un-boxed all my old pattern cutting and sewing notes from the London College of Fashion and plan to document all my previous and current learning here in this blog.

It should be informative!

Nicola x

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