Sewing a Super Cute Baby Onesie – Body Suit

Here is part 2 of my baby body suit video series – made to support the baby onesie basic block sheet. The video is also useful for those who want to know how to sew a baby body suit – or in fact an adult one. The techniques demonstrated in this video are perfect for all jersey projects. And I get to use my new popper machine!

The popper machine I use in the video can be found at:

https://amzn.to/2TbhACC

You can find the baby onesie block sheet in my etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/758583054/baby-body-block-sloper-height-53-cm-to?ref=shop_home_active_10&frs=1

Plus lots more baby blocks and more coming soon!

Nicola x

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The Baby Body Block – or Onesie – How to draft a pattern from this basic block

One of my latest blocks sheet is the baby body block – in this video I show you how to create a pattern for a baby onesie. In part 2 of this video series I will cover how to sew the pattern together.

If you get a moment please like the video and place a quick comment – it really helps.

If you would like to take a close look at the block sheet then you can find in in my Etsy shop: https://etsy.me/2ORGqGq

Don’t forget to give me a like, and a comment – I love to hear from you!

See you soon for part 2 when we will sew the onesie together.

Lots more basic blocks and slopers in the pipeline!

Nicola x

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Baby Blocks (Slopers) – Designing for babies 0 to 2 years.

New Range of Baby Blocks 0 to 2 Years

They have been a long long time in the making, but they are finally ready to launch!

It’s taken a lot longer than I expected to create my new range of baby blocks in my Modeliste Creative range (This is my colour range with high street sizing). The sizing and drafting took a very long time to develop. However the fit trials took forever!

Normally my process is to draft my first block, try it out in the range of sizes and adapt the fit. I have a reliable and very valuable group of very experienced ladies, and men, that are always happy to help.

The wearer trials for my baby range from new born to 24 months proved very difficult to fit. I don’t have many babies in my life now, and it took a long time to find the babies I needed. Also babies grow very quickly so that was another issue. By the time that their busy mums got around to trying the garments on, the babies were no longer in the size bracket I needed! I had to start again so many times. I like to try each and every size I produce and this is even more important with baby blocks. I need to see the block on the wearer and make fit adjustments. Also babies can’t tell you if they are comfortable or not.

How fast they grow!

So far I have finalised the baby body block. This block is perfect for developing baby body patterns. It comes with a sleeve too.

Body Pattern Sheet
Adapt into a range of styles.

The baby stretch / knit bodice was another block I was keen to develop. It has been designed for use with soft jersey fabric.

This comes as 2 A0 Sheets!

I decided to place each bodice block as a separate pattern piece. The grading between each size is as little as 1 millimeter in some areas, less than the thickness of a line, so for accuracy, this was the best way. I have also provided the graded nest as I think that’s important to see. The sleeves are also separate pieces. This set comes as 2 A0 sheets all printed in colour. This increases the price, but I think it’s definitely worth it.

I have also created a baby nappy (diaper) cover block – I have had such fun creating patterns from this block. It can be used for jersey styles in its basic form. It can also be used as a base to add fullness and create some intricate nappy covers.

Use as a base for so many styles!

In the pipeline I have a woven romper block, a woven bodice block for dress development, a coat block – the list goes on!

All blocks will be available in my Etsy shop and on my web site.

Nicola x

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Baby & Toddler Size Charts 0 to 24 Months

My New Guide to Baby & Toddler Sizing – For Small Business.

How can you get your new children’s wear business off to the best start?

Every clothing company should have a detailed set of measurement and sizing guidance. The truth is that many don’t!!!

As a freelance pattern cutter and grader, children’s wear became a daily task for me, even though I much prefer ladies and menswear. Many of the companies I dealt with did not have their own size chart. This was always a worry for me. If a company doesn’t have their sizing clear in their own minds, how will the customer ever know what size to choose? How will that company also keep their sizing consistent as they move from pattern cutter to pattern cutter and grader to grader? The answer is that they wont!

There are huge sales potentials withing babies wear, and customer loyalty is key. Your customer must trust your sizing, but the questions is – Do you trust your own sizing?

My Guide to Baby & Toddler Sizing was produced to supply the small children’s wear designer or pattern cutter with the information they need to run a successful business.

The guide also goes hand in hand with my children’s wear basic blocks – coming very very soon to my shop – including romper blocks!

I have carefully collated all my sizing knowledge in this PDF guide. The size charts supplied in the guide have 26 individual measurements! You can simply use my size charts or use them as a reference point to create your own. I also cover suggested size bands for your clothing range.

A list of the contents of the guide below give you a summary of the topics I have covered.

Measurement locations
How to measure a baby
The measurement process
Detailed size chart with 26 individual measurements
Understanding baby growth rate – illustrations
Body measurement location guide – illustrations
Suggested size bands for your company
Design guidelines – for the designer
Pattern cutting guidelines – abdomen adjustments
& nappy / diaper adjustments – for the pattern cutter

I also cover how to adapt for a nappy / diaper!

The above information has taken me a career to collate and verify, however my company policy is to provide young designers and pattern cutters with the tools they need to enhance their business, so feel free to use these size charts as a basis for your own sizing, all I ask is that my customers do not pass it along to others as the content is protected by copyright.

My guide is available in my Etsy Shop and on my main web site:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/ModelisteCreative/listing/714489364/baby-toddler-measurement-charts-and-size?utm_source=Copy&utm_medium=ListingManager&utm_campaign=Share&utm_term=so.lmsm&share_time=1565681582969

Any questions at all then please ask – I also have more information on my blog page about ease in children’s wear so please take a look at that.

I would love to hear your comments and questions.

Nicola x

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Ease In Childrens’ Blocks and Patterns – How Much?

How much ease should I have in my childrens wear blocks?

This is a question that can throw up many answers and the answers can be vastly different, it all depends on where you look.

I spent a proportion of my career as a freelance grader, grading child patterns, I must admit it’s not my favourite area of pattern cutting, however it is an interesting one.

I am going to look at this topic as a grader and pattern block drafter and not as a designer, so I will only be focusing on functional ease, others refer to this as ‘wearing’ ease. This is the ease incorporated into the basic block, in order for the child to breath, move, bend, and play! It’s the extra above the body measurement according the size chart you used.

I was taught as a student that the elderly and the young need more ease. That’s quite a broad statement and having done a trawl of the literature out there, it appears that there are no set guidelines. Not unusual in the fashion & clothing industry.

The most predominant view out there, is to use the same quantity of ease as an adults block. I would like to look a little closer at what that means. It means that if you are using a block with the equivalent ease of an adults block, for a child block, then the % ease in the child block would be very high. However manufacturers love lots of ease in children’s patterns, as the looser they are the more children then fit and the more sales they make – in theory!

The most commonly used book for beginners drafting for children blocks is Winifred Aldrich’s book, its well set out and the instructions are clear, however she does allow quite a lot of ease in her blocks, I don’t have her book but I believe its about 12 cm in her younger child blocks.

My own blocks have less, about half that at the waist, as I use a dart to control the ease and I use a varying 9 cm at the chest, for my age 2 – 8 sets.

I like to always calculate and show the ease I have added to my blocks, on each pattern sheet.

You can see above that when I compare my own blocks to the latest sizing survey available that I have a stable amount of ease at the waist for the younger sizes and an increased amount after age 4. The dart in my blocks should be used after age 4 to reduce the waist measurement and it’s also then possible to increase the dart intake at the waist and reduce the ease in that way, if you need to.

I tend to ignore the dart in the younger sizes myself, but it can always be used if you need it.

The predominant area of growth for a young child is also height, so the grade for height is also quite large in children’s blocks. An average increase per size would be 6 cm up to age 8.

I have been asked by one of my customers how she can reduce the quantity of ease in a child block. To do this properly you need to understand how blocks are graded and also how much certain areas grow as the age increases.

Lets look at some grading increments –

In fact what are grading increments? – They are the quantity a body and therefore a block increases or decreases between sizes (according to a size chart). In the case of childrens wear, this means between ages.

The grade and therefore the size difference between each age for a shoulder is between 3 to 5 mm. This is quite a large grade compared to an adult lady where the grade can be 2 or 3 mm. I tend to grade at the lower end of this. But this does show you that any small changes you make at the shoulder do affect the size as there is only a small difference between each size here.

A neckline for example would be graded, that is increases or decreased, by around   7 to 10 mm per size step, between the ages of 2 to 9. At the waist the grade can vary from 10 mm to 20 mm, where as at the abdomen and the hips and chest it’s 20 mm so you can see that grading for a child blocks is quite complex. This may explain the amount of ease added into many blocks as it also allows for the huge difference in sizes from one 4 year old to another 4 year old.

Younger children still have an abdominal protrusion ‘ a little tummy’ that they begin to loose after 9 or so. Children are classed as the same in terms of pattern drafting up to the age of 8 or 9. After age 9 boys and girls begin to ‘grow’ differently and their blocks are no longer unisex, they then need separate blocks drafting for boys and girls.

I have separated my blocks set as follows:

Age Birth to 18 months / 2 years

Age 2 to 8/9

Age 9 to 15 ( this is my teen range)

I have woven blocks in all these ranges and stretch blocks in most. You can find them all in my shops.

If I wanted to reduce the quantity of ease in a block I would do this in very small quantities around the block, no more than 2 – 3 mm in each area.

The above plan could also be used to increase the quantity of ease in the block, so instead of taking out quantities at these areas you slash and open out the required amount, but then you are really adding design ease and this can be done as part of your pattern drafting.

It’s important to remember that blocks are only a starting point, particularly with children’s wear.

A size or age is only a label attached to the block. If you are starting a small design business the key is to do your market research, buy children’s clothes in the main high street retailers, measure them and see how they relate to the size charts supplied by that retailer. Collect as many size charts as you can and compare then and then develop your own size chart for your company. Stick to that size chart for all your patterns. Your customers will be confident that your clothing range is consistent and the size they select will fit their child.

I was lucky enough to be able to scan lots of children of all ages in a body scanner as part of a research project I took part in, I can confidently say that all children are different, an age 3 child can be vastly different in their measurements from the next age 3 child, and this goes some way to explaining the ‘extra’ ease allowed in children’s blocks.

I would welcome any comments and discussion on this topic.

As a pattern cutter and grader, I draft all my own blocks using my own methods, if you read my post on drafting a skirt block to your own measurements, you will see that the ease you add to a block is really a matter that’s up for discussion, you can decide what is right for you and your customer.

I would suggest starting with adding a moderate quantity of ease to blocks, for example between 7 – 10mm at the major girth measurements and then adding or subtracting from this in small quantities around the block. It’s tempting to take a huge wedge out of the middle of the block but this would unbalance the block and result in fit problems.

Happy drafting and pattern making,

Nicola

 

 

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