Beginners Pattern Drafting Info

My Latest Video – Part 1 is now available!

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Subscribe to be automatically notified when part 2 – 6 are released!

It’s hard work finding the time to make videos!

Finally I have a series of videos all related to moving the darts around the bodice block. I am always surprised when I have a message from a customer that tells me that the position of the dart, on the block they have just purchased from me, is not quite in the right position for them. I then show them how to move a dart, and a whole world opens up!

Its very unlikely that a designer would want to keep the bodice darts in the same position they are on the basic block, for every style they produce. This useful series of videos will show you the many options you have for dart positions. In part 1 we look at moving the waist dart into the shoulder.

Part 1 – find all your handouts for this mini course in the subscribers only area!

There are 6 parts to this first series which covers the slashing method of dart manipulation and you can download all your class materials in the members only area. You will need to subscribe to gain access to this area, once you are subscribed – check your spam folder if you cant find the e-mail – you will be sent the secret members password – please let me know if you need any help with this.

Click to watch and don’t forget to get your class materials and free half scale blocks and templates! Please give me a thumbs up and a comment!
click to watch
Half scale size 12 Modeliste Creative Blocks – for my full scale range see below for a link to my Etsy Shop
Click here to see my Modeliste Creative colour bodice block / sloper in my Etsy Shop

Thanks for watching and if you have any questions at all then, as always, please get in touch!

Nicola X

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Current Projects

Seam Allowance – How much should I add?

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SEAM ALLOWANCE

Seam allowance must only be added to a pattern at the very final stage, once the pattern is complete and has been checked thoroughly and measured to make sure all seams match back and front and all parts match. If you add seam allowance before you are completely finished it will confuse things!

Other factors which effect the decision regarding the amount of seam allowance to be added to a pattern section are –

  • The type of fabric the garment is to be made in,
  • How much the fabric will fray and the general stability of the fabric,
  • The type of seam the designer intends the seam line to have, for example a French seam as apposed to a plain seam.

As a general rule confined or very curved areas, for example necklines and armholes and some very intricate style lines will need less seam allowance added than very long or fairly straight seams such as skirt hems, side seams, shoulder seams center back seams, inside and outside leg seams etc.

If an area is to be bagged out then less seam allowance is needed to reduce any bulk inside the bagged out section.

Facings may be classed as a bagged out area and should always be considered when deciding how to neaten an edge.

* Industry practice is to keep seam allowance to a minimum and rarely does a seam allowance go over 1 cm, however those making garments at home or for a couture market may allow additional seam allowance to enable more flexibility to alter the garments fit. An example of this can be sometimes viewed at the back waist of a trouser where a generous wedge of seam allowance is left to allow the garment to be altered in the future.

Happy Pattern Making!

Nicola x

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Beginners Pattern Drafting Info, Pattern Cutting Techniques

Fitting Lines & Button Stands

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Understanding Fitting Lines

Firstly – what is a fitting line? A fitting line is anywhere where a pattern closes, with a closure, for example a zip, or a button stand. It is very important to maintain the fit of the garment, when adding a zip or button stand or any other type of closure. For example the center front of the pattern must still close to the opposite center front line. Fitting lines can be anywhere on a garment, the most common place is center front or center back and sleeve cuff openings, but they can be placed anywhere at all on a garment.

A common mistake that pattern cutters and sewers make in that they apply a zip or button stand and don’t take note of the exact fitting line.

Let’s look at an example:

An open ended zip inserted into the center front skirt –

The skirt must end up being the same width it is when placed as shown below with the CF to the CF after the zip or button stand has been added.

If the finished zip width, for example 0.5 cm (3/16″), is not subtracted from the pattern at the center front, then the skirt will be that width bigger and will not fit perfectly.

It may seem obvious, but it’s a mistake I have seen many times.

Let’s look at a shirt example…

A shirt may have a button stand added to the center front to close the garment. When a pattern cutter adds a button stand, it is important that the center front of the garment still meets, so center front still needs to close to center front.

Button stands need a little planning and thought. The button ideally will need to be measured before the button stand is planned. Also a decision as to which way the button holes will be placed on the button stand needs to be made, that is will they be vertical or horizontal. Horizontal button holes are stronger, however the design of the garment may call for vertical button holes for example plackets have vertical button holes.

Buttons are also required at stress points, so for example over the bust, it’s quite common to see a blouse where the front gapes on the wearer, this is due to poor planning of button locations, or the blouse is too small! Buttons are also placed at the waistline of a garment.

Buttons should always be placed a buttons width down from the neckline of a garment to begin with.

Buttons will always sit in the last 3 millimetres (1/8th of an inch) of a button hole.

To calculate the size of the button hole required for a particular button

Measure the button and add 3 mm (1/8th inch) for a button of normal depth. Increase this for thicker buttons. Always make a test button hole on a scrap of fabric to test the size first before sewing the button holes on the garment.

Wrapping Directions

Ladies garments have the buttons on the left side and the button holes on the right side. Men have the opposite.

Ladies wrap RIGHT over LEFT.

It can be a little confusing with jeans as some brands have ladies zips wrapping in the wrong direction, this is because they have their production set up to make both men’s and ladies jeans and they don’t change their machinery.

Let’s look at a button stand close up…

Important points:

  • The first button hole is a buttons width down from the neck
  • The button stand is the same width as the button used
  • Button Holes are planned 3 mm over the center front as the button will sit in the last 3 mm
  • Buttons are sewn directly to the center front
  • Button stands require fusible interfacing for strength

Place a cross where the button sits ( in the last 3 mm of the button hole) The button hole is marked as a line with a bar at each end. The button placement cross’s are marked directly on the center front line.

As you can see the right and left side of the pattern are exactly the same. The only difference is the placement of the markings for button holes on the right hand side and the placement of the cross marks for the button placement on the left hand side of the pattern.

I could write a book on this topic, but I have to stop somewhere, I hope this little bit of clarification helps. I will be adding more information on this topic in the form of different methods for buttons stands and plackets and how to construct the patterns.

Happy Pattern Making!

Nicola

 

 

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Beginners Pattern Drafting Info, Free Downloads

How Much Seam Allowance Should I Add To My Patterns?

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Seam Allowance Guide

Its sometimes difficult to know exactly how much seam allowance to pop on our patterns, there are ‘rules’  that apply to this area of pattern cutting, or rather guidelines that you should follow.

Here is some information that I hope will help guide you in making those decisions.

As a general rule, confined or extremely curved areas such as neck line, armhole, and some intricate style seams, will require less seam allowance than straight long seams.

Double or bagged out areas will also require less seam allowance to reduce bulk.

Where a neat inside edge is required, facings are the ideal solution – but we will look at these in some detail in another post.

Some examples of straight long seams in a garment would be:

  • A straight skirt hem
  • A side seam
  • A center back or center front seam

Other factors which can influence the amount of seam allowance (SA) you need:

  • Type of fabric – for example a very bulky fabric will require less seam allowance. If the pattern you are using has more seam allowance than you need, you can always trim down the SA after sewing.
  • How much a fabric frays – Voile and sheer fabric can fray badly so will need more seam allowance or a french seam, which again needs more SA.
  • The stability of the fabric – unstable fabrics that shift around a great deal such as chiffon require more seam allowance,
  • Type of seam, firstly in relation to its function, for example does it need to be strong, as in work-wear or jeans. Secondly decoration is also a factor, for example a sheer fabric that is transparent may require a decorative seam such as a French seam and this affects the seam allowance.

When I say ‘more seam allowance’ this could simply mean adding 1.5 cm SA instead of 1 cm SA.

If you are new to sewing and need some practice, here are the links to 3 beginners PDF tutorials on Etsy, the first covers sewing for accuracy and had lots of sewing templates for you to download.

The second covers the very important skills of sewing corners and curves and along with detailed guidance also give the templates you need to create the practice samples.

There is also a third project in this series that covers seam types and also gives you the templates to practice with.

Click on the highlighted links to find these projects.

The method of construction also influences the amount of seam allowance you should add. For example if you are using a serger or overlocker, then you only need the width of the overlocker bite (width of the stitch). This would be the case with knit fabrics.

Below is a table to give you some guidance for woven fabrics:

Seam Allowance Guide

Click this link to download the handy PDF file for Seam Allowance Chart download .

Please note- When producing garments for an industrial setting, small seam allowances are acceptable. Professional machinists are accustomed to sewing with 1 cm seam allowance. However the home sewer requires more seam allowance to produce a garment of high quality.

Some home sewing patterns allow less than 1 cm seam allowance and this makes it very difficult for a home sewer with a domestic machine, the width of the foot and the design of a domestic machine is not ideal for very small seam allowances. It is much better to allow more seam allowance and trim down the excess after sewing the seam.

I hope this helps and if you have any questions or comments then please get in touch.

Happy Pattern Making & Sewing

Nicola x

 

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