Beginners Pattern Drafting Info

Making The Most of Your Bodice Block

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Moving Your Bodice Darts – Example 1

This is the first in a series of posts that will demonstrate the method of moving darts around the bodice block to different locations. This post is aimed at beginners.

Moving both darts to the waistline is very easy. Lets look at the slashing method.

  1. Trace the bodice block marking in all the darts, the bust point and all other block markings such as notches.
  2. If your darts are not connected at the bust point then connect them before you begin, all changes to bust dart locations must happen through the bust point (BP)
  3. Slash up the center of the bust waist dart, right up to the bust point.
  4. Fold in the shoulder bust dart and watch the waist bust dart open up to become a larger dart. Now the 2 darts are combined at the waist.
  5. Trace around the new shape, marking in the new dart. Take the apex of the dart (point of the dart) back by 1.5 cm for sewing. If you sew a dart right up to the bust point it will look very pointy!
  6. To complete the pattern shape, fold in the dart and cut the pattern with the dart folded in as it would be sewn to get the right shape at the dart mouth.

If you want to know more about darts, this detailed workbook will give you everything you need to know!

If you don’t already have my basic bodice block you can find it here:

Modeliste Creative – basic bodice  

Or if you would like a larger size range  we also have a couple of other bodice block options we recommend.

The regular Design Cut & Wear Bodice block, or the Bodice Block with the shoulder dart removed, or the Japanese Style Bunka Bodice Block

Or maybe the plus size bodice block. They are all suitable for this technique.

Hope this helps and I will be back soon with another technique.

Happy Pattern Making.

Nicola x

 

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Beginners Pattern Drafting Info, Pattern Cutting Techniques

Good Working Practice – For a Pattern Cutter.

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Developing good working practice and good habits saves time.

As a professional pattern cutter, you soon learn that if you don’t have a good working practice, it costs you time, and time is something you rarely have in the fashion industry. If you are a self employed designer/pattern cutter, it also costs you money!

I worked with a wonderful Japanese designer many years ago in Copenhagen. He could only speak Japanese and unfortunately I could only speak a few words to him but he left a lasting impression on me. The reason I still remember him so well over 26 years later is because his working methods and his patterns were faultless and I do mean faultless. In fact it became a daily ritual that we would check his patterns, and see if we could spot any mistake he had made, and we never could, ever, not even once!

He also produced all his designs with the wooden end of a paintbrush, not the brush end, and they were beautiful!

Back to the topic in hand!

This is  broadly the way he worked –

He always used a 4H pencil.

He also only used a set square, no fancy pattern rulers, just a set square and a meter rule.

Pattern Labelling…

When pattern sections are traced from a draft pattern all information needs to be transferred too.

For example:

  • All pattern markings, sewing notches and balance notches. I wonder if you are thinking ” I know what sewing notches are (notches to help you match pieces when you sew) but what are balance notches. Balance notches on a pattern are there to help you ‘balance’ the pattern. For example a notch at center front and also at center back, lets you know that the garment is sitting correctly on the stand when you assess the fit of the pattern.
  • Fold lines or indications where a pattern is to be mirrored – please take note that ‘cut on fold’ is not a practice adopted in the industry. Pattern sections are mirrored and cut flat and open as a whole piece.
  • Grain lines, size of pattern, name of pattern piece, style number if required, the number of pieces to be cut and in which fabric, for example main fabric, lining, fusing, a note of the quantity of seam allowance added to the pattern, indicate the CF (center front) and CB (center back), name of cutter, small sketch or technical sketch of the garment, button and button hole positions, pocket positions, and any other important design or construction detail, for example areas you need to gather and how much to gather back to.
  • There are also a range of pattern symbols you need to know

Buttons and button holes

A solid line with a dash at each end is used to mark a button hole position

Large X’s mark button positions (I intend to do a blog post on button stands very soon and there will be a lot of information on button hole and button placement in the post)

Drill Holes – are sometimes indicated by a + but can also be marked as a circle, they can be filled or empty.

Drill holes are used in industry to indicate pocket placement positions and also indicate where to taper the dart, they are placed a set distance from the end of the dart i.e. the dart apex  (1.5 cm is a good distance).

In an industrial setting drill holes are an actual hole, a small one, but still a hole, a home sewer will mark the point with a fabric pen or a pin.

 

A place on fold or cut on fold symbol is indicated as illustrated below –

Grain lines are placed on pattern pieces to indicate the way a pattern piece should be placed on the fabric. Strictly speaking blocks should not have grain lines placed on them, if they do then the line should not have arrows on the ends.

The arrows on a grain line have meaning. An arrow indicates which direction the pattern piece should be placed on the fabric in relation to the ‘selvedge’ i.e. the finished edge of the fabric.

Knit pattern piece should be labelled with a grain line with an arrow on one end only as knit garment sections should be cut all facing one way. This is also the case with fabrics that have a nap, for example velvet. If velvet is cut with pattern sections facing different ways then the garment will look as though it has been made from different colour fabrics for each panel, as the light hits the pieces in different ways.

Grain lines can also be placed at 45 degrees and this indicates the pattern pieces should be cut on the bias grain.

DOGS

Stretch pattern pieces may need to be labelled with an instruction to cut the pattern piece in the direction of greatest stretch, particularly important with all in one garments and swim suits. This again is a topic in itself and a particular area of interest for me and I will be covering this in detail soon.

You may also need to use the following abbreviations, particularly for A-symmetrical pattern pieces.

RSU – Right Side Up

This is an instruction to cut the pattern piece with the right side up, so the cutter knows not to flip the pattern piece in an attempt to save fabric.

The opposite of RSU is RSD – Right Side Down.

Good Working Practice…

  • Use the edge of your tape measure when measuring curves
  • Sketchy lines are not acceptable in pattern drafting, use at least a 2H sharp pencil
  • Notches are very important, particularly on long or curved seams. Notches should always be marked at 90 degrees to the seam line.
  • Grain lines are marked parallel to center front and center back. A sleeve has the grain line marked down the center, a trouser has the grain line marked down the crease line (center line).
  • When you draft a pattern on a piece of pattern paper, never cut it up. Trace the pattern sections off the main draft. Do not add seam allowance until the very end of the process!
  • Check the draft pattern for the following –
  • Seam lines and lengths match
  • Grain lines have been placed on all pattern pieces.
  • Facing patterns are best cut from a final pattern
  • Check all notches match – particularly sleeve and armhole notches
  • Fitting lines such as button stands and button and button hole placement are accurate.
  • Seams meet at the correct angles – these should be 90 degrees if you want a straight line.

  • Gathers, tucks etc are clearly marked, with measurements indicated.
  • Directions in which to fold pleats are clearly marked.

I think that’s it!! There may be things I have missed, please let me know if you can think of anything at all.

I could go on forever explain all the associated information that goes with certain topics, such as notches, as there is a lot to cover there, in time I will cover these topic so please subscribe to keep up to date.

You may also find my Pattern Language Post – interesting. This covers abbreviations you may come across when using patterns.

Happy Pattern Making!

Nicola x

 

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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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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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