Pattern Help – Making a pattern for fitted low back blouse –

I often get asked for pattern help and every now and again I post the help on my blog, my customer has recently purchased the contour fitted dress blocks to help her make these lovely saree blouses. This block is available as a PDF download as well as a printed pattern sheet.

Here is her question and I will answer it below…..I have just bought the contour fitted dress blocks as have been asked to make saree blouses (see pics) which normally are very fitted and very low backs. I just have a query re: do I just take the waist dart out completely and if there is gaping (after the neck is cut in back) to remove this to the waist or?? also, I assume the back neck dart is simply removed as part of the design. thanks.

Lets take a look at what to do with the darts for this style first.

The first step for this style is to plan the style lines, as illustrated in purple above, don’t plan the neckline yet, as we need to close out the darts first.

Trace the side panel first and close out the dart, then trace the center front panel and close the shoulder darts and the neckline dart so that all the shaping goes into the princess line seam. Trace the final pattern pieces. Plan the neckline on the center front panel after the darts have been closed out.

The back

Trace the 2 back sections and combine so that you close out the dart, keep the center back straight as this is your grain reference.

Plan a small dart at the back neckline as shown above.

Fold out the small wedge so that you take a little of the extra ease that is in the block, this will stop the back neckline gaping. Trace the final shape.

I hope this helps!

Happy Pattern Cutting!

Nicola

Bodice Darts- How To Move Darts

February 25, 2018 No Comments

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