Sunday 24 February 2013

I Think I Finally Understand Kimono Sleeves

They have been a bit of a puzzle to me insofar as getting a really close fit (like Gertie's wiggle dress). What confused me was the kimono block in Metric Pattern Cutting for Womenswear - see how low that curve (black line) is at the underarm? It starts at most a few inches above the waistline. That is definitely not the silhouette I have seen elsewhere!




But look a couple of pages later, at the styles with panel gussets. They fit more as I want, more like a regular dress. I saw in Natalie Bray's book (I think it was More Dress Pattern Designing from the library) a design that had a large gusset that was cut from the bodice pattern and arranged so that it had enough fabric to function ss a gusset, like the designs below where I have drawn in blue (water disolving pen).




And yesterday morning I thought, what if the segments were cut very narrow, maybe an eigth of an inch wide? (The blue lines on number 45 give a better illustration of what I mean.) That would give the same fit but with a much more traditional/discreet gusset. This way I can have a high-cut underarm for a kimono sleeve pattern. And there I was thinking that the instuctions on page 63 were the only way to get a comfortable fit! Thank goodness for the Internet, sewing bloggers and Google Images!

I've thought about it again, and I wonder if Aldrich only considers is to be a true "kimono" sleeve if it has the curve at the underarm, and without it, she calls it a cap sleeve (even if it's long)?

Update: I thought I was forgeting something!

For a closer-fitting sleeve, I wonder if it would be alright to use the "close-fitting sleeve" adaption (number 5 on page 51).



I'm wondering about the bias-cut. I think Gertie's dress was cut from a stretch fabric so that wouldn't be an issue. But what about wovens? Vintage dresses were cut from wovens and they often had quite close-fitting kimono sleeves, if the pattern illustrations and fabric recommendations are anything to go by (and I hope they are!).

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Thursday 21 February 2013

My Sewing Pattern and Rulers

One of these drafts is my old (uncomfortable) one and the other is the one I made after adapting the method in Winifred Aldrich's Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear (5th Ed.). The one on top is the old one (it has an orange outline) and the one underneath is my new one with seam allowances.



It's quite bizarre how different they are, especially the back pattern. What happened there? The bust dart is the right size though (not standard; I had adapted that far).

Now for the sleeve:


There is a profound difference in the size. The old one is on top. I'm not sure if I used this pattern (it's likely though). No wonder my old sleeves were so uncomfortable. But still, you can see that the neither sleeves is  symmetrical, which is good. I agree with Kathleen on that matter.

The benefit to having such a full back sleeve (even if there may be no ease) is that the fabric acts as a sort of gusset that lets you bring your arms forward. With that and the correctly drawn armscye, I can stretch my arms right out in front of me. (Of course the bodice comes up a little, but I have had much worse sleeves on a jacket from a book called Make Your Own Clothes from PatternMaker software. That jacket never worked for me...)

On another note, I've been designing and drafting a new blouse and I have two options. Option one:


And option 2:


At first view, the designs might not look that different. They're not. The only differnce is the opening. The first option is a standard button-up. The second one has a "closing under a box pleat" with instructions similar to those in A Nu-way Course in Fashionable Clothes-making from (I think) 1926. It was on Vintage-sewing.info when it was up and I copied and pasted to and edited on Word (that took a very long time, but it was worth it). You can find it on Google's Wayback machine now.

I think I'll go with option 1 because I drafted it before I figured out how to draft option two, and it uses less fabric anyway.

On a third note, have you ever had something for ages and only then realised how incredibly useful? I have, and this is that thing:


The Pocket Shoben fashioncurve. (6" ruler in there for comparison of size). I got it for my 19th birthday in set when I got my full-size Shoben Fashion Curve. It should come in handy when I go to college in September. Anyway, is useful for smoothing out small curves (like a French curve is) and it's also great for adding seam allowances to small places. It's much more convenient than using my full-size fashion curve on something like a neck-line. This is the full set:


The rectangular thing is mainly for adding button placements to patterns. The corner thing is a scale ruler in 1/4 and 1/5 scales and is very good for that. Also included are 1/5 scales master patterns on card, but I didn't take a photograph of them.

That's all for today.

Toodloo! : )

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Tuesday 12 February 2013

"Redrafting my Sloper" or "Updating Aldrich"

For some reason when I tried on my old sloper (the one whose shoulders I found out needed squaring, after making my French Dart Dress and having the neckline gape) it didn't fit at all. That put me in a dreadful mood for the rest of the day. Today I drafted two new ones using a modified version of Aldrich's close fitting block. I drafted one to have 6cm bust ease but it ended up with none (or as good as)! It had been taken out in the shaping of the seams and darts. So I drafted new one with"10cm" ease. It fit much better so I checked the measurement along the bust line. There was only about 7.6cm ease (not what it said on the tin but fine with me and actually a "close fit"). What effect will this have on the lingerie block adaptions and the strapless bodice? The latter will have negative on the bust. That can't be right, can it?


To understand what on earth I am talking about in this post you will have to get your copy of Metric Pattern Cutting out and turn to pages 16 and 17.
Anyway, the adaptions I made to the method are these:


 

Centre Back Length:
0 -- 5: Full back length
5 --1 = centre back length ( gives much better fit at the back neck).







Back Shoulder Slope/Pitch/Squareness:
To get the shoulders the right amount of slope, use your ruler as a giant drafting compass from 5 to draft an arch for the shoulder pitch. To get the shoulder point do  similar thing from 9 using the shoulder length plus 1cm for a dart.

Armscye Depth:
0 -- 2 = Armscye Depth + 2cm (I used the standard measurement).

Centre Front Length:
For front length go down from 4 the full front length measurement and mark "x". Measure up from x the centre front length. This gives a more comfortable neckline. 20-27 = DART WIDTH. 20-26 is bust depth marked along the dotted line.

Front Shoulder Slope/Pitch/Squareness:
The shoulder is drawn much like the back shoulder was, but using 27 as the neck point. For the pitch, go up from x to the bust point and then use the bust point as the pivot point. Arch from 27 the shoulder length. Where the arches cross is the shoulder point. On my new sloper it is level with the back shoulder point even though my front pitch is 2cm longer than my back pitch.

Armscye:
Divide 29-22 in half and mark. Connect the point and 32 straight. Slide your square along this line until its arm hits 22. Connect straight, divide into 3 and mark the point nearest 22. Curve from 30 to half-point to third-point to 32.

Repeat for the back armscye except that you use the third-point further from 14. You will probably have to draw these curves by hand (i.e. without a french curve).

Waist-shaping:
12cm shaping is not going to work for everybody. The amount you need to take the waist in will of course depend on how small it is compared with your bust, i.e. 

(bust + ease of 10cm) - (waist + ease of 6cm)
(79+10cm)-(60+6cm) = 23cm, divided by 2 (for a half-a-person pattern) =11.5cm

Then divided that by 3 (=3.8). We'll call this w.

For the front waist dart you add 0.5cm to this. 3.8 + 0.5 = 4.3cm

For the front side shaping (i.e. how much you take the side seam in at the front) you divide w by 2 and add 0.5. 3.8 / 2 = 1.9cm, + 0.5 = 2.4cm

The back side-seam shaping is w/2 - 0.5cm: 3.8cm/2 -0.5cm = 0.9cm.

The back dart is ((w - 0.5cm)/3) x 2 : ((3.8cm-0.5cm)/3) x 2 = (3.3/3 = 1.1) x 2 = 2.2cm

The centre back waist shaping is (- 0.5cm)/3: 3.3/3 = 1.1cm


I think the CB shaping helps avoid swayback misdiagnosis. This is like a dart that is in a seam so you must still leave the original drawn CB line for when you add extend down to the hip line. Once you have tried this CB shaping I think you will be very pleased with the difference it makes to your dresses and tops.

(12th July 3013) UPDATE: 
The standard proportion of waist shaping show above doesn't work for everybody (me) because some people have more shaping at the back than at the front. Therefore a better, more personalised way is needed, and this is how I do it:

Subtract a quarter of the waist+ease measurement (Here 66 divided by 4 = 16.5cm) from the front bust-line meausurement (3--32 on the above drawing) and call this F. Divide F by three and call this f. The front dart is 2f (so you can just measure out f from the front waist dart line), and the front side waist shaping is f. That's the front waist done.

The back shaping is done like this:
Subtract a quarter of the waist+ease measurement (16.5cm) from the back bustline measurement (here line 2--22). Call this B. The back waist dart is 0.5B. The CB shaping is 0.2B. The side seam shaping is 0.3B. If you like you can probably equalize the side seam shaping.

Hip-darts:
The darts are extended 3/4 waist to hip (on me 3/4 20cm = 15cm).

Hip measurments:
The back hips should also be bigger than the front hips. This makes a real difference to the hang of the garment when it's unbuttoned (like a dressmaker summer jacket). It you have the pattern's back hips too narrow and the front hips too wide, you will find the garment swings open when unbuttoned and when it's closed, the front will have flare and the back will bubble up above the hem; it won't be smooth. 

So you see, the garment swinging open is not always because of the shoulders or bust. They might be fitted perfectly but the garment still swings. To find out how much bigger your back hips should be compared with your front hips, have the tape measure around your hips with the start at where you feel your side seam should be and the lower numbers to your front. Put your finger nail on the other imaginary side seam and, taking care to keep the measurement "marked", remove the tape measure. Now you have your front hip measurement and your full hip measurement. Take your front hips from your full hips and you have your back hip measurement. (It's worth noting these down by the way).

Divide this measurement in two.
Suppose the full hip measurement were 88cm and the front hips were 43cm. That means the back hips are 45cm. The pattern will use half-measurements so we have:
Full hips: 44cm
Front hips: 21.5cm
Back hips: 22.5cm.

This means that for the pattern's sake we have a difference of 22.5cm-21.5cm=1cm difference between the front and back hips (2cm in real life). So even after ease has been added the hip measurement, and that number divided in four for the front and back patterns, we add 0.5cm to the back hips and take 0.5cm from the front hips for a difference of 1cm on the pattern.
88cm + 6cm ease = 94cm
94cm / 4 = 23.5cm
Front: 23.5cm - 0.5cm = 23cm
Back: 23.5cm + 0.5cm = 24cm
Difference = 1cm on the half-a-person pattern, total 2cm difference in real life.


My Toile/Muslin




[My hat is off to those blogger who can take a good photograph of themselves (especially a backview). Do they have lightweight cameras or tripods or something?]

I think these adaptions should avoid many fitting problems, but I would love to know what you think. If you have blogged about it, please add a link in a comment below and (as long as it's not spam) I'll enable the comment (comments with links seem to go straight to spam).

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Thursday 31 January 2013

"What does this stitch do?"

I have had a request for a post that shows you the different stitches on a sewing machine, telling you their names and purposes. It would be impossible to list all the stitches because there are hundreds if not thousands if you count the purely decorative stitches. But I will show you some common ones.

This the stitch panel on my sewing machine. There are 40 stitches, some of which are purely decorative.


00: This stitch is the moveable straight stitch, meaning by altering the "stitch width" on your sewing machine, you can move the needle. It's default needle position is the far left. This is the stitch you will use the most often for just about everything.

01: This is the centerised straight stitch. It is like a safety straight stitch for sewing zips so that you don't hit the zipper foot. It cannot be moved.

02: This is the Triple Straight Stitch, also called the backstitch, stretch stitch, triple stretch stitch, and probably some other names as well. It made by the needle going two stitches forward and one stitch back. This makes a stronger seam which some people like to use for crutch seams and armscyes. It is also great for sewing stretch fabrics because it doesn't snap like an ordinary straight stitch can (when stretched). You can use it for top-stitching as well if you like.

03: This is the stretch stitch and is also called a lightning stitch. It's a very narrow zigzag. It's supposed to give stretch seams that can be pressed open, but I much prefer stitch 02 for that. I'm not a big fan of this stitch.

04: Ah the zigzag stitch. Stitch of a myriad uses. Neatening raw edges is the most common use. Satin Stitching (length 0.2-0.3mm). Appliqué. Stretch sewing (length normal, width 0.2 or so). Bar-tacks. Very manual buttonholes (if you have an automatic buttonhole, do use it). Satin Stitch in free motion stitching (great for monograms). You can probably add some more uses.

05: The triple zigzag stitch, this has several names as well, but as long as you can see what it is, you'll be fine. Its primary uses are neatening raw edges (especially fabrics that fray badly) and sewing elastic. But as each step counts as a stitch, you can make really long zig zags.

06: Overcasting stitch. This can be used for seaming knits, neatening edges, and making picot edges and shell-tucks.

07: Strong overlocking stitch. Like its friends, this has many names and I don't know them all (who could?) It's used for seaming and neatening at the same time.

08: Same as 07 but it looks different, and the straight stitches are more reliably close together.

09: Blind-hem stitch. It don't think you'll find a machine less than 50 years old without this stitch. Its use is blind-hemming.

10: Stretch Blind-hem stitch. Same as 09 but for stretch fabrics.

11: Appliqué stitch/Blanket Stitch. This is used to sew appliqués and replicate a hand-sewn blanket stitch. It really looks very nice.

12: Shell-tuck stitch. Used with the satin-stitch foot, this makes even nicer shell-tucks than stitch 06.

13: Scallop Stitch. This is used to make decorative edges. First you stablize the edge (preferably hemmed) and then you cut very carefully round the outer edge of the scallop. I suppose if you wanted, you could sew it with the pointed edge towards the edge, and have a pointy edge like a batswing.

14: Ladder stitch: This is used to make channels for elastic and ribbon.

15: Overlocking stitch: This is made to look like an overlocker/serger stitch. It is used for seams, but you can also use it to make channels as with 14.

16: This stitch is for sewing on elastic, like 05. You can also use it for faggoting.

17: This stitch is also used for faggoting, and decorative stitching.

18: Much like 17.

19: This is used for sewing channels too.

20: RicRac stitch. Also ambiguously called triple zigzag stitch. It looks much nicer when sewing than the picture would lead you to believe. It is used for decorative stitching.

21: Serpentine Stitch. Used for decorative stitching and also for attaching elastic.

22: Hemstitch. This is used for doing drawn thread work by machine.

23: Daisy-chain stitch. Pretty decorative stitch. If you carefully poke a bodkin or awl through the middle you can use the flowers as a tiny eyelet.

24: Hemstitch. Yes there are a few stitches called hemstitch. They are used for drawn-thread work by machine. It can look very pretty and vintage.

25: Round-ended buttonhole. Used for blouses and such dainty things. It think if you widen it you could use it on jeans, especially if you use a double thread in the needle (but don't use topstitching thread).

26: Standard buttonhole. Used for anything you want.

27 and 28: Stretch buttonholes. If you are making buttonholes on sweater knits you must interface well top and bottom. I think 28 is best for sweater knits.

29: Keyhole buttonhole: Popular for jackets.

30: Bartack. Made with the buttonhole foot. I prefer to used a satin stitch because it is more reliable.

31: Hand-look stitch. If you use invisible thread in the needle and really increase the thread tension, you can make a stitch that looks like a hand-sewn running stitch.

32-40: The rest of my stitches are decorative stitches. IT is always a good idea to stablize when sewing fancy decorative stitches like these.
35 is called a domino stitch.
36 and 37 can be used like 13 to make very pretty edges.

They are all the stitches on my sewing machine and their primary uses. You can make other uses, because, after all, sewing is a creative hobby.

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Friday 28 December 2012

How to Draft Stereo-butt/Non-mono-butt Jeans

Any of you who are members of Kathleen Fasenella's forum at Fashion-Incubator.com will probably have come across the posts about jeans and the dreaded "mono-butt". Naturally I wanted to draft a pair of jeans that did not have this fitting faux pas, and set about figuring it out.

It's is my philosophy that simplicity is best, and if something seams difficult you're probably doing it wrong and over-complicating it. As it turns out, drafting trousers that fit is amazingly simple. It is best done starting from a pencil skirt pattern with at most 3cm total hip ease. I tried 6cm and the result was less than pleasing.

The measurements you will need are:-

  • Waist + 1 or 2 cm ease
  • Hips + 0-3cm ease
  • To take a comfortable and flattering hip measurement if you have a round abdomen, put a magazine over your front, hanging down like a little apron and measure your hips over that. This will give you a smoother fit there and avoid the "maternity jeans look."
  • Waist to hips
  • Crotch Depth:
  • There are two ways to take this measurement: one that automatically includes ease, and one that has no ease. To take this measurement with ease included, side on a hard flat surface in your tights/pantyhose and take the measurement from your side waist, over the curve of your hip, down to the surface.
  • To take the crotch depth measurement without ease, sit on a hard, flat surface, and measure upto your waist level, perpendicular to the table. In other words, do not take the tape measure against the curve of your hip. It must be straight. This method gives a closer fit, and therefore helps avoid the monobutt.
  • Side seam length
  • Knee
  • Take this measurement around your bent knee.
  • Foot entry
  • To take this measurement, pose your foot as though to put on a long boot, and measure round the heel and in-step. For skinny jeans, you can subtract an inch or two from this measurement, as long as you are using very stretchy fabric, or a zip at the hem.
  • Dart (formula and distribution to follow)


The equipment you will need is minimal:-

  • A straight ruler
  • A square (a piece of card will do)
  • A French curve
  • Thick paper such as brown parcel paper or marked pattern paper
  • Something to hold the paper down if it sticks up
  • Sewing kit

How to Work Out Your Waist Dart



a -- b = Waist to hips. Square across from a and b
a -- d = (hips + ease) divided by 2 (because this is half a pattern)
b -- c = a -- d
b -- e = one quarter of hips + 1cm ease
a -- f = one quarter of (waist + ease) + one dart
d -- g = one quarter of (waist + ease) + two darts
h and i are 1.2cm (1/2 inch) up from f and g respectively
j is 2cm down from a (this may just be me, but my clothes are more comfortable with this adjustment)
a -- k = crotch depth
square down from e and c to l and m respectively

And that's it. Now cut it out and cut the line e -- l so that you have a front pattern and a back pattern. Now we shall turn our patterns into jeans pattern...

First we'll add the waist-line darts 

FRONT: Divide your dart measurement into 3. The dart will be two thirds, and the CF will be shaped by one third. E.g. If your dart measurement is 2.4cm (mine is):

            2.4cm/3 = 0.8cm = front shaping,
            2 x 0.8cm = 1.6cm.

So shape the CF by making a point 0.8cm in from the CF waist, and connect to the CF hips with an outwardly curved line. (This makes a better fit over a naturally round abdomen). Taking this as the new CF waist-point, measure a straight line from their to the side waist-point. Divide this into three and mark the point nearest the side waist. Square down from here 10cm. Make your dart on this line, here 0.8cm from each side. For a nicer fit, make the dart legs curve outwards slightly, or if you have a full tummy, curve them inwards slightly.

BACK: The total back shaping is 2 darts worth. This will be divided into 5 to give two darts and some CB shaping. E.g. using the 2.4cm dart again:

            2 x 2.4cm = 4.8cm = Total back dart shaping
            4.8cm / 5 = 0.96cm (near enough to 1cm for practical purposes) = Back shaping
            1cm x 2 = 2cm = Dart (and there are two darts, each 2cm)

So shape the CB by making a point 1cm in from the CB, and draw with an inwardly curving line to the hip point. This accommodates the shape of the spine. Taking this as the new CB waist point, measure straight to the side waist point and divide into thirds, marking each for a dart placement. Square down from each, 12cm for the one nearest the side, and 14cm for the one nearest the CB. (NOTE: These darts lengths are only guideline measurements, yours may be different.) Make a dart on each line, in this case 2cm side. Curve the dart legs outward to work better with the curve of the lower back.

Now we'll add the front crutch extension.

Extend the CF Crotch depth line by 1/5 of the pattern's front hip measurement (k-l). Connect this point straight to the CF hip point. Slide your square along this line until the other part of it meets the CF crotch (k). Connect straight. Divide this line into three equal parts. Draw a curve from b through the point nearest outer line, to the crotch point. (As illustrated.)

Now for the back crutch extension.

The difference between different types of trousers/pants, as far as pattern-cutting is concerned, is the length of the back crutch extension, and the height of the pitch. The pitch is the wedge you can see in the illustration, under the Crotch Depth line. The shorter the back crotch extension, the greater the pitch must be to make up for the loss of crotch length and let you wear the trousers/pants without doing yourself an injury.

Coco Chanel said that "Fashion is architecture: it all a matter of proportions." I think the same applies to sewing patterns. Why should we use "standard" measurements for pitch and so on and then fix the fit, when we can use a measurement proportionate to our own measurements and then have a nearly perfect fit right away?

Crotch extension and pitch must be in proportions to each other and to our hip size. We use 10th of our pattern's back hip measurement as unit (we'll call it x). In jeans or slacks we want a total of 5x. Trousers have a looser fit, which you can see if you Google Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear and look at people's blog photos. They look more like men's trousers and are not altogether flattering on women, so I don't wear them.

  • Slacks:        Crotch : Pitch = 4x : 1x
  • Jeans:         Crotch : Pitch = 3x : 2x
  • Trousers:    Crotch : Pitch = 5x : 1x


So get your compass out and set if for a radius of 2x, and draw a circle from point m. Then draw a straight line from l the length of l -- m, touching the circle. Extend this line by 3x to give the crutch extension.
Now it is time to draw the legs.

BACK: The line that you had as the Crotch line, after pitching and before lowering the crotch point is the line you will use for drawing the leg, so find its centre point and square down the same length as it is on the front pattern. Copy the placement lines for the hem and knee.
So that is your jeans-fit pattern. Now you can change it into a pattern for jeans. You will probably want to trace it first in case of mistakes, or tea-spillage. It is a good idea to copy it onto thick, tough paper, fold it up neatly, and store it in a plastic sleeve.

Squared down 0.5cm to 1.5cm (about 1/4" to 5/8") from this point mark a new point that will be the crotch point. (By the was, this will make the back trouser leg shorter on the inseam than the front-trouser leg, and when this piece of fabric is stretched to match the front one, it will give a better fit. The more contoured you want this area to be, the lower you must drop the point.)

From the new crotch point, draw a straight-line up to the hip line. Slide your square along this line until its other arm touches the CB on the crotch line. Draw this line and divide it into three. As you did for the front crotch curve, draw from the hip line, through the point nearest the line, and to the crotch point with a curve.

FRONT: This is simpler than the back to explain. Mark a point half-way along the crotch line and square down. From top to bottom, this should be your side waist-hem length (we'll say side-waist to ankle).

Divide that in half and mark. 4cm up from that mark you knee line. This is where your knee measurement comes in.

Bend your knee as far as it will go, and measure. Mine is 40 cm, but I like a closer fit, especially with stretch denim slim jeans, so I will reduce it to 36cm. This allows you wearing ease. Divide that by 4 (9cm) and subtract 1cm. Measure this distance out from each side of the knee marking on your pattern. Connect straight to the crotch point and the side hip. Curve the lines so that they look right, i.e. inwards by about 0.8cm on the inseam, and by about 0.6cm or so on the outseam.

At the hem line you will need your entry measurement. To get this, pose your foot as though putting it into a really narrow calf-length boot, and measure around the heel and bridge. (One me about 30cm.) You will need the hem of your trousers/pants to be at least this, or else you won't be able to get your foot through. (A lot of good that would be!) Divide this measurement by four and subtract 1cm. (6.5cm) Measure this far out from the hem marking on your pattern. Connect to the knee point. Blend the knee if necessary.

For the knee width, divide the knee measurement by 4 and add 1cm, here giving 10cm. Measure this much out from the knee point. Connect to the crotch point and the side hip point, curving the lines inward so that they look right to you. (At least as much as you did for the front leg, and not more than about 1cm each more).

For the hem width, divide the hem measurement my 4 and add 1cm, giving me 9.5cm. Measure this much out from the hem point. Connect to the knee and blend if necessary.

NOTE: The centre leg lines are also the grainlines.

Making your trouser/pants pattern into a jeans pattern

The rest of the pattern-making is pretty much just drawing, closing darts, and adding seam allowances.


Draw on the pockets as shown, add the fly (3cm wide), add the waistband (I made mine 3cm, but you can have whatever you wish).

The front pocket is the most complicated thing, because there are so many layers. There is the pocket bag/facing, the inner pocket bag, and the piece that you will see (I'm not sure what it's called, but it's the bit made of denim and in the illustration, it's red).

First, draw the pocked shape, which needn't the traditional shape, but that is easier to sew than, say, a heart shape. The thing-with-no-name extends a bit into the pocket (say 1.5 - 2cm) so that it doesn't peek out when you are wearing the jeans. Trace this piece off and add seam allowances.

Then there is the inner pocket bag, to which the thing-with-no-name is sewn. Using the line you just added for the inner edge of the thing-with-no-name), draw the inner pocket bag (the pink bit in the illustration).
Now for the pocket-bag/facing. Trace the pink bit but go up to the original pocket line instead of the inner one. This is what will be sewn to the outer denim. Now add seam allowances.

Now for the waistband.

The front waistband will need two pattern pieces: one for the left and one for the right, because one side will have an underlap for the button to go on. Trace off the waistband and close the darts by folding the paper so that the lines meet at the top and bottom of the waistband.


Now trace a copy of this and we will make a waistband for the other side, with an underlap. On your traced copy, fold the paper along the CF and trace as far as the fly stitching line. This extra bit is the underlap. Now open it up and add seam allowances all around the waistband pieces.

Now to do the back waistband. This is easy. You just do the same as you did for the front waistband without the underlap (because the back doesn't have an opening).

Now for the fly

You have a choice here. You can either fold back the paper on the front of the pattern and trace the stitching line, then add seam allowances; or you can trace it off separately and make a fly like you get on RTW jeans. I went with the first option and sewed it like a large lapped zipper (sewing instructions here). It's easier and less bulky.

After that it's just a matter of the pockets, seam and hem allowances, and sewing. On mine I had to slim the hips. Apparently I have very slim hips. And I somehow lost about 3cm on my waist over Christmas (I don't know how; I sat around for most of it) so that threw off the fit of my toile a little at the CF waist. Never mind.

Yardage/Metreage

As for yardage, I only needed about 1.5 metres of stretch denim, which is about half of what was suggested on a Vogue jeans pattern on-line. (I bought 3m so I may have enough to make a jacket, if not, then I can make a skirt or another pair of jeans). I am petite and about a size 10 or so on my hips (pattern size), so most people may need more. You will also need some lightweight cotton fabric for the pocket linings, and optional back pocket appliqué (I have a butterfly). The belt loops can be made out of scraps.
I can't give visual sewing instructions because I have only one photograph and that's not much use. You can either use your good sense and experience, or use instructions available in books, online, or in commercial patterns.

Critique of My Own Jeans

Here is a front view and a back view of my finished jeans: 


It is extremely difficult to take a good photo of your own back-view. This was the best I got.

Now, I suspect the crotch depth may have too much ease (it is automatically included when you take the measurement) and that is why my jeans are not super-fitted there, like here. Also, I mistakenly had the front crutch extension being 1/4 of the front hip, instead of 1/5 which is should be for jeans. And they're more of a slim-fit than a skinny fit, but isn't it like magic to be able to draft and sew something right of out your head, and then have it in reality?! (It's so neat!)

And yes, these do look high-waisted. But I am so slim that any jeans not defining my waist will be very unflattering and make me look more columnish. (That is probably not a word, but never mind - Shakespeare frequently invented words and if it's good enough for him...)

To prevent the waist from stretching (I used stretch denim and don't want it to stretch at the waist) I sewed the waistband seams with cotton tape in them. After only being able to buy jeans that slip down, it's nice to have pair stay on my waist!

Version 2.0

I made another pair with a shorter crotch depth (measured to omit ease), and a shorter front crotch extension (1/5 front hips; the first pair had 1/4 because I forgot that jeans use less than other trousers). I also narrowed the legs and hems a bit, and lengthen the leg. (They will shrink in the wash).




Hard-won Topstitching Wisdom

The topstitching went a bit wrong sometimes, especially when I went over the really thick parts. Note: it is better to sew the belt loops onto the waistband, after topstitching, instead of trying to include them in the waistband seams. Otherwise, it seems, you get a lot of skipped stitches.

Also, it is better to stitch the yoke seam allowance downwards, not upwards, because otherwise you get a funny bump along the back.

And a note on topstitching thread. Don't bother. I got much better results and wasted far less thread by using two spools of regular sew-all thread in a size 100 jeans needle. (A tip I got off Angela Wolf's video on YouTube). Below you can compare topstitching thread when it was working (the seam), and doubled sew-all thread (the double-stitched hem). Apart from the wobbly hem, you can't see much difference, and certainly not from a real-life distance, but it is much easier to sew with doubled sew-all thread, and you can still use your needle-threader if you use a 100 jeans needle.



If you make some jeans and blog about them, or post them on BurdaStyle, please let me know  -- I'd love to see how they turn out! Also, if this post is well received (and even if it's not) I want to turn it into a Kindle book, so please tell me what you think and if there is anything you want to know. I'll take the post down when I get the book for sale on Amazon.

You can see more about the monobutt on Kathleen's webpage entitled "Jeans fit so lousy these days".

P.S. I didn't prewash the denim, so now they have shrunk in the wash, and while they feel tighter, the fit looks better.

The formula is very simple, though it helps for certainty's sake to use a calculator, and it's easiest in metric (sorry USA).

Now that you have those things and measurements, you can draft your...

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Monday 29 October 2012

"How to Calculate Your Bust Dart Size: The Formula that Takes the Guess-work out of FBAs and SBAs"

When you look in Pattern-making books they usually have a table of standard measurements including either the bust dart width, or it's angle in degrees. These "standard measurements" are for a B-cup, which means that if you are not a B-cup, you have to draft the pattern and then do either a Small Bust Adjustment or a Full Bust Adjustment.

But how do they get these numbers? They seem to have nothing to do with the rest of the measurements. But there is always a formula. It just takes a bit of working out.

What is a bust dart's function? As I see it, a bust dart is there to make the longer front pattern piece match the shorter back pattern piece at the side seam. The front pattern piece is longer than the back one because it has your bust to go over and the back doesn't.



So to find out the bust dart's width at the side seam,

  1. you measure your front from the neck point the red dot over the apex (the green dot on the drawing), and thence straight down to your waistline = F; (this measurement is the orange line in the picture)
  2. then measure from the red dot down your back to your waistline = B; (this is the red line)
  3. subtract B from F and you have your bust dart width, which is the difference between your front bodice length, and your back bodice length.

Now for a little trigonometry. Scientific calculators at the ready!

We'll split the bust dart into two equal parts so that we have two right angle triangles:

The difference between my front measurement and my back measurement is about 2 cm (halved to 1 cm for the split triangle), and the side dart length is about 13 cm on me.

How to Find Your Bust Dart Angle for Patternmaking in Fashion

If you are using the German method of pattern making, which is briefly taught in Patternmaking in Fashion by Lucia Mors de Castro (mine cost about £40 but it now costs £100 at Amazon due to high demand - I think it is over-priced now by very greedy sellers), you will need the angle of the bust dart, and as we have the length of the dart (the hypotenuse) and the width of the dart (the length "opposite" the angle) we can find the Sine of the angle (sin = O/h) and then use the sin-1 function on our scientific calculators to find the angle. Thus:-

How to Find Your Bust Dart Width for Metric Pattern Cutting

If you are using Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear by Winifred Aldrich, or the instructions on www.BurdaStyle.com, you will want to find the bust dart width for a shoulder dart.
  1. Take the sine you found earlier (here 0.077) and multiply it by your neck to apex measurement (on me about 24 cm) to get half your total bust dart width. (Here, about 1.84 cm). 
  2. Get your total bust dart width by doubling this number = 3.68 cm, roughly 3.7 cm.

So that is my bust dart: 3.7 cm wide at the neck point and 8.8 degrees (which can be rounded to 9 degrees for practical reasons).

So that is how you work out your personal bust dart measurement. Isn't it so much better than using a "standard" measurement?

I hope it helps. : )

Sabrina

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Sunday 6 May 2012

How to do a Small Bust Adjustment (SBA) on Your Metric Pattern Cutting Close Fitting Block/Sloper

I have been scouring the web the past few days, and looking in my sewing and pattern making books for how to do a small bust adjustment, but none of the tutorials helped very much. So I figured it out myself, and it's so easy (now)!

So I thought I'd do a tutorial for other slim sewists, especially those of you who use Metric Pattern Cutting for Womens Wear by Winifred Aldrich.

Benefits of this SBA Method

  • This method does not require you to cut up your original pattern, so if you have to do it again, you don't have to redraft your sloper. It uses the pivot and trace method of pattern making and can be done in a matter of minutes.
  • It also does not affect the bust measurement of your pattern, so if you have the right width and the the correct amount of ease, you will maintain that, and simply reduce the cup size!
  • Neither does it alter the waistline in anyway. All the alteration is done in the top of the bodice, so it's great if you have a good fit otherwise on your one-piece dress block.
I will mention ahead of time though, that this method works best if you use a master pattern and develop your designs from that. I don't really know how to alter patterns using a master pattern.

How to Do a SBA (Small Bust Adjustment) The Quick, Easy, and Sensible Way


You will require your sloper to have the bust dart in it's original position at the neck point.

1. Lay some tracing paper over your front sloper (I'm using Burda Tracing Tissue Paper) and weight it down. Here I have drawn over the original sloper on Microsoft Paint because it was hard to see in the photograph.


2. Starting at the bust point, trace the sloper up to the neck point, along the neck line, down the centre front, along the waist line including the dart, and up the side seam, stopping at the armhole point.

Mark a line at the top of the pattern 1cm down from the neck point and perpendicular to the CF. 1cm is the amount we will be reducing the pattern's length. Don't worry about the neckline; that will be sorted out later.

3. Put a pin in the pivot point and, with the tracing paper stationary (pun intended), swivel the original pattern underneath until the neck point on the shoulder line meets the line you drew in step 2.

Continue tracing your sloper, around the armscye and along the shoulder line.

When you get to the pink line in this photo, take your ruler and draw a line from the shoulder-neck point where you are, to the original bust point.

4. Lower the neckline at the shoulder point to the line you drew in step 2, and at the CF by 1cm to match. Redraw the neckline curve (or shift the tracing paper up 1cm and trace it.

The red lines in this photo are the new pattern, and the black lines are the original pattern. See how much narrower the dart is? That's the difference between cup sizes, that and the pattern's front length. We slimmer sewists simply don't need all that extra fabric.


You will be delighted with the difference this one, quick, simple alteration makes to your finished garments! Do this alteration before you do any others, then do any other length alterations, then width alterations. I speak from personal experience here. If your bodice is too short above the waist, it will look like the waistline is miles too big. Lower it to its proper place and voilá! Like magic it looks so much better!

So that is my method for how to do a small bust adjustment on your Metric Pattern Cutting Close Fitting Block/Sloper. It wasn't mentioned in Winifred Aldrich's book, so here is is for you. I hope it helps you as much as it will help me. Isn't it exciting to think you have a master pattern that fits and you can develop any design from it? : D

Until next time, happy sewing and pattern making!
Sabrina Wharton-Brown
The Sewing Corner

P.S. In case you wondered what I got for my birthday, I got Threads DVD-ROM Archive 1985-2011 (lots of great information once Mum got it to work for me on the computer) and the free book (FAST FIT by Sandra Betzina) which was on offer with it. My brother also got me The Magic by Rhonda Byrne of The Secret. He search Hull for it. Isn't he thoughtful? : ) It's a great book and I recommend it so far. It's certainly a pick-me-up.

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Saturday 24 March 2012

How to Make a Dress Part 12: How to Make and Insert the Inset and Hem the Dress

This is the last post in this series. All that is left now is to make and insert the inset and to hem the dress.

How to Make the Inset

Get your two inset pieces and put them RS together. Sew along the top edge (in this case the one with the slightly concave curve). Press flat then open.

The piece without the interfacing is the facing in this case. (For blouse fronts etc. the interfacing goes on the facing.)

Clip into the seam allowances. Press the seam allowances to the facing side (the one without interfacing).

Sew the seam allowances to the facing. This is called machine understitching.

Fold the pieces into the finished position (see below).

This is what it looks like facing side up.
And this is what it looks like front side up.

I haven't done so in this photo, but it helps with the next step if you baste the layers of the inset together.

Also, you should zigzag the raw edges to stop them from fraying.



How to insert the inset
This is where it gets tricky.

Pin the inset in place by lifting the collar up as in this photo and pinning through all the layers.

Now firmly baste in place by hand with cross stitches and then stitch one side by machine under the collar so that it's inconspicuous. If you think the inset is in place, repeat for the other side.

Note: You won't be able to stitch all the way down, so just go as far as your judgement suggests.


How to Hem the Dress
This dress has a 3cm (1 1/4") hem allowance. I pinned the hem level.

Clip into the seam allowances at the hem level to give a better edge.

When you have pinned all around, turn up the hem so that the pins are right on the edge. Then, holding the fold in place, remove the pin and pin the hem allowance down.

Now hand sew running stitches in the hem allowance only, and pull so that the hem allowance lies flush with the dress.

Baste the hem allowance to the dress.

This is what I call a hand coverstitch. It's basically an overcasting stitch where you catch one thread of the dress. Then you just repeat all the way around. If you need to start a new thread, secure both your old thread and your new one on the hem allowance.

Press.

Congratulations! Your dress is finished!

Until next time, happy sewing and Merry Christmas!
Sabrina Wharton-Brown
The Sewing Corner, 41 Market Place, Hornsea, HU18 1AP, UK

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