Drafting the Sleeve Block - Tutorial

As my ModCloth Ripoff series has started, There are a few basic things that you will need to be able to follow along with me.  Half of this stuff I'll make up as I go along, but if I can make it work, then anyone can.

Materials needed:

Yard stick or long clear ruler (mine's 18 inches)

French Curves (a dinner plate can work in some places)

Pencil and Eraser

Wrapping Paper*

Measurements (tutorial here)

*I use wrapping paper because it's wide enough that I can do my front and back blocks side by side, but it's also helpful to use wrapping paper because printer paper won't be long enough or wide enough to accommodate the widths we're working with.*

The Basic Sleeve Block

Measurements Needed:

Bicep - Arm Length

1. Draw a rectangle with the width equal to your Bicep measurement 1/2 inch and the length equal to your Arm Length measurement. Fold in half lenthwise and label the right side on the fold "center."

2. Measure the curves of your front and back bodice armholes, add together and divide by 3. Round to the nearest 1/4 inch and measure this distance down from the top of the rectangle and draw a line perpendicular to the center line.

3. Draw a diagonal line from the upper right corner of the rectangle to the lower left corner at the bicep line.  Measure the line you just drew and divide by four. Mark 2 dots an equal distance from each other (1/4 of your measurement from each corner) Label the dots A and B as shown in the photo below.

4. Use a curve to draw the sleeve cap as shown.   It should be 3/8 inch in from dot A and 5/8 inch out from dot B.

5. Mark a double notch where the curve intersects the diagonal line (I marked it farther over in my picture)

6. So far we have the back half of the sleeve completed, take a tracing wheel and trace over the curves of the back sleeve cap and the length of the sleeve, then unfold the sleeve block paper. (if you don't have a tracing wheel you can redo step 3 as a mirror for the front sleeve)

7. From where point A is measure inward another 1/4 inch and 1/4 inch outward from point B. redraw the front sleeve cap.

8. Mark a line for the elbow halfway between the sleeve hem and the bicep line.

Next: Drafting a Skirt Block

Drafting the Bodice Back - Tutorial

As my ModCloth Ripoff series has started, There are a few basic things that you will need to be able to follow along with me.  Half of this stuff I'll make up as I go along, but if I can make it work, then anyone can.

Materials needed:

Yard stick or long clear ruler (mine's 18 inches)

French Curves (a dinner plate can work in some places)

Pencil and Eraser

Wrapping Paper*

Measurements (tutorial here)

*I use wrapping paper because it's wide enough that I can do my front and back blocks side by side, but it's also helpful to use wrapping paper because printer paper won't be long enough or wide enough to accommodate the widths we're working with.*

This is the tutorial for drafting the basic Back Bodice pattern or block. 

Measurements Needed:

Wide Back - Full Back Length - Center Back Width - Center Back Length - Shoulder Length - Back Waist - Side - Across Upper Back - Dart Start

1. Draw a rectangle with the width equal to your wide back measurement divided by two plus 1/4 inch and the length equal to your full back length measurement plus 1/4 inch. Label the left edge "Center Back."

2. Along the upper edge, measure over from the center back along your Center Back Width measurement and mark with a dot.  Mark another dot 2 inches below the first dot and label it "A." Along the center back edge, measure up from the lower edge your Center Back Length measurement plus 1/4 inch, mark a dot and label it "C."

3. Draw a line the length of your Shoulder Length measurement, connecting dot A to the upper line.  Mark a dot where the lines meet and label it "B." With a French Curve or other curved object to draw the back neckline (Try to make the shape close to what I have drawn).  Make sure that where the line meets dot C is at a square angle.

4. Divide your Back Waist measurement in half and add 11/4 inch.  Mark a dot along the lower edge from the center back with this number, label it "D."

5. Draw a line the length of your Side measurement connecting dot D to the right edge. Label this for E.  Measure up 1/4 inch from the lower edge at the center back and mark it with a dot labeled "F." Connect dot F to dot D.

6. Measure from dot C to dot F and divide this measurement by four.  Mark a dot this distance down from dot C along the center back and label it "G."

7. Divide your Across Upper Back measurement in half and add 1/4 inch.  Draw a perpendicular line from dot G this length.  This line is known as the HBL or Horizontal Balance Line.  Mark the end of this line with an "H." Using a french curve or other curved object to connect dots A, H and E to form the back half of the armhole.

8. Mark dot "I" along the lower edge, measuring out the distance of your Dart Start measurement from the center back.  Measure out another 11/2 inch from dot I and mark for "J." Then mark the midpoint of dots I and J.

9. Draw a temporary perpendicular line from the center back line to dot E.  Draw another line vertically form the midpoint of dots I and J to the first temporary line.

10. Measure down 1 inch from the top of the midpoint line and mark with dot "K."  Connect dots K and J to create a dart leg, measure this line and create another dart leg the same length between K and I, redrawing the line between F and I if necessary. True the dart like in the final 3 pictures of the Bodice Front Tutorial.

Next: Drafting the Sleeve.

Drafting the Bodice Front - Tutorial

As my ModCloth Ripoff series has started, There are a few basic things that you will need to be able to follow along with me.  Half of this stuff I'll make up as I go along, but if I can make it work, then anyone can.

Materials needed:

Yard stick or long clear ruler (mine's 18 inches)

French Curves (a dinner plate can work in some places)

Pencil and Eraser

Wrapping Paper*

Measurements (tutorial here)

*I use wrapping paper because it's wide enough that I can do my front and back blocks side by side, but it's also helpful to use wrapping paper because printer paper won't be long enough or wide enough to accommodate the widths we're working with.*

This is the tutorial for drafting the basic Front Bodice pattern or block. 

Measurements Needed:

Front Bust - Full Front Length - Center Front Width - Center Front Length - Shoulder Length - Halter - Across Chest - Side - Dart Start - Front Waist - Bust Level - Bust Bridge

1. Draw a rectangle with the width equal to your Front Bust measurement divided by two plus 1/2 inch and the length equal to your Full Front Length measurement plus 1/4 inch.  Label the right edge "Center Front."

2. Draw a parallel line 11/4 inch from the left side. Along the upper edge, measure over your Center Front Width measurement and mark with a dot. Mark another dot 11/2 inch below that first dot and label it "A."  Using your Center Front Length measurement plus 1/4 inch measure this distance from the lower edge. Mark a dot and label it "C"

3. Draw a line the length of your Shoulder Length measurement, connecting dot A to the top rectangle line.  Mark a dot where the line meets and label it "B." Use a French Curve (a dinner plate can suffice) to connect dots B and C to create the neckline.

4. Draw a temporary line from dot B to the inner left line the length of your Halter measurement. Mark a dot where the lines meet and label it "D."

5. Divide your Center Front Length measurement by five, measure down this distance from dot C and label it "E." Divide your Across Chest measurement by two and add 1/4 inch. Square a temporary line from dot E, mark a dot and label it "F." Use a french curve or something round to connect dots A, F and D to create your armhole.

6. Draw a line the length of your Side measurement and connect dot D to the outer left edge.  Mark a dot and label it "G." (sorry I apparently didn't take a picture of this step)

7. Mark dot "H" along the lower edge, measuring out from the center front your Dart Start measurement.  Mark dot "I" along the center front, 1/4 inch up from the lower edge.  Connect dots G, H and I.

8. Divide your Front Waist measurement in half and add 1/4 inch. Subtract your Dart Start measurement from that calculation. Measure this distance from dot G and label it "J."

9. place you ruler on the patter, connecting dot A and I.  Draw a temporary diagonal line the length of your Bust Level measurement.  Mark wit a dot and label it "K."

10. Divide you Bust Bridge measurement in half. With this calculation, draw a temporary line from the center front that goes through dot K.  Mark this line with a dot and label it with a star. This is your bust point.

11. Connect the bust point to dot H to create a dart leg.  Measure this line and draw another line the same length connecting dots K and J, redrawing the waist line between dots G and J if necessary.

You will want to True the dart on your block. Do this by folding the dart as if you were to sew it up.

With a Tracing wheel or a pair of scissors trace or cut along the bottom of the block where the dart is folded under.

If using a tracing wheel, unfold and using a ruler connect the dots that were traced out (if scissors were used just unfold the dart) and you're done.

Next: Drafting the Bodice Back Tutorial

ModCloth Ripoffs Series

I'm starting what I guess we can consider my second blog series, the first being my Fashion Drawing tutorials (that I still need to finish up, I keep putting off editing and filming the other videos...)  Back on track here, If I'm going to show you how to create some of the dresses, skirts and rompers that I find on mod cloth, and probably a few other websites, the we'll need to start off with the very basics.  The next post will be the drafting of your personalized bodice block, I'll probably split them up into separate posts for the from, back, sleeve and skirt.  The shorts will be a completely different post, but that will come when I find a romper that I have my heart set on.

The most important thing that you will need for drafting patterns and using commercial patterns is your measurements.  if you're using a commercial pattern, then there are usually only 3 basic measurements that you use when picking out the pattern, your Bust, Waist and Hip measurements.  Those are the numbers that correspond to the basic sizing on the back of commercial pattern sleeves.  For the purpose of this post, I'm going to be giving you a list of 33 measurements that you will need in order to draft your own patterns. I would recommend you get a friend to help you measure yourself, because I can tell you from experience that doing al these measurements by yourself is extremely difficult and frustrating, especially when you get to measuring things on your back.

I purchased the book Little Green Dresses (Amazon links - Canada - USA) from Chapters about 2 months ago, it cost me about $27 in the store, you can get them cheaper online.  I bought the book mostly for the 2nd chapter on pattern drafting, and being able to create my own pattern blocks.

This should help to explain where each measurement is taken.

What You Need:

A flexible measuring tape 

(60" is the standard, you can get ones that are 120" as well)

A Pencil and Paper

A friend

A chair or other surface you can sit on

Optional:  A piece of string or narrow elastic to tie around your waist

Quick Measurements:

1. Full Bust: measure around the fullest part of the bust and back, making sure the tape is parallel to the ground all the way around.

2. Full High Bust: Measure around the body just above the full bust.

3. Full Waist:  Measure around th waist at it's smallest point.  Find this spot and keep it as a reference of other measurements by tying a piece of string or narrow elastic around your waist and letting it settle.

4. Full Hip:  Measure around the fullest part of your hipline, typically about 7-10 inches below the waist

5. Full Front Length: Measure from the high shoulder at the neck to the waist.

6. Full Back Length: Measure from the high shoulder at the net to the waist

7. Center front Length: Measure from the front neck base to the waist.

8. Center Back Length: Measure front eh back neck bending point to the waist.

9. Center front Width: Measure from the front of the neck base to the shoulder tip.

10. Center back width: Measure from the back neck bone to the shoulder tip.

In-Depth Measurements

11. Front Bust: Measure from side seam to side seam across the fullest part of the bust.

12. Wide Back: Measure from side seam to side seam across the fullest part of the back.

13. Across Chest: Measure from mid armhole to mid armhole across front.

14. Across Upper Back: Measure from mid armhole to mid armhole across back

15. Front Waist Width: Measure from side seam to side seam across front waist.

16. Back Waist Width: Measure from side seam to side seam across back waist.

17. Front Hip: Measure form side seam to side seam across front hip.

18. Back Hip: Measure form side seam to side seam across back hip.

19. Bust Level: Measure from shoulder tip to bust point.

20. Bust Bridge: Measure from bust point to bust point.

21. Halter: Measure from the high shoulder at the neck to the underarm at the side seam (also called the strap measurement)

22. Shoulder Length: Measure from the high shoulder at the neck to shoulder tip.

23. Neck: Measure around the widest part of the neck.

24. Arm Length: Measure from measure from the tip of the shoulder to the wrist with arm bent.

25. Arm Span: Measure from wrist to wrist with arms outstretched and the measuring tape behind your head.

26. Bicep: Measure around the fullest part of your upper arm.

27. Wrist: Measure around the wrist.

28. Side: Measure from the underarm to the waist along the garment side seam.

29. Side Hip Length: Measure from the waist to the hip level along side seam

30: Crotch Depth: Sit on a chair and measure from the waist to the top of the chair seat along the side hip.

31. Inseam: Measure along the inside of the leg from the crotch down to just below the ankle.

32. Out-seam: Measure from the waist to just below the ankle along the side seam.

33. Ankle: Measure around the ankle.

Dart Measurements

Your Dart Start involves a little math.  if your full waist is 24 inches then you don't have to worry, it's just 3 inches. For any larger than that, you must add 1/8 inch to that original 3 inches for every inch larger than 24 inches. 

Back Dart: 2 inches *

Front Dart: 1 inch *

* if the difference between your FULL WAIST measurement and your FULL HIP measurement 10 inches,  then your dart measurements are as listed above.  For every inch less than 10 inches, subtract roughly 1/8 inch from the dart measurement above. For each inch over 10 inches, add roughly 1/8 inch*

Check back for the next post: Drafting The Bodice Front

I was making a Tutorial but...

I got roped into working at the shop that my uncle owns for the remainder of the week.. Hopefully I can get it finished by the weekend (I may have to buy more felt :S)  It's for a tiny top hat tutorial, my own version of it, so check back on the weekend for my 

Tiny Top Hat Tute (I hope).

I also wanted to make a tutorial on a dress that i'm planning on making, but I haven't even designed it yet.  It may just end up being a skirt, but the fabric I have for it is really pretty. It's a diagonal Purple, Black and Grey plaid, The lighting here is really off, 

it only cost me $2 at Fabricland. I love the remnants bin :)

Should I make a cute little dress out off this or a skirt...

Decisions, decisions...

Harry Potter String Dolls

I am having so much fun making these while I sit through my Harry Potter Marathon.

So far I have 5 characters done.  I don't know how many I'll end up making but I'm sure that I'll end up buying a lot more of this string in the near future (like next week) and I may do a tutorial some time soon on how I make my string dolls, and do their hair.  I'm not going to flood this with too much writing, just their name under the photos.  I took close ups of their faces as well.  I just did their eyes and hair on them plus wands (or in Hagrid's case his pink umbrella)

Harry Potter

Hermione Granger

Ronald Weasly 

Rubeus Hagrid 

Voldemort/Tom Riddle

and Nigini his snake