I am very pleased to see that you have started your own business in fashion. I looked at the site and enjoyed all the outfits you have listed. I really like your logo and the name of your site as well.
Yes the widest part of the darts may fall on a different line from front, side and back depending on the body shape. For beginners it is a good idea to mark the waistline using a ribbon.
However even with a ribbon the widest part of the darts, or the deepest part of the side seam may fall at different levels.
You are welcome. You don't need to extend the center back dart the same as the waist darts. So what you need to do is just lengthen the waist darts on the front and back to get the difference you need.
The reason I did not secure the ends of the threads in the Zipper Sewing Lesson, is that in this lesson the zippers are not being sewn into a project. The lesson shows only how to insert the zippers in the openings.
For example once a zipper is applied to a garment , the top will be sewn into a waistband or facing etc...This way it is secured. Depending on the project the bottom of the zipper will be secured in different ways. In the lessons below you can see different examples of this to get a better idea of what I mean.
Do have an estimated date as to when the diagrams will be ready, I am not on the website everyday, and I am waiting for the diagrams, so I can get started.
Yes, I have extended all the darts( 3 darts = 1 front dart & 2 back darts) and I have tripple checked the boday measurements (even marked at the body in order to get the most accurate measurements), I have linked to your website to seek the explanation as well.
However,the most that I could add to all the center dart lines is 3.8cm. (because the dart at the center back line would fall on the lower hip line), The total measurement on the pattern is 39.2cm. It is a mere 1mm difference.
Can I omit this procedure, and just smoothen the seam line between waist line and upper hip liine this case ?
I hope that you are able to understand what I mean because my command in English is not good.
I learned so much from this video lesson! In chapter 7: Drawing the front and back darts, I noticed that the widest part of the front darts, the side seams, and the back darts didn't seem to fall on the same horizontal line or waist line! It seemed to me the widest part of the back darts was higher than the widest part of the front darts. And when you did the first fitting, you didn't use a ribbon to mark the waist line to make sure the widest part of the darts and side seam fall on the same horizntal line???
From what I understand you have extended the center back dart only. You need to lengthen all the front and back waist darts to be able to reduce the upper hipline on your pattern.
Here is a link with a detailed explanation that I gave to another member about this.
and yes you should not be going beyond the lower hipline when extending your darts.
Make sure to double check all the body measurements and your pattern measurements when you drafted the pattern.
Another situation that might cause this is that when you measure for the upper hip circumference on the body, you may have measured further up than exactly in the middle of the waistline and the lower hip circumference.
The reason we draw the front patterns a bit larger on Skirts, and Bodice is to keep the side seams a bit towards the back, so that they are less noticeable when viewed from the front. On pants we do it differently because of the buttocks, to make the pants more comfortable when worn.
Thanks a lot Nehzat. I'm working on trying your idea. I have never sewn double pointed darts before. Can you give me some tips because I couldn't find any information on this site. I need to practice on scrap fabric first.
Another related question I have is that why sometimes you make the front pattern larger than the back pattern or maybe it's vice versa!
Welcome to eSewingWorkshop, it could be that your needle is not large enough for your fabric. Try larger size needles to see the result. For larger size needles you need to use thicker thread as well. Try lowering the tension to fix the thread pulling issue. The best thing to do is try different settings and needle and threads to get the perfect combination for your fabric.
The best way to make the back of the dress look better is to take in only from the back, since taking in from the sides will affect the front as well.
The shape of the dress from the front looks nice at the sides as well. You can take in from the center back if you have a center back seam, such as a center back dart and/or you can create two waist darts on the back. The intakes can be about 2 cm each. Since the dress does not look like it has a zipper, it needs to be a bit loose so you can put it on.
To create your waist darts in the right spots, wear the dress inside out (to make it easier to mark the waistline). Tie a ribbon around your waist. The bottom side of the ribbon will be your waistline. You can draw a line along the bottom of the ribbon, along the back with tailor's chalk, so you will know where the deepest part of the darts should be located.
Take of the dress. Working from the wrong side, fold the garment in half to have the center line of the garment at the fold line. Pin the area where you will be creating the waist darts to keep the layers together. Now measure half of your bust distance from the center back fold line, along your waistline. Next mark about 18 cm above the waistline, again with half of your bust distance from the fold line, for the top dart point. Now mark 12 cm below the waistline, with half of the bust distance from the fold line, for the bottom dart point. Connect these three marks, This is the center line of your waist dart, which is parallel to the center back fold line.
To mark the intake of the dart, measure 1 cm on either side of the center line of your dart along the waistline. Connect the dart point to these marks. If you have a center back seam, make sure to do the above steps measuring from the center back seam line. Copy your waist dart to the other side of the center back fold line using loose basting or tailor tacks. Now you can baste the two waist darts and try on the dress. If you like the dress a bit tighter you can increase the intake of the darts and do another fitting.
If your garment has a center back seam line and you want to take in from it. Measure about 25 cm above the waistline and mark, then about 14 cm below and mark on the seam line for the center back dart points. Then measure 1 cm from the center back seam line and mark on the waistline. Connect the waistline mark to the top and bottom dart points, and baste.
I am sorry for my mistake in my last letter to you. I wrote " thankyou for taking time to reply my queries." Actually I meant "Thankyou for arranging time to reply my queries". I know your life is very busy. Inspite of that you have given me your favor. Thankyou again.
Thankyou very much for taking time to reply my queries. I am also sorry for not clearly presenting my problem. My saree blouse is closely fitted to bra on centre front and on midriff line. In my draft I have trasferred the side bust dart to the midriff dart. The centre front dart is given to remove the gap between the saree blouse and the bra. In turn the centre front line of bra and the centre front line of the blouse will sit closer. I find excess cloth at the midriff dart also, so to make it fitted to the body I have to increase the midriff dart also. Now my problem is to decide how much extra dart intake should be added to the midriff dart and what should be the amount of centre front dart according the bra cup size? I am also confused about what to do with the shoulder dart. Should I draft the back without the shoulder dart? Please help me.
Bias tape should always be shorter than the edge it is sewn to, whether it is on woven or knitted fabric. However the difference in length can vary according to the shape of the edge the bias is sewn to, the stretchiness of the fabric or the bias tape. It may be that we are sewing the bias tape to a straight edge, a curved edge (like a rounded neckline), or the rounded edge of a placemat. All of these will make a difference to the length of the bias tape we need. Even if all these edges are the same length, the bias tape will be a different length for each one. So an inward curve will require less length of bias tape than an outward curve. The best way to know the ratio of bias tape length to edge length is to do a test and see the result.
Here is a link to a more detailed explanation I gave to another member, I believe this will help you out.
The shoulder seam line that we get on our block pattern may not fit all body types. That is why it is always a good idea to test your pattern using muslin.
If your shoulder has a lower slope, then you need to take in from the shoulder seam. If your shoulders are more square then you need to let out at the shoulder seam allowance, to fit your body shape. These adjustments are not related to any other changes to the side seams.
From the explanation you gave, I understand that your saree blouse does not have a side bust dart. Instead it has a center front dart.
To be able to make this change on the pattern, you need to draw a line from the center front, where you want the center front dart to be. You need to draw and connect it to the bust point, where the side bust dart ends.
Then you need to close the side bust dart and tape it down. Cut this line. This will create an opening. This way the intake of the side bust dart will be transferred to the cut line and create a dart. Place a piece of paper under and tape it in place.
Now you need to move the dart point away from the bust point, to create a soft rounded area on the bust point. This distance can be 2 to 3 cm away on the center line of this new dart. Redraw the dart legs from this point. Close this dart to trim the excess paper. Since your center front is open, make sure to add seam allowances to the center front line.
For the yoke you need to draw a line parallel to the waistline, according to the width that you want. Close the waist darts on the front and back patterns and tape them in place. Cut the line you drew, both on the front and the back patterns. Then add your seam allowances.
The yokes on the front and back do not have any darts. But the top section has the midriff dart on the front and back patterns.
You can use the same yoke that you cut from your pattern, or draft a new straight one.
If you do not want to have a center back seam, since the center front is open. The intake of the center back dart needs to be transferred to the back waist darts.
You can use the same sleeve style that we drafted in the Set-in Sleeve Block Drafting Video Lesson, or if you like it a bit more fitted, you can reduce the ease that we added. We added 1.5 cm of ease in the 3rd chapter for the bicep width. You can add 0.8 cm or 8 mm instead since saree fabric is usually not stretchy.
I suggest that you also use a narrower strip of folded paper, when measuring for the bodice and the sleeve block patterns. So the strip going under the armpit should be about 1.5 cm wide, since a more fitted sleeve should have a shorter bicep depth and requiers a higher side seam at the armhole as well.
Dear Barbara,
We will be sending out an email when the pattern diagrams are released, Please check your email they will be out very soon.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear prakash,
Thanks for the lesson suggestion. I think it is a good idea for a future eSewingWorkshop Video Lesson.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Serah,
I am very pleased to see that you have started your own business in fashion. I looked at the site and enjoyed all the outfits you have listed. I really like your logo and the name of your site as well.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear enasokab,
Yes the widest part of the darts may fall on a different line from front, side and back depending on the body shape. For beginners it is a good idea to mark the waistline using a ribbon.
However even with a ribbon the widest part of the darts, or the deepest part of the side seam may fall at different levels.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Jsee,
You are welcome. You don't need to extend the center back dart the same as the waist darts. So what you need to do is just lengthen the waist darts on the front and back to get the difference you need.
Please let me know if this helps.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear enasokab,
The reason I did not secure the ends of the threads in the Zipper Sewing Lesson, is that in this lesson the zippers are not being sewn into a project. The lesson shows only how to insert the zippers in the openings.
For example once a zipper is applied to a garment , the top will be sewn into a waistband or facing etc...This way it is secured. Depending on the project the bottom of the zipper will be secured in different ways. In the lessons below you can see different examples of this to get a better idea of what I mean.
Hi,
Do have an estimated date as to when the diagrams will be ready, I am not on the website everyday, and I am waiting for the diagrams, so I can get started.
Barbra
Dear Nehzat,
Thank you for the reply.
Yes, I have extended all the darts( 3 darts = 1 front dart & 2 back darts) and I have tripple checked the boday measurements (even marked at the body in order to get the most accurate measurements), I have linked to your website to seek the explanation as well.
However,the most that I could add to all the center dart lines is 3.8cm. (because the dart at the center back line would fall on the lower hip line), The total measurement on the pattern is 39.2cm. It is a mere 1mm difference.
Can I omit this procedure, and just smoothen the seam line between waist line and upper hip liine this case ?
I hope that you are able to understand what I mean because my command in English is not good.
Yours sincerely.
Jsee
Thank you Nehzat!
the videos are amazing!. I just had my first go at making a bodice pattern...
and i am Thrilled!.
I learned so much from this video lesson! In chapter 7: Drawing the front and back darts, I noticed that the widest part of the front darts, the side seams, and the back darts didn't seem to fall on the same horizontal line or waist line! It seemed to me the widest part of the back darts was higher than the widest part of the front darts. And when you did the first fitting, you didn't use a ribbon to mark the waist line to make sure the widest part of the darts and side seam fall on the same horizntal line???
Dear Jsee,
From what I understand you have extended the center back dart only. You need to lengthen all the front and back waist darts to be able to reduce the upper hipline on your pattern.
Here is a link with a detailed explanation that I gave to another member about this.
http://esewingworkshop.com/forum/checking-upper-hip-measurement-pattern
and yes you should not be going beyond the lower hipline when extending your darts.
Make sure to double check all the body measurements and your pattern measurements when you drafted the pattern.
Another situation that might cause this is that when you measure for the upper hip circumference on the body, you may have measured further up than exactly in the middle of the waistline and the lower hip circumference.
Please let me know if this helped you.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear siu-ling,
Welcome to our site. I hope that you can benefit from our video lessons and share your work with us.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear enasokab,
You are welcome. You can watch the T-Shirt Remodelling Video Lesson, to get some idea of how to draw and sew double pointed darts.
Especially these chapters:
5 - Finding the Center Front and Center Back Lines
7 - Drawing the Front and Back Darts
12 - Sewing the Seams and Darts by Machine
14 - Pressing the Seams and Darts
The reason we draw the front patterns a bit larger on Skirts, and Bodice is to keep the side seams a bit towards the back, so that they are less noticeable when viewed from the front. On pants we do it differently because of the buttocks, to make the pants more comfortable when worn.
Thank you Nehzat,
I apreciate your feedback.
Natalie
Thanks a lot Nehzat. I'm working on trying your idea. I have never sewn double pointed darts before. Can you give me some tips because I couldn't find any information on this site. I need to practice on scrap fabric first.
Another related question I have is that why sometimes you make the front pattern larger than the back pattern or maybe it's vice versa!
Dear Gail,
Welcome to eSewingWorkshop, it could be that your needle is not large enough for your fabric. Try larger size needles to see the result. For larger size needles you need to use thicker thread as well. Try lowering the tension to fix the thread pulling issue. The best thing to do is try different settings and needle and threads to get the perfect combination for your fabric.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear enasokab,
The best way to make the back of the dress look better is to take in only from the back, since taking in from the sides will affect the front as well.
The shape of the dress from the front looks nice at the sides as well. You can take in from the center back if you have a center back seam, such as a center back dart and/or you can create two waist darts on the back. The intakes can be about 2 cm each. Since the dress does not look like it has a zipper, it needs to be a bit loose so you can put it on.
To create your waist darts in the right spots, wear the dress inside out (to make it easier to mark the waistline). Tie a ribbon around your waist. The bottom side of the ribbon will be your waistline. You can draw a line along the bottom of the ribbon, along the back with tailor's chalk, so you will know where the deepest part of the darts should be located.
Take of the dress. Working from the wrong side, fold the garment in half to have the center line of the garment at the fold line. Pin the area where you will be creating the waist darts to keep the layers together. Now measure half of your bust distance from the center back fold line, along your waistline. Next mark about 18 cm above the waistline, again with half of your bust distance from the fold line, for the top dart point. Now mark 12 cm below the waistline, with half of the bust distance from the fold line, for the bottom dart point. Connect these three marks, This is the center line of your waist dart, which is parallel to the center back fold line.
To mark the intake of the dart, measure 1 cm on either side of the center line of your dart along the waistline. Connect the dart point to these marks. If you have a center back seam, make sure to do the above steps measuring from the center back seam line. Copy your waist dart to the other side of the center back fold line using loose basting or tailor tacks. Now you can baste the two waist darts and try on the dress. If you like the dress a bit tighter you can increase the intake of the darts and do another fitting.
If your garment has a center back seam line and you want to take in from it. Measure about 25 cm above the waistline and mark, then about 14 cm below and mark on the seam line for the center back dart points. Then measure 1 cm from the center back seam line and mark on the waistline. Connect the waistline mark to the top and bottom dart points, and baste.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Do you know the name of the stitch used in linen cut-out embroidery of dresser scarves? I have one I need to finish. thanks!
Dear nehzat,
I am sorry for my mistake in my last letter to you. I wrote " thankyou for taking time to reply my queries." Actually I meant "Thankyou for arranging time to reply my queries". I know your life is very busy. Inspite of that you have given me your favor. Thankyou again.
Thank-You Nehzat, That clarified length of bindings very well to me,
Happy sewing to you too!
Veronica:)
Dear Nehzat,
Thankyou very much for taking time to reply my queries. I am also sorry for not clearly presenting my problem. My saree blouse is closely fitted to bra on centre front and on midriff line. In my draft I have trasferred the side bust dart to the midriff dart. The centre front dart is given to remove the gap between the saree blouse and the bra. In turn the centre front line of bra and the centre front line of the blouse will sit closer. I find excess cloth at the midriff dart also, so to make it fitted to the body I have to increase the midriff dart also. Now my problem is to decide how much extra dart intake should be added to the midriff dart and what should be the amount of centre front dart according the bra cup size? I am also confused about what to do with the shoulder dart. Should I draft the back without the shoulder dart? Please help me.
Dear Veronica,
You are very welcome.
Bias tape should always be shorter than the edge it is sewn to, whether it is on woven or knitted fabric. However the difference in length can vary according to the shape of the edge the bias is sewn to, the stretchiness of the fabric or the bias tape. It may be that we are sewing the bias tape to a straight edge, a curved edge (like a rounded neckline), or the rounded edge of a placemat. All of these will make a difference to the length of the bias tape we need. Even if all these edges are the same length, the bias tape will be a different length for each one. So an inward curve will require less length of bias tape than an outward curve. The best way to know the ratio of bias tape length to edge length is to do a test and see the result.
Here is a link to a more detailed explanation I gave to another member, I believe this will help you out.
http://esewingworkshop.com/forum/bias-binder
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Conita,
The shoulder seam line that we get on our block pattern may not fit all body types. That is why it is always a good idea to test your pattern using muslin.
If your shoulder has a lower slope, then you need to take in from the shoulder seam. If your shoulders are more square then you need to let out at the shoulder seam allowance, to fit your body shape. These adjustments are not related to any other changes to the side seams.
Hope this explains it.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear athomemom56,
We will be posting the diagrams and measurement list very soon, they will be posted on each of the pattern making lesson pages above the chapter list.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear drani,
From the explanation you gave, I understand that your saree blouse does not have a side bust dart. Instead it has a center front dart.
To be able to make this change on the pattern, you need to draw a line from the center front, where you want the center front dart to be. You need to draw and connect it to the bust point, where the side bust dart ends.
Then you need to close the side bust dart and tape it down. Cut this line. This will create an opening. This way the intake of the side bust dart will be transferred to the cut line and create a dart. Place a piece of paper under and tape it in place.
Now you need to move the dart point away from the bust point, to create a soft rounded area on the bust point. This distance can be 2 to 3 cm away on the center line of this new dart. Redraw the dart legs from this point. Close this dart to trim the excess paper. Since your center front is open, make sure to add seam allowances to the center front line.
For the yoke you need to draw a line parallel to the waistline, according to the width that you want. Close the waist darts on the front and back patterns and tape them in place. Cut the line you drew, both on the front and the back patterns. Then add your seam allowances.
The yokes on the front and back do not have any darts. But the top section has the midriff dart on the front and back patterns.
You can use the same yoke that you cut from your pattern, or draft a new straight one.
If you do not want to have a center back seam, since the center front is open. The intake of the center back dart needs to be transferred to the back waist darts.
You can use the same sleeve style that we drafted in the Set-in Sleeve Block Drafting Video Lesson, or if you like it a bit more fitted, you can reduce the ease that we added. We added 1.5 cm of ease in the 3rd chapter for the bicep width. You can add 0.8 cm or 8 mm instead since saree fabric is usually not stretchy.
I suggest that you also use a narrower strip of folded paper, when measuring for the bodice and the sleeve block patterns. So the strip going under the armpit should be about 1.5 cm wide, since a more fitted sleeve should have a shorter bicep depth and requiers a higher side seam at the armhole as well.
Hope this helps you.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat