The reason we divide the neck circumference by 6 is because of the human body proportions. In a standard human figure the back of the neck is about 1/3 of the neck circumference therefore when we draft the pattern we mark half of this distance for the back of the neckline and the same for the front. This is 1/6 plus 0.5 cm for the ease. We measure and mark this number from the center back line and the center front line along the shoulder line.
To draw the neckline on the back we measure 2 cm down from the shoulder line and mark on the center back line, then connect the mark on the shoulder to the mark on the center back line with a curved line.
To draw the neckline on the front pattern we measure 1/6 of the circumference plus 1 cm down from the shoulder line and mark on the center front line. When we connect the mark on the shoulder line to the mark on the center front line with a curved line, this line is about 2/6 of the total circumference. Since this is half of the front, we will end up with a total of 4/6 for the front. The same thing will apply to the back, 1/6 will become 2/6 since we are working on a pattern for half of the back.
2/6 for the back plus about 4/6 on the front is the total for the neck circumference. This is why we divide the total neck circumference by 6.
We use this calculations to transfer our neck circumference from a three dimensional form to a two dimensional paper and then back to a three dimensional garment by using geometry and math.
The best thing to do is to watch the bodice block pattern video lesson so that you can draft your own customized block pattern which will fit you just right. Then you can style it and add your seam allowances.
However if you want to make alterations to your existing pattern to make it fit you, the first thing you need to do is to draw the seam lines on your pattern for each seam where you will need to do any alterations, if the seam lines are not already there. Do this according to the pattern instructions. In this case you will need to have the shoulder seam lines, armhole seam lines and side seam lines on the front and back patterns.
Now you need to measure your bust circumference, waist circumference, lower and upper hip circumferences and then measure those same areas on your pattern to see how much you need to add.
The amount you will need to add to the back and front sides of your patterns, will be a quarter of the difference for each area mentioned above.
Next, you need to do a test using muslin, to see how it fits. If you see that you have excess fabric on the side seams hanging below the armholes and/or at the armholes you need to add bust darts to your pattern or increase the intake of your existing bust darts.
To calculate the intake amount needed for the bust darts, fold the excess fabric at the armholes and below the armholes in half, and then pin to create darts ending towards the bust point but not on it. Measure the intakes of these darts, add them together to get the intake for your new bust dart, or the amount you need to add to the existing bust dart.
Once you have drawn the new bust dart on the pattern: 17. Drawing the Side Dart, close and tape the bust dart to keep it in place. Because of the dart, the front side seam line will be shorter when you measure from the waist mark to the armhole, compared to the side seam line on the back pattern. To fix this draw a new side seam form the waist mark to the armhole on the front pattern and extend the line further up.
Now you need to measure the front and back side seam lines, (not the edge of the seam allowance) from the waist marks to the armholes. Add the two numbers and divide by 2. This will be the new side seam line for the front and back patterns.
Measure from the waist mark on the front and back patterns, along the side seam lines and mark. You will notice that the front side seam has gone up and the back side seam has gone down. Now you will need to redraw the bottom half of the armholes from the new mark on the side seam lines, both on the front and back patterns.
It makes me so happy to know that you have benefited from our site, it is always good to hear from our members. Wish you the best in your studies in college.
The best thing to do is go to a store and hem something to test the machine and see how it feels. There are many price points, usually I would recommend something in the mid price range so that you get quality and the machine would be more reliable.
To add seam allowance around the neckline, you need to measure and mark a 1.3 cm seam allowance from the neckline, repeat about every 3 cm. Then connect the marks.
You are welcome. Yes we will cover more alterations in the future lessons. However what you did by copying from an existing cuff was a very good idea, that I advise my self.
When making alterations, you can learn a lot about sewing and how garments are constructed. So it's good to pay attention to different parts of the garment as well.
Try your best and don't be afraid of something new. By watching the videos carefully you can pickup a lot of tips and learn techniques you can apply to other projects, even if you are not planning to do the same project.
When doing alterations, it is always best to do a fitting before finishing the garment. This way you will have peace of mind, enjoy your work with out becoming stressed.
thanks. i am working on hemming a pants on a mans suit . It has cuffs i thought this was going to be easy . I was totally confused. Finally i was told to forget it , give up and take them to the alteration shop. I did not take the advice i am determined to learn alterations of all types . I finally had to take apart a pair of cuffed pants step by step to see how it was put together and just try to copy it . Will you be having any future videos on with more details on different aspects of alterations on mens suits ? and any thing that i might be asked to do in alterations business. I am interested in taking in alterations in my home after i learn what i am doing. I need some supplimental income and thinking this would be a good way to keep in touch with people and help them out and make some income. thanks you sight has been very helpful.
Congratulations for your success in making the full figure pattern and a skirt that fits you just right.
Whenever the difference between the lower or upper hip circumference and the waist circumference is small you will have narrow darts. Even if the dart intakes are minute, they will still give a good fit and look to the garment and give an illusion of a narrow waistline.
So your results are just right, especially since the skirt fits you so well.
I would relay love to see your work, so if you can please upload a picture. You can do so by clicking on the icon with the landscape picture on it when replying.
Congrats on making the block pattern for your daughter and getting it right. We will add a sleeve block pattern making lesson soon to our online library.
To give ease to your block pattern you can reduce the intake of the darts after drafting the block pattern. You can also add to the side seams from the top to the bottom, both on the front and the back. You may also add more to the side seam at the waistlines compared to the rest of the side seams. Make sure to add the same amount to the front and back side seams when you do this. Then all you have to do is smooth out the lines.
You can add about 5 mm to the side seams on the front and back, this will give you a total ease of 2 cm from the armpit to the hemline in the side seams. If you think you need more ease you can add more. After adding the ease and drawing the new side seams, you measure, mark and draw the seam allowances. It is best to do another test on muslin, before cutting your fabric.
i made it using the dress pattern and followed the sewing instructions for the dress. It was so challenging as i had to take the measurements myself and i had no sewing tables to cut the materials and patterns, all i did was place them on the floor to cut!. Thanks for appreciating my efforts.
You can start with alterations and as work you will learn a lot, specially when you try to maintain the original style of the garment. Pay attention to the different parts of the garment and the details of their construction. This is useful especially on well made clothing.
The more you practice the more confident you'll be and in turn this will be reflected in your work.
People are willing to pay more for fine alterations, will stay as customers and will recommend you to others.
Thanks you so much. Do the following before adding the seam allowances around the pattern. To make the straight skirt pattern into an ankle length, you just need to add extra length to the pattern from the bottom edge to bring it to your ankle.
Next you need to extend the hemline by about 15 cm from the side seams on the front and back patterns. Make sure to mark exactly the same amount on both front and back patterns. Then use a long ruler and connect the mark to the side seam, between the upper and lower hiplines, wherever the line merges smoothly. Now you have the new side seams.
Next you measure from the lower hipline to the hemline on the center front or the center back. What ever this number is, measure down from the lower hipline and mark it on the new side seams.
You will notice that the mark falls a bit higher from the hemline, Therefore we will draw a gradual curved line connecting this mark to the hemline at the old side seam. Since the new side seam is at an angle the length has increased, if we don't adjust it with a curved line the sides of the skirt will be longer than the rest of the skirt.
The skirt is now an A-line skirt, so if we want we can eliminate the center back slit. To do this all we need is a 2.5 cm seam allowance along the center back line.
Let me know if you have any question.
You can always do a test on muslin to make sure the bottom is the way you like it, and make adjustments to your pattern by increasing or decreasing the amount added at the hemlines. Remember to add the same amount to both patterns when marking the new side seams on the hemline.
I hope your daughter enjoys making the cushion cover, let me know how it turns out.
Thanks for your suggestions, we will definitely work on making an introductory lesson for curtain making and then continue from there to make different styles.
If we measure the distance from the side seam to the center of the dart, instead of the leg of the dart, the second dart will be positioned a little further from the first dart. This is not a big difference so it is up to you to decide what you would prefer.
Would like to make simple curtains for my house. Need training video. Which DVD will teach me how to make curtains? Ann P need simple country curtains. How do I find this video?
Thanks. It is always a good idea to learn how to draft a pattern according to your own measurements. This way your garments will always fit well, be flattering and give you great satisfaction in your work.
We will have video lessons regarding how to alter a pattern to make it fit according to the body measurements.
Hi ike_51,
Welcome to eSewingWorkshop. There are lots of stores online where they sell fabric, you might be able to find what you are looking for there.
Nehzat
Hi Carol,
The reason we divide the neck circumference by 6 is because of the human body proportions. In a standard human figure the back of the neck is about 1/3 of the neck circumference therefore when we draft the pattern we mark half of this distance for the back of the neckline and the same for the front. This is 1/6 plus 0.5 cm for the ease. We measure and mark this number from the center back line and the center front line along the shoulder line.
To draw the neckline on the back we measure 2 cm down from the shoulder line and mark on the center back line, then connect the mark on the shoulder to the mark on the center back line with a curved line.
To draw the neckline on the front pattern we measure 1/6 of the circumference plus 1 cm down from the shoulder line and mark on the center front line. When we connect the mark on the shoulder line to the mark on the center front line with a curved line, this line is about 2/6 of the total circumference. Since this is half of the front, we will end up with a total of 4/6 for the front. The same thing will apply to the back, 1/6 will become 2/6 since we are working on a pattern for half of the back.
2/6 for the back plus about 4/6 on the front is the total for the neck circumference. This is why we divide the total neck circumference by 6.
We use this calculations to transfer our neck circumference from a three dimensional form to a two dimensional paper and then back to a three dimensional garment by using geometry and math.
I hope this helps explain things.
Nehzat
Dear Denise
You currently have an Annual subscription and it will automatically renew on October 13th.
If you have any questions please let us know.
Regards
Nehzat
Hi Nehzat,
My name is Denise (1956)
I applied for 1 year's lessons, did my subscription expire?
if I subscribe for a nother year can I use the same mame and pass word
Regards,
Denise (1956)
Hi Dreher62,
Welcome to eSewingWorkshop.
The best thing to do is to watch the bodice block pattern video lesson so that you can draft your own customized block pattern which will fit you just right. Then you can style it and add your seam allowances.
However if you want to make alterations to your existing pattern to make it fit you, the first thing you need to do is to draw the seam lines on your pattern for each seam where you will need to do any alterations, if the seam lines are not already there. Do this according to the pattern instructions. In this case you will need to have the shoulder seam lines, armhole seam lines and side seam lines on the front and back patterns.
Now you need to measure your bust circumference, waist circumference, lower and upper hip circumferences and then measure those same areas on your pattern to see how much you need to add.
The amount you will need to add to the back and front sides of your patterns, will be a quarter of the difference for each area mentioned above.
Next, you need to do a test using muslin, to see how it fits. If you see that you have excess fabric on the side seams hanging below the armholes and/or at the armholes you need to add bust darts to your pattern or increase the intake of your existing bust darts.
To calculate the intake amount needed for the bust darts, fold the excess fabric at the armholes and below the armholes in half, and then pin to create darts ending towards the bust point but not on it. Measure the intakes of these darts, add them together to get the intake for your new bust dart, or the amount you need to add to the existing bust dart.
Once you have drawn the new bust dart on the pattern: 17. Drawing the Side Dart, close and tape the bust dart to keep it in place. Because of the dart, the front side seam line will be shorter when you measure from the waist mark to the armhole, compared to the side seam line on the back pattern. To fix this draw a new side seam form the waist mark to the armhole on the front pattern and extend the line further up.
Now you need to measure the front and back side seam lines, (not the edge of the seam allowance) from the waist marks to the armholes. Add the two numbers and divide by 2. This will be the new side seam line for the front and back patterns.
Measure from the waist mark on the front and back patterns, along the side seam lines and mark. You will notice that the front side seam has gone up and the back side seam has gone down. Now you will need to redraw the bottom half of the armholes from the new mark on the side seam lines, both on the front and back patterns.
Next you need to center the shoulder seam lines as well for the front and back patterns. You can find the video instructions on our site here: 19. Centering the Shoulder Slopes and Aligning the Armholes
After doing all the alterations on your pattern, make sure to adjust the seam allowances as well.
I hope this helps you, happy sewing,
Nehzat
Hi Didi,
It makes me so happy to know that you have benefited from our site, it is always good to hear from our members. Wish you the best in your studies in college.
Thank you for your comments and happy sewing,
Nehzat
Hi Carol,
The best thing to do is go to a store and hem something to test the machine and see how it feels. There are many price points, usually I would recommend something in the mid price range so that you get quality and the machine would be more reliable.
Here is a link to a site with reviews: http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp01470-1760.html
Hope this helps,
Nehzat
Hi Tammu,
The block pattern that we made is close fitted and therefore does not have any wearing ease. You can add your own wearing ease to it.
Please let me know what you are planning to sew, and I will let you know how much ease to add to each area.
Thanks,
Nehzat
Hi mamababa,
To add seam allowance around the neckline, you need to measure and mark a 1.3 cm seam allowance from the neckline, repeat about every 3 cm. Then connect the marks.
Hope this helps,
Nehzat
Hi Rubymay,
When you finish working on your T-shirt don't forget to share your work with us, I would love to see it.
The Iron Model is Rowenta DW 9080.
Happy Sewing,
Nehzat
Hi Cherie,
You are welcome. Yes we will cover more alterations in the future lessons. However what you did by copying from an existing cuff was a very good idea, that I advise my self.
When making alterations, you can learn a lot about sewing and how garments are constructed. So it's good to pay attention to different parts of the garment as well.
Try your best and don't be afraid of something new. By watching the videos carefully you can pickup a lot of tips and learn techniques you can apply to other projects, even if you are not planning to do the same project.
When doing alterations, it is always best to do a fitting before finishing the garment. This way you will have peace of mind, enjoy your work with out becoming stressed.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
thanks. i am working on hemming a pants on a mans suit . It has cuffs i thought this was going to be easy . I was totally confused. Finally i was told to forget it , give up and take them to the alteration shop. I did not take the advice i am determined to learn alterations of all types . I finally had to take apart a pair of cuffed pants step by step to see how it was put together and just try to copy it . Will you be having any future videos on with more details on different aspects of alterations on mens suits ? and any thing that i might be asked to do in alterations business. I am interested in taking in alterations in my home after i learn what i am doing. I need some supplimental income and thinking this would be a good way to keep in touch with people and help them out and make some income. thanks you sight has been very helpful.
Hi Jaybee,
Congratulations for your success in making the full figure pattern and a skirt that fits you just right.
Whenever the difference between the lower or upper hip circumference and the waist circumference is small you will have narrow darts. Even if the dart intakes are minute, they will still give a good fit and look to the garment and give an illusion of a narrow waistline.
So your results are just right, especially since the skirt fits you so well.
I would relay love to see your work, so if you can please upload a picture. You can do so by clicking on the icon with the landscape picture on it when replying.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Hi Diana,
Congrats on making the block pattern for your daughter and getting it right. We will add a sleeve block pattern making lesson soon to our online library.
To give ease to your block pattern you can reduce the intake of the darts after drafting the block pattern. You can also add to the side seams from the top to the bottom, both on the front and the back. You may also add more to the side seam at the waistlines compared to the rest of the side seams. Make sure to add the same amount to the front and back side seams when you do this. Then all you have to do is smooth out the lines.
You can add about 5 mm to the side seams on the front and back, this will give you a total ease of 2 cm from the armpit to the hemline in the side seams. If you think you need more ease you can add more. After adding the ease and drawing the new side seams, you measure, mark and draw the seam allowances. It is best to do another test on muslin, before cutting your fabric.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Hi Svpria_rajesh,
Welcome to eSewingWorkshop, we will add your suggested topic to our list for future lessons.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
dear semande
I must say you really did a very good job .The dress looks beautiful. Nehzat is indeed a good teacher
bless you
Hi Cherie,
You can use a tailors chalk and a ruler when measuring and marking, however make sure that the chalk marks can be removed from the fabric later on.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
i made it using the dress pattern and followed the sewing instructions for the dress. It was so challenging as i had to take the measurements myself and i had no sewing tables to cut the materials and patterns, all i did was place them on the floor to cut!. Thanks for appreciating my efforts.
i like your dress looks real pretty!
Hi Cherie,
You can start with alterations and as work you will learn a lot, specially when you try to maintain the original style of the garment. Pay attention to the different parts of the garment and the details of their construction. This is useful especially on well made clothing.
The more you practice the more confident you'll be and in turn this will be reflected in your work.
People are willing to pay more for fine alterations, will stay as customers and will recommend you to others.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Hi Tammu,
Thanks you so much. Do the following before adding the seam allowances around the pattern. To make the straight skirt pattern into an ankle length, you just need to add extra length to the pattern from the bottom edge to bring it to your ankle.
Next you need to extend the hemline by about 15 cm from the side seams on the front and back patterns. Make sure to mark exactly the same amount on both front and back patterns. Then use a long ruler and connect the mark to the side seam, between the upper and lower hiplines, wherever the line merges smoothly. Now you have the new side seams.
Next you measure from the lower hipline to the hemline on the center front or the center back. What ever this number is, measure down from the lower hipline and mark it on the new side seams.
You will notice that the mark falls a bit higher from the hemline, Therefore we will draw a gradual curved line connecting this mark to the hemline at the old side seam. Since the new side seam is at an angle the length has increased, if we don't adjust it with a curved line the sides of the skirt will be longer than the rest of the skirt.
The skirt is now an A-line skirt, so if we want we can eliminate the center back slit. To do this all we need is a 2.5 cm seam allowance along the center back line.
Let me know if you have any question.
You can always do a test on muslin to make sure the bottom is the way you like it, and make adjustments to your pattern by increasing or decreasing the amount added at the hemlines. Remember to add the same amount to both patterns when marking the new side seams on the hemline.
I hope your daughter enjoys making the cushion cover, let me know how it turns out.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Dear Ann & Maryangers
Thanks for your suggestions, we will definitely work on making an introductory lesson for curtain making and then continue from there to make different styles.
Happy Sewing,
Nehzat
Hi Veronica,
If we measure the distance from the side seam to the center of the dart, instead of the leg of the dart, the second dart will be positioned a little further from the first dart. This is not a big difference so it is up to you to decide what you would prefer.
Hope this helps,
Nehzat
Would like to make simple curtains for my house. Need training video. Which DVD will teach me how to make curtains? Ann P need simple country curtains. How do I find this video?
annp@dishmail.net
Hi Jaybee,
Thanks. It is always a good idea to learn how to draft a pattern according to your own measurements. This way your garments will always fit well, be flattering and give you great satisfaction in your work.
We will have video lessons regarding how to alter a pattern to make it fit according to the body measurements.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat