Here are the measurements you will need to make the front pattern:
- Your quarter waist measurement with 1/4 inch for the waist arc and 1/4 inch for ease added.Quarter of your waist measurement plus 1/2 inch. Mine is 7 3/4"
- Your hip measurement. Ther is no arc and the ease is added at the back so you just need your quarter waist measurement for your hipline. Mine is 9 3/4"
- Your waist to widest part of your hip measurement. Mine is 9"
- Length you want your skirt. Mine is 23 inches.
- Dart intake measurement for front darts. I will have two darts 3/8 inch wide each but you may have only one dart if your waist/ hip ration is smaller than 7 inches.
- Fold a piece of paper wider than half your hip measurement and about 4 inches longer than your skirt length. Fold it in half. The fold will be Center Front or CF. I had to iron my paper flat because it was too rounded from being rolled up. Mark a few extra inches down from your waist hip measurement on the fold. This will be your hipline. Draw a perpendicular line from CF your front hip quarter measurement.
- Draw a straight up and down line parallel to the fold from the end of your hip measurement. This will form your side seam.
- Measure up from your hipline your waist hip length measurement. Draw a perpendicular line straight across CF waist mark. This will be your waistline.
- Drawing the first dart: For my size I measured three inches from CF waistline to start my first dart. Your first waist dart should be directly under your bust apex. To find that trace a straight line from your apex down to your waist. You can make a little pen mark. Then measure from your belly button which is the body's center front. That measurement is where you should draw your first dart on your pattern. Mark the dart width with up and down lines. My dart is 3/8 of an inch wide. For the second dart measure over toward the side seam 1 1/4 inch. Draw your second dart with straight up and down lines like in the picture.
- Draw 3 1/2 inches down at the dart waist marks. Mark the end of the dart in the center. Draw new line with your ruler like in the photo.
- Measure from CF to first dart. Skip darts, and measure in between them and then to the side seam your front quarter waist measurement. Mark on the side seam waistline. From your side seam and side waist intersection, measure UP 1/2 inch to create your waist shape. Mark that new spot. Ignore how I wrote on number 6 in the photo, side waist seam . It should say side center seam. It's photoshopped and would take forever to change now!
- From your second dart end, sketch up to your new waist line side seam mark or use your French curve ruler to do it if you have one. From your new side waist seam , draw a new side seam to just above your hipline using your French curve again, or sketching.
9. Draw your waist seam allowance. Make it 1/2 inch. For pattern making the standard seam allowance is 1/2 inch. For your side seams make the seam allowances 1 inch. This can allow for any fitting adjustments I might need since I won't be making a muslin. You are welcome to make a muslin, however. For the hem, I am marking a 1 inch seam allowance to make a narrow, machine sewn hem. If you want to make a hand stitched hem, make the hem seam allowance 2 1/2 inches.
10. Cut out your pattern . Also cut out your darts. It makes it much easier to mark them on your fabric.
So that's it for today!
If you have any questions leave a comment and I will be sure to get back to you.
So far so good! It looks enormous, but with an inch extra each side, it's bound to! I've had to add a note to self to add the hem at the bottom... I've a feeling rolls of brown paper come in metric sizes here!
ReplyDeleteThanks, instructions excellent so far! :-)
This is very interesting, Justine! I will be following along from the road, as we are out of town. But, I'd love to try this when I get home!
ReplyDelete