Believe it or not, we’re close to done sticking velcro together.
Start a line of velcro at the front single princess line and pass it under the arm. If your victim has arms, intruct her (or him) to move them as little as possible to allow this. Seriously – the velcro is like, 1/16″ thick. Arms do not need to be raised to the ceiling for this action.Continue around to the single princess line in back.Put a single line of velcro down the body, inside the front half of the body. This will require slightly more arm moving, but try to avoid going past a 30 degree angle.Now butt a second line of vecro right up next to that, inside the back half of the body. The true side line should be where these guys meet. Make sure they’re pressed firmly into all velcros they cross.I’m going to take one more piece of velcro around the body, starting at the center front line and running close to the body under the fullness of the bust. If you’re a chesty-girl, you may find that this tugs the CF line in towards the bust – we’ll fix that later. This line gives you the information you need to do a contoured garment (like a Victorian corset). Take it around to the back single princess line.The front is now complete, and should look a lot like this.To finish the back neck, start with a velcro on the innermost princess line, at the shoulder. On the back of the body, obviously.Pass this over the large bone in the back of the neck, and connect to the single princess line at the shoulder.We can put in the center back velcro, ideally inside the right half of the body. Center back is a little easier to find than center front, because the spine.
Incidentally, if you have significant curvature due to scoliosis or a similar issue, you’ll probably want to do the full draft on both sides of your body. Your side seams are probably different lengths. As with center front, you’ll want to do side-by-side velcros at the center back if you’re drafting both sides.
I’m adding one more line of velcro across the middle of the shoulder in back (shoulder-tip line to single princess line), just to even up my grid a little.The back is now complete, and should look kinda like this.
Coming next: that’s awesome, but how does it become a block?
I want to go do this right now, but Joann is closed and I don’t have enough velcro. This is GENIUS.
missaSeptember 15, 2014
Omg, awesome, thank you! *phew* And thank you for checking in on my neuroses. And JoAnn’s carries double sided velcro by you? I can only get it at Ace here!
Love it! I’m so glad I’m not either of those women! I do think it’s cool that the velcro let’s you do something similar and put in your style lines as you go. I kinda wish it came in colors.
Somehow I was expecting a method using blank paper measuring strips, a pencil, and a dressmaker’s square – but this looks even more exciting!
missaSeptember 17, 2014
*laugh* I just had a mental image of trying to draft a fidgeting human with tin foil! Thanks, Anna-Carin! :)
e_RugbySeptember 24, 2014
Soo excited. So many questions!
1) Does this work on male bodies? /without major changes? (Main difference is them usually being less “bumpy” in front, no? – so maybe some measurements/velcro strips can be omitted?)
3) can anyone who’s tried this already post their rough measurements and velcro usage? It’s sold in 5 m units here, and is kinda expensive, so I don’t want to buy way too much – I realize I can pre-measure the relevant distances – will do and post the result if I remember to.
2) and this is me being a drafting noob: Is it more acceptable to add ease at the sides of the resulting pattern pieces, or in the middle?
4) Is there a good online ressource detailing how to draft x (darted bodices, blouses, skirts, pants) from these? I know where to find instructions on how to do bits and pieces of what I want, and have a book or two, but the currently-ultimate(tm) way of arriving at blocks deserves an accompanying comprehensive drafting blog/forum/online classroom.
(hoping someone else than Missa knows how to answer some of these – you’ve done enough!)
5) Is there any demand for a German translation for the instructions? I’ll have to do a rough one for whoever ends up taping me anyway, so if it’s any help I can spend the extra time for a proper and understandable one.
Oh, and re: differently-coloured velcro: I found the green for plants and black or red for cables and stuff – it’s twice as broad, so you’d have to cut it along the middle, but it might work for style lines etc. Alternatively, take a sharpie to it, sew coloured ribbon down the centre or maybe experiment with dying? I know it’s vile and plasticky stuff, but I also know some people have had success dying buttons.
missaSeptember 26, 2014
Howdy – I think I can answer several of your questions.
1) Yes, this should work just fine on male bodies, as well as children, pregnant women, etc. You might be able to get away with omitting some of the velcro, but I’m not sure I’d try. The contours of the male body in front are (generally) less extreme than those of the female body, but you guys are still human-shaped. The biggest difference is that you most likely aren’t going to need to worry about making sure the chest velcros don’t flatten against the body, because they prolly will (and should).
3) A standard size 8 stand (36″/25.5″/36.5″) used less than the full 30′ roll. For myself (45/32/47ish – I’ve been dieting and I’d hate to ruin my sense of progress with the harsh reality of a tape measure) I’d expect to use 1.5 – 2 rolls.
2) Ease on blocks is generally added at the side seams for the layers closest to the body, so as not to distort the neckline. As layers get farther away from the body, ease is added all around to account for clothing presumed to be underneath. Structured jackets will also be extended in the armscye/shoulder for padding and structure.
4) Aww, thanks! That’s sort of where I was planning to go next, though. ;) There are plenty of books available on pattern drafting. Most start from a 1 or 2 dart front/back block set and develop the princess line. Getting a 1 dart bodice out of this block is super-easy – just place the upper-shoulder princess lines together and trace only to the waist. Presto! Block accomplished.
5) I have no idea, but I would be completely and thoroughly flattered to have it translated. I mean, that’s just kinda cool.
And *headdesk*, I never even thought to look in an electronics department! Sweet.
Warning: massive textdump ahead, but I’m not setting up a blog for the sake of one post.
To avoid future misapprehensions, I’m female. (That’s where mentioning electronics gets you) Just thought it’d be nice to make the boyfriend an equally well-fitting shirt. Turns out he’s not interested in standing still long enough.
Gamma-testing write-up:
I’m1,60 tall, with a proportionally longer torso than legs, European size 40 (US 8) top and 42 (US 10) bottom. Bought four rolls of velcro totaling 20m (22yd), had about half of the last one left afterwards.
With two people unfamiliar with the process, the taping procedure alone takes about 2 hours.
Bleeding obvious tip #1: if you’re the tapee, and the taper is unfamiliar with the process, talk them through it beforehand. So they know what they’re aiming for, what’s important, etc.
Especially make sure that they see how the velcro behaves, what to do when a dangling bit of tape accidentally sticks where it shouldn’t and how to gently remove it without disturbing the others.
Also locate the harder-to-find reference points before velcroing, maybe mark stuff like your shoulder tip (eyeliner or such for skin, tailor’s chalk and similar on clothes).
As in all measurement-taking endeavours: get a tall mirror (also allows you to see what your taper does without moving around), make sure there’s enough space for the taper to walk around you, make sure the room is heated so the tapee is comfortable. Wear a well-fitting bra if applicable.
The mirror also helps if the tapee has posture problems they don’t want reflected in the draft. I tend to stand with uneven shoulders, but I don’t want my clothes to encourage that behaviour. Same possibly applies for some hunched shoulder cases. I find it difficult to keep my shoulders level if I can’t see them, even with the mirror I was tempted to draw a black outline of how I should stand.
I seem to recall for someone who tends not to stand up straight it helps to give them something to look at at eye-level or slightly higher. So go ahead and place a laptop on a shelf, then play your favourite TV series on it.
Taping process is fairly straightforward, muddled through the upper cross-body velcroes somehow. Figured it wasn’t too important to get them absolutely right since we’re essentially “gridding” the body anyway. major question was where the median shoulder point lies. Is that what it’s called? My dictionary failed me, so I’ll have to find the same point in a german drafting instruction somewhere to know how to call it. And then learn how to describe it to people.
Also it’d be useful to mention stuff like not making any tapes that cross the bustline too tight before you actually start taping those velcroes, and mentioning beforehand which velcroes will be doubled or offset. Not a problem if you read ahead, though. Non-Pro-tip: If you end up telling your velcrowrangler to just run the center back tape along the spine for convenience’s sake, you can carefully cut it apart in the middle and afterwards not have to move the CB line manually at all.
After taping, even if you’re really cold from standing around in your undies, do not put on your favourite bulky wooly sweater. The velcro will know, even if you think you’re keeping a safe distance, and latch on to you immediately. Also make sure you weigh down any pattern piece you’re not currently using, because they might want to curl in on and stick to themselves. That said, as long as your velcro junctions are reasonably tightly fused, and as long as you’re careful, you can usually always separate rogue strips as long as you can remember which were the intentional joints and which the accidental ones.
I got away with laying out the 4 resulting pieces and folded muslin on an ironing board, for instant pinnability. The velcro actually adhered to the muslin a bit, and even that was only kinda useful, since it hampered my ability to slide the pieces around without distortion. Turn the muslin around, lay it over a light-table, and trace through to the other side for instant mirrored pattern pcs. Also make sure to mark at least the bust and waistline or thereabouts for additional reference points when pinning it all together. Halfway through pinning I started wondering whether I should have trued my traced pieces, probably the combined fault of my lax attitude towards exact tracing and the light-table shortcut and the one inch seam allowance.
By then my tapewielder had (deservedly) gone off to do his own thing, so I hid a separating zipper in all the needles (I’m quite tolerant of pinpricks as long as they’re self-inflicted, so the zipper went on upsy-downsy. I then played “hunt for the rogue pin” when I took it off. The boyfriend is somewhat paranoid of random pinstabs to bare feet.)
Muslin fits fine as far as I can tell with all the wrinkles, except for some weirdness at the armscye (I suspect we didn’t place that velcro high enough). The pattern pieces are seriously bizarre (major swayback, massive bum – seen from the front I don’t have much of a waist, but if I compare the waist/hip differential to any “normal” pattern I seem positively hour-glass shaped), and there’s no way my CB could ever lie on straight-of-grain (especially below the waist).
Brainflash – pants block. My thought was to go the usual route from skirt block to pants block, but theoretically one should be able to directly mold that region by gridding it in velcro as well. No more worries about preserving crotch curves and rise etc. Only you’d possibly have to do a second copy while sitting down:)
Once more, apologies for the long comment, and massive props for developing the method and putting it out here.
Now off to file a patent for the direct creation of coat blocks by putting on a bulky sweater before taking measurements.
missaSeptember 30, 2014
*laugh* Good luck with the velcro-sweater-coat-draft patent. Sorry about the gender assumption – I was going on the interest in men’s drafting and the e_rugby sign on.
Thank you for trying this and sharing the results with everyone! That was awesome of you, and I really appreciate the feedback and the beta-testing. :) Good tip on centering the CB/CF velcros and cutting up the centers. Also good on using the mirror if you are worried about posture.
Median of the shoulder? There are several terms I’ve heard used: Shoulder width, shoulder fullness, shoulder breadth. It depends on what book you’re using, I think. And yes, you’re totally gridding (or even wire-framing) the body.
You’re totally correct about being able to work a pant block off of this. It’s really easy to develope a pant block from a skirt block (your torso block below the waist, extended to knee-ish length), plus a thigh circumference. I can’t find a good link on the google right now, but I know I have it in a couple books at home.
Thanks again for jumping on this and taking the time to share the results with everyone! It’s always enlightening to know what happens with things in the wild, you know?
RowenaNovember 11, 2014
I would like to use this at an SCA Arts & Crafts session. I have converted it into a text document to help everyone with the step-by-step. I will gladly send it to you for your approval/use. May I have your permission?
missaNovember 13, 2014
Absolutely – please give a link back or a citation. I’m honored by the request – thank you!
AllieOctober 5, 2015
Love, love, love this seriously clever method. So grateful for your generosity in sharing it Missa! The velcro is ordered, the manpartner is bribed, cannot wait!
missaOctober 8, 2015
Tee! I’m very glad you’ve enjoyed it and are excited! Let me know if you run into any challenges or have experiences that can help to strengthen the method. :) Have fun!
LauraAugust 21, 2017
Omfg. This is amazing. I know I’m late to the party, but I love this so much.
Yep – I really prefer drafts that catch the whole body because so few of us are truly symmetrical. Thanks for the Velcro link!
AAJune 6, 2019
I’ve been pondering for about 2 years now doing something similar with painter’s tape – I like the velcro idea enormously. I’m going to ignore your instruction about the inter-breast-dip and see if I can come up with a bra pattern, since the whole “start with a garment that fits you and trace it” business only works if you have ever owned something that fits. (My nursing bras say 12G Aus or 34I USA, but they don’t really fit or work the way I’d like. I want to make a hybrid between longline bra and corded corset.)
I’m thinking if I lay out a large sheet of felt over the table for the velcro to be friends with once it’s off the body, it can’t do any curly-grabby nonsense.
missaJune 9, 2019
Omg, yes, a large sheet of felt should tame the velcro! I also cannot day enough bad things about modern bras. They are clearly meant for relatively straight bodies, and conceived with a sort of “but the band is stretchy – that should solve everything” mentality. Best of luck with your plans. I would love to hear what you end up with and how it works!
Laura ViniconisNovember 16, 2021
I’m curious if you could recommend any modifications for plus size velcroees? I’m assuming there would be more gridding for bust shaping and tummy shaping, just add more horizontal lines?
missaNovember 16, 2021
Hi Laura,
That’s a really good question. I did test this draft with a couple classes of students and it worked generally well, but I didn’t have any truly extended sizes in that mix. Here’s what I would recommend:
For a fuller bust, don’t use the normal single princess seam over the bust point. That can lead to issues with poor fit (either not enough room or weird pucker-itis) at the side of the bust. Instead, you’ll want to add a double princess line that creates a flat panel centered over the midline (traditional princess line) of the bust and two shaping seams to either side. These shaping seams should come in where the bust starts to curve back towards the body. Depending on the length of your neck to shoulder tip*, you can start these seams a bit to each side of the standard princess line if space permits, have them converge on the princess line at the shoulder, or take one from the shoulder princess and one from the armscye princess. The last is, I think, most normal in modern pattering, but also likely to be annoying in velcro. If there’s no way to sneak a second princess line in at the shoulder, you can also draft for a dart at the side bust – add a new vertical velcro from the bustline to the waist where the bust starts to really curve, then add a horizontal velcro from that new line out to the side line of the body, directly below the bustline velcro. When your draft is finished, snip the front side velcro between the two horizontal bust velcros to open a dart in to the fullness of the bust. (If you are only planning to use this for an Elizabethan style corset, you can skip this because *surprise* there’s not a lot of accommodation for the actual shape of boobs in those.)
For a body that is fuller through the tummy, you’re in a pretty good spot. Ye oldey velcro draft works well on male figures, and I have have the opportunity to see how it works with more of a panza. It’s been fine. Your pieces will look like there’s a well defined dart from the shoulder to the width of the belly when you spread them out, but that’s a natural reflection of the body geometry rather than a cause for concern.
For a fuller backside (in the sub-waist region), I would use a secondary princess seam again. If you plan to separate the top and bottom of the body when making further patterns from you draft, you can just do this below the waist. As with a fuller bust, you’re looking to place the princess seams where the body curves. (Yeah, ok, that’s a dumb sounding statement since bottoms tend to work in curves. But think of it like, if you were wrapping this shape in paper or tin foil, where would the paper/foil be smooth, and where would it start to get a lot of little wrinkles? The seams go where the wrinkles would start to come in, so they remove the extra material, and that enables a closer fit.
When you’re working with a combination of these cases, you may have to combine methods. Generally, you’re going to prioritize the most prominent area to get your pattern to fit correctly. So, if you’re working with boobs that stick out past the tummy, fit for the boobs. In the reverse situation, you may need to fit to the tummy more. Generally, the back of the human body is less complicated than the front, so you’re mostly worried about your end use of the draft – whether you plan to make patterns that deal with the top and bottom of the body separately, or unite them. If they will be united, make sure you’re not starting and stopping princess lines at the waist.
I hope that helps as a starting point. Would anyone be interested in seeing an article expanding on this?
Thank you,
melissa
*Note: I have literally never seen a princess line sewn like this, and the diagonals could make it a tragedy. Or, you know, maybe it’s a really neat opportunity to add a contrast fabric and have it look real cool. I’m torn. I would totally do this on a block draft and manipulate it later, but I am slightly insane.
I want to go do this right now, but Joann is closed and I don’t have enough velcro. This is GENIUS.
Omg, awesome, thank you! *phew* And thank you for checking in on my neuroses. And JoAnn’s carries double sided velcro by you? I can only get it at Ace here!
This. Is. AWESOME.
Yay! Hope it proves helpful. :)
Yep, brilliant. Sharing!!!
Thanks for sharing!
Also, check it out – would have been easier if she had had Velcro, lol. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/42643527697406419/
Love it! I’m so glad I’m not either of those women! I do think it’s cool that the velcro let’s you do something similar and put in your style lines as you go. I kinda wish it came in colors.
Brilliant! I’d never have expected velcro to be the best drafting tool since tin foil… http://www.sempstress.org/demo/how-to-clone-a-doll-and-darn-near-anything-else-without-a-ruler/
Somehow I was expecting a method using blank paper measuring strips, a pencil, and a dressmaker’s square – but this looks even more exciting!
*laugh* I just had a mental image of trying to draft a fidgeting human with tin foil! Thanks, Anna-Carin! :)
Soo excited. So many questions!
1) Does this work on male bodies? /without major changes? (Main difference is them usually being less “bumpy” in front, no? – so maybe some measurements/velcro strips can be omitted?)
3) can anyone who’s tried this already post their rough measurements and velcro usage? It’s sold in 5 m units here, and is kinda expensive, so I don’t want to buy way too much – I realize I can pre-measure the relevant distances – will do and post the result if I remember to.
2) and this is me being a drafting noob: Is it more acceptable to add ease at the sides of the resulting pattern pieces, or in the middle?
4) Is there a good online ressource detailing how to draft x (darted bodices, blouses, skirts, pants) from these? I know where to find instructions on how to do bits and pieces of what I want, and have a book or two, but the currently-ultimate(tm) way of arriving at blocks deserves an accompanying comprehensive drafting blog/forum/online classroom.
(hoping someone else than Missa knows how to answer some of these – you’ve done enough!)
5) Is there any demand for a German translation for the instructions? I’ll have to do a rough one for whoever ends up taping me anyway, so if it’s any help I can spend the extra time for a proper and understandable one.
Oh, and re: differently-coloured velcro: I found the green for plants and black or red for cables and stuff – it’s twice as broad, so you’d have to cut it along the middle, but it might work for style lines etc. Alternatively, take a sharpie to it, sew coloured ribbon down the centre or maybe experiment with dying? I know it’s vile and plasticky stuff, but I also know some people have had success dying buttons.
Howdy – I think I can answer several of your questions.
1) Yes, this should work just fine on male bodies, as well as children, pregnant women, etc. You might be able to get away with omitting some of the velcro, but I’m not sure I’d try. The contours of the male body in front are (generally) less extreme than those of the female body, but you guys are still human-shaped. The biggest difference is that you most likely aren’t going to need to worry about making sure the chest velcros don’t flatten against the body, because they prolly will (and should).
3) A standard size 8 stand (36″/25.5″/36.5″) used less than the full 30′ roll. For myself (45/32/47ish – I’ve been dieting and I’d hate to ruin my sense of progress with the harsh reality of a tape measure) I’d expect to use 1.5 – 2 rolls.
2) Ease on blocks is generally added at the side seams for the layers closest to the body, so as not to distort the neckline. As layers get farther away from the body, ease is added all around to account for clothing presumed to be underneath. Structured jackets will also be extended in the armscye/shoulder for padding and structure.
4) Aww, thanks! That’s sort of where I was planning to go next, though. ;) There are plenty of books available on pattern drafting. Most start from a 1 or 2 dart front/back block set and develop the princess line. Getting a 1 dart bodice out of this block is super-easy – just place the upper-shoulder princess lines together and trace only to the waist. Presto! Block accomplished.
5) I have no idea, but I would be completely and thoroughly flattered to have it translated. I mean, that’s just kinda cool.
And *headdesk*, I never even thought to look in an electronics department! Sweet.
I’d just like to say that I love you. Seriously.
Aww…. Thanks, Lori! :)
Warning: massive textdump ahead, but I’m not setting up a blog for the sake of one post.
To avoid future misapprehensions, I’m female. (That’s where mentioning electronics gets you) Just thought it’d be nice to make the boyfriend an equally well-fitting shirt. Turns out he’s not interested in standing still long enough.
Gamma-testing write-up:
I’m1,60 tall, with a proportionally longer torso than legs, European size 40 (US 8) top and 42 (US 10) bottom. Bought four rolls of velcro totaling 20m (22yd), had about half of the last one left afterwards.
With two people unfamiliar with the process, the taping procedure alone takes about 2 hours.
Bleeding obvious tip #1: if you’re the tapee, and the taper is unfamiliar with the process, talk them through it beforehand. So they know what they’re aiming for, what’s important, etc.
Especially make sure that they see how the velcro behaves, what to do when a dangling bit of tape accidentally sticks where it shouldn’t and how to gently remove it without disturbing the others.
Also locate the harder-to-find reference points before velcroing, maybe mark stuff like your shoulder tip (eyeliner or such for skin, tailor’s chalk and similar on clothes).
As in all measurement-taking endeavours: get a tall mirror (also allows you to see what your taper does without moving around), make sure there’s enough space for the taper to walk around you, make sure the room is heated so the tapee is comfortable. Wear a well-fitting bra if applicable.
The mirror also helps if the tapee has posture problems they don’t want reflected in the draft. I tend to stand with uneven shoulders, but I don’t want my clothes to encourage that behaviour. Same possibly applies for some hunched shoulder cases. I find it difficult to keep my shoulders level if I can’t see them, even with the mirror I was tempted to draw a black outline of how I should stand.
I seem to recall for someone who tends not to stand up straight it helps to give them something to look at at eye-level or slightly higher. So go ahead and place a laptop on a shelf, then play your favourite TV series on it.
Taping process is fairly straightforward, muddled through the upper cross-body velcroes somehow. Figured it wasn’t too important to get them absolutely right since we’re essentially “gridding” the body anyway. major question was where the median shoulder point lies. Is that what it’s called? My dictionary failed me, so I’ll have to find the same point in a german drafting instruction somewhere to know how to call it. And then learn how to describe it to people.
Also it’d be useful to mention stuff like not making any tapes that cross the bustline too tight before you actually start taping those velcroes, and mentioning beforehand which velcroes will be doubled or offset. Not a problem if you read ahead, though. Non-Pro-tip: If you end up telling your velcrowrangler to just run the center back tape along the spine for convenience’s sake, you can carefully cut it apart in the middle and afterwards not have to move the CB line manually at all.
After taping, even if you’re really cold from standing around in your undies, do not put on your favourite bulky wooly sweater. The velcro will know, even if you think you’re keeping a safe distance, and latch on to you immediately. Also make sure you weigh down any pattern piece you’re not currently using, because they might want to curl in on and stick to themselves. That said, as long as your velcro junctions are reasonably tightly fused, and as long as you’re careful, you can usually always separate rogue strips as long as you can remember which were the intentional joints and which the accidental ones.
I got away with laying out the 4 resulting pieces and folded muslin on an ironing board, for instant pinnability. The velcro actually adhered to the muslin a bit, and even that was only kinda useful, since it hampered my ability to slide the pieces around without distortion. Turn the muslin around, lay it over a light-table, and trace through to the other side for instant mirrored pattern pcs. Also make sure to mark at least the bust and waistline or thereabouts for additional reference points when pinning it all together. Halfway through pinning I started wondering whether I should have trued my traced pieces, probably the combined fault of my lax attitude towards exact tracing and the light-table shortcut and the one inch seam allowance.
By then my tapewielder had (deservedly) gone off to do his own thing, so I hid a separating zipper in all the needles (I’m quite tolerant of pinpricks as long as they’re self-inflicted, so the zipper went on upsy-downsy. I then played “hunt for the rogue pin” when I took it off. The boyfriend is somewhat paranoid of random pinstabs to bare feet.)
Muslin fits fine as far as I can tell with all the wrinkles, except for some weirdness at the armscye (I suspect we didn’t place that velcro high enough). The pattern pieces are seriously bizarre (major swayback, massive bum – seen from the front I don’t have much of a waist, but if I compare the waist/hip differential to any “normal” pattern I seem positively hour-glass shaped), and there’s no way my CB could ever lie on straight-of-grain (especially below the waist).
Brainflash – pants block. My thought was to go the usual route from skirt block to pants block, but theoretically one should be able to directly mold that region by gridding it in velcro as well. No more worries about preserving crotch curves and rise etc. Only you’d possibly have to do a second copy while sitting down:)
Once more, apologies for the long comment, and massive props for developing the method and putting it out here.
Now off to file a patent for the direct creation of coat blocks by putting on a bulky sweater before taking measurements.
*laugh* Good luck with the velcro-sweater-coat-draft patent. Sorry about the gender assumption – I was going on the interest in men’s drafting and the e_rugby sign on.
Thank you for trying this and sharing the results with everyone! That was awesome of you, and I really appreciate the feedback and the beta-testing. :) Good tip on centering the CB/CF velcros and cutting up the centers. Also good on using the mirror if you are worried about posture.
Median of the shoulder? There are several terms I’ve heard used: Shoulder width, shoulder fullness, shoulder breadth. It depends on what book you’re using, I think. And yes, you’re totally gridding (or even wire-framing) the body.
You’re totally correct about being able to work a pant block off of this. It’s really easy to develope a pant block from a skirt block (your torso block below the waist, extended to knee-ish length), plus a thigh circumference. I can’t find a good link on the google right now, but I know I have it in a couple books at home.
Thanks again for jumping on this and taking the time to share the results with everyone! It’s always enlightening to know what happens with things in the wild, you know?
I would like to use this at an SCA Arts & Crafts session. I have converted it into a text document to help everyone with the step-by-step. I will gladly send it to you for your approval/use. May I have your permission?
Absolutely – please give a link back or a citation. I’m honored by the request – thank you!
Love, love, love this seriously clever method. So grateful for your generosity in sharing it Missa! The velcro is ordered, the manpartner is bribed, cannot wait!
Tee! I’m very glad you’ve enjoyed it and are excited! Let me know if you run into any challenges or have experiences that can help to strengthen the method. :) Have fun!
Omfg. This is amazing. I know I’m late to the party, but I love this so much.
Ha! :) So glad you like it!
This would be awesome for dealing with people with unusually squared/sloped shoulders, asymmetric shoulders or scoliosis.
And the double-sided Velcro does come in nifty colors. :)
https://www.levitthookandloop.com/velcro-brand-one-wrap-tape.html
Yep – I really prefer drafts that catch the whole body because so few of us are truly symmetrical. Thanks for the Velcro link!
I’ve been pondering for about 2 years now doing something similar with painter’s tape – I like the velcro idea enormously. I’m going to ignore your instruction about the inter-breast-dip and see if I can come up with a bra pattern, since the whole “start with a garment that fits you and trace it” business only works if you have ever owned something that fits. (My nursing bras say 12G Aus or 34I USA, but they don’t really fit or work the way I’d like. I want to make a hybrid between longline bra and corded corset.)
I’m thinking if I lay out a large sheet of felt over the table for the velcro to be friends with once it’s off the body, it can’t do any curly-grabby nonsense.
Omg, yes, a large sheet of felt should tame the velcro! I also cannot day enough bad things about modern bras. They are clearly meant for relatively straight bodies, and conceived with a sort of “but the band is stretchy – that should solve everything” mentality. Best of luck with your plans. I would love to hear what you end up with and how it works!
I’m curious if you could recommend any modifications for plus size velcroees? I’m assuming there would be more gridding for bust shaping and tummy shaping, just add more horizontal lines?
Hi Laura,
That’s a really good question. I did test this draft with a couple classes of students and it worked generally well, but I didn’t have any truly extended sizes in that mix. Here’s what I would recommend:
I hope that helps as a starting point. Would anyone be interested in seeing an article expanding on this?
Thank you,
melissa
*Note: I have literally never seen a princess line sewn like this, and the diagonals could make it a tragedy. Or, you know, maybe it’s a really neat opportunity to add a contrast fabric and have it look real cool. I’m torn. I would totally do this on a block draft and manipulate it later, but I am slightly insane.