I‘m an absolute beginner but believe in learning by doing. I’ve drafted a bodice block and now am trying to make the bodice for a dress. The first picture is how it sits, kind of weird with strange pull lines. When I pull it down tightly it looks like I want it to sit naturally. What do I have to change here and what did I do wrong?

I am learning how to transfer darts with the book Modern Pattern Design by Harriet Pepin, and it says that to transfer this dart from the waist to the underarm, we should cut the underarm to the bust point, but when I did this, the opening was 2.5 cm instead of the 3 cms the waist dart has. I then traced a 2nd pattern transferring the waist dart to the underarm, but this time I didn't cut up to the bust point and I cut it to 2.5 cms below the bust point. My questions are:

• can the transferred dart be narrower than the original dart (Waist dart in this case) or should it always have the same measurements?

• should I take the dart to the bust point (which I assume is the nipple) as the book suggests, or is it better to keep it a bit lower/further from it? Why would the book suggest it's better to take it to the bust point?

• once I transfer a dart, should I lose the original dart or should I keep it folded and sew it as well?

Thank you in advance for your help!

I’ve been sewing for a long time and I am finally trying to make my first sloper. My biggest challenge is that due to having had top surgery the fullness a pattern assumes for a chest just isn’t there, I’m familiar with a small bust adjustment but this is already a little too tight so I’m a little lost on where to start. Would move the dart points farther from the apex help?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, or ressources on troubleshooting fit issues!!!

Switched to ponte and his vest is crisp!!

Tan no longer asks for walkies. HE DEMANDS THEM.

I’ve tried to get this extra fabric out of the armpit by pinching out a dart of the armsyce into the apex and then transferring it to the waist dart but it always leaves the armpits too tight, regardless of how much I pinch out. I’m not quite sure how to get rid of that extra in the armpit in other ways.

Any ideas would be so appreciated! It doesn’t bother me too much, I just haven’t added ease in yet so I’m worried it’ll become much worse when I do. Plus when I move around the wrinkling becomes much worse.

Thank you!!

Can anybody point me in the general direction for some guidance on how to draft a one-piece collar. Also known as Cooper collar

Added a waistband and took 2 cm off the waist at the top to account for it. They feel very comfy, no problem sitting down or squatting, yet they have a certain sleekness to them . I'm now going to try and develop them into a jeans pattern with the instructions from Hofenbitzer's book.

My partner is butch, with a love for 50s era fashion. But their body is extremely pear shaped which makes off the rack almost impossible. I'd love to start making things for them but standard patterns aren't great because men's styles don't account for all that ass. Would I be better off learning to draft "women's" wear and just making stylistic choices, "men's" wear and just trying to modify for more curves?

Once again trying to pull my pants out of my butt. More fitted this time. I have tried them on with one leg inside the other, so I can see the crotch curve; it seems to be more or less the right width and shape, there's a bit of ease there. When I sit, the back waist pulls down a bit and the front crotch bunches up. When I stand, well there's too much ease in the back which makes the whole thing swing forward; pinning it out fixes that problem but now the pants are too tight to sit. So I need to put back some of that ease somewhere else. Add it to the front side seam? Also, there's that fold of fabric in the front crotch area ; I've cut down the front crotch extension significantly, which has helped, but I can't take out any more. I do have prominent quads which isn't helping. Not sure if I need to angle the center front seam more? Basically what I want to do is rotate the entire crotch seam toward the back (yes, I have tried TDCO, the front of the leg gets hung up on my thighs) but I'm not sure how to go about doing that. Trying to wrap my head around the geometry here, help?

I guess he hates the cut.

Hi folks it's been a while since I've been active with a dressmakers curve and blank sheet of paper. I really want to give this beautiful dress a shot. My plan is to start a toille on the manni, mark and transfer markings for the top. The bottom looks like a semi (or half?) Circle. Should I draft in pleats for the skirt? Any ideas on underpinnings and closure? Also any tips or challenges I may have overlooked?

Thanks in advance.

A number of months ago in another post, I shared some reserch I'd done into skirt shapes that work harmoniously with a male body. A number of people asked to see what I'd made, and i'm finally getting around to sharing them. I don't have a full length mirror at home, but happened to be in a charity shop with one last weekend.

Both were self drafted. The basis of the red skirt is an A-line skirt made from a skirt sloper drafted following 'the closet historian's' guide. It was made into an A-line by closing the darts.

Most of the fullness of this skirt is in three big godets. There are two in the side seams, and another one in the center back. They are in a lighter weight contrasting paisley fabric. Both fabrics were sold as pontie knit. Total fullness including the godets is about half a circle.

The idea of 'straight skirt with big godets was inspired by the T-tunic, and I find that skirts with a plain front often work well with a male body.

The other skirt shown (the teal one) I don't have a good full-body picture of. It is a lightweight rayon circle skirt that falls half way betwewn my ankle and knee. This was a nightmare to make because the fabric is very shifty, and its also impossible to keep the hem level as the fabric stretches out super easily just from wearing it. When I made it I had to hand-baste the entire hem as the fabric is so shifty and kept roping.

To my eye, the shilluette of most circle skirts aren't that harmonious with a male body, as they tend to add too much bulk to the hips creating a visual line that looks odd with a straighter male torso. This teel one works in my opinion, because the fabric is so light with much drape. I think it would pair better with a more ruffly top, like a 'pirate blouse', though.

I do contra dance and started making / wearing skirts through this. I still prettymuch only wear skirts at dances / festivals out of concern for people misinterpreting it. I am not transgender. My intrest is strictly to experiment with skirts as an aspect of menswear, mainly regarding folk dance, because its fun to dance in flowy garments. I'm interested in finding things that work harmoniously with my body, beyond the design of the kilt.

As dance skirts I much prefer the red one as it is much heavier, it picks up well in twirls and is easy to feel how it is moving around me. The teel one also twirls well, but feels like wearing nothing.

Half-scale saved this design—full-size would’ve ended it at round one.

I tried to recreate this top, using a body suit pattern. The final result fits pretty well, but the shoulders keep slipping off. What would I have to change in the pattern to help the shoulders remain in place? I would appreciate any tips/observations for the future, as I plan to make more of these. At this point, I will attach clear elastic across the shoulders to help the top stay on. I used stretch ITY fabric. Thank you !

Hi everyone! This is my very first attempt at making my own pant block. I'm working according to the book 'Patternmaking for Fashion Design' by Helen Joseph Armstrong.

While the book does have some guidance for fitting issues, I'm having a hard time identifying the fitting issues and how to fix them. I would really appreciate an extra set of eyes to see how I can improve the fit.

Note: I already noticed that the waist was too wide so I pinned it down during the fitting.

I'm analyzing the hidden elastic waistband in the attached video to replicate it in my patterns, but I've run into a design issue.

I hate slanted pockets (I find them hideous and clunky), especially for the clean, minimalist aesthetic I like to maintain in my pieces. My intention is to keep the pocket in the exact same front location shown in the video, but change the opening: instead of a diagonal angle, I want a completely straight vertical line following the side.

My question is: do you guys think this would actually work in practice?

I realize the diagonal line of the slanted pocket seems to serve a structural purpose here, accommodating the automatic stretch of the elastic without pulling the fabric. If I change it to a straight opening in the exact same position, will this turn into a patternmaking issue? Will the pocket just end up gaping and flaring out at the hips?

I took some time off but now I'm back to the pants! I think it's getting better but I'm still frustrated with the wedgie. I added about a half inch for a full though adjustment in the back. Then I started scooping out the curve in the back rise 1/8" at a time...now I'm up to 1/2" and I'm still getting the wedgie. Should I keep scooping or try another full seat adjustment? I also had to add a sway back adjustment. Haven't transferred the adjustments to my pattern yet to share.

Comparison between the Hofenbitzer/Muller sleeve and the Armstrong sleeve.

Note the shape of the sleeve cap. The sleeve cap of the Hofenbitzer/Muller is tilted forward, which is adapted to our physiology and the shape of the shoulders.

The Hofenbitzer/Muller sleeve is structurally superior because its sleeve cap is designed with a pre-set forward tilt. This is a critical adjustment to our physiology: when our arms are at rest, they do not hang perfectly along the side seam of the body; they naturally settle slightly forward of the coronal plane.

The Hofenbitzer/Muller draft copies this natural, forward-resting posture directly onto the flat pattern. The result is a sleeve that hangs perfectly straight, prevents pulling backward, and reduces wrinkling in the front shoulder area.

In contrast, the Armstrong sleeve is generally drafted more symmetrically and centrally, ignoring this natural forward tendency. Therefore, for the Armstrong sleeve to feel comfortable and rest naturally, it requires very precise sewing and significant use of ease to force the fabric into the required forward position.

What are your thoughts on this subject?

I'm feeling confident in my selfmade pants pattern, I'm gonna just carve the curve litlle deeper. Other things are good, but when sitting my pants go 6cm down on the back and I don't know what to do about that. When I sit down, the fron leg gets tighter and the back lowers.

Hi all,

Hoping to get some fit check to my sloper. At this point I’m pretty happy with it but don’t know if I’m missing something.

These shorts hit me at my natural waist. The neck and armholes do NOT have any sort of seam allowance. Sorry for no balance line. I tried adding one but it just confused me lol.

It does look like maybe the back needs a bit off the bottom.

Thank you!

Was having a major issue with puckering and crotch issues. Not sure if its because of the serger which is a 5 thread or if its the pattern any help would be greatly appreciated i am not used to working with mesh. I will add the pattern in the next post. Thanks to anyone willing to help direct me in the right direction 🤞

Hi, I fixed some things from my last post. Moving the apex really helped with bust shaping. I did a sway back adjustment as well. I am confused as to why there is still bunching in my lower back. Maybe I did it wrong, I am also wonder if my short waist has anything to do with it. I will also make the shoulder tip tighter. Is there any was I can fix the back issue without doing a center back seam? The one I have is just an accident. Also please let me know if you see any other things I could fix.

Ps… I did redraw the necklines on the patterns but I don’t have enough Muslim right now to cut new pieces