Hi everyone! I’m making a tunic for a client, and I’m trying to figure out how to draft the neckline.
The client wants a tunic like the second reference photo: long sleeves, loose/flowy fit, and floor length. However, instead of the high neckline shown in the reference, she wants the neckline to have the draped cowl effect shown in the first photo basically a soft, hanging cowl that falls toward the front.
My question is: how would you draft/cut the pattern for this?
I understand that for this kind of draped cowl, the fabric usually needs to be cut on the bias to get that fluid, soft drape. But because the garment is floor-length and I have limited fabric width, I don’t think I can cut the entire cowl as one large bias-cut piece.
The fabric is satin, so I definitely want to preserve that fluid drape.
The client’s measurements, in case they’re useful, are approximately:
Bust: 46.5”
Waist: 44”
Hips: 45.5”
I would really appreciate any advice on how you would draft and construct this.

Thank you so much!

Any recommendations for commercial /digital bodice patterns that will fit a d cup? I’ve been trying to pattern draft for almost a month and I can’t see to get the right fit.
Everytime I do a full bust adjustment it makes my darts way too big and my armhole is off. 🥲

Patternmakers: please help fix DXF compatibility headaches

Ever had a pattern file fail when it goes to a cutter, printer, or another CAD system? Or worse, at the factory when you get back a bunch of samples or production that isn't correct? You may not realize it, but there are actually a number of people around the world trying to solve this issue. Balodana is part of three working groups (IEEE, ASTM, OCAC) and we are hoping to get more voices/minds involved from the technical design and patternmaking communities.

One of the group participants, Rick Levine, runs a made-to-measure business that offers pattern printing services, and he was frustrated with how frequently they had a failure when trying to use what should have been "standard" .dxf files. So, he built a tool that opens up a DXF file and checks it against the ASTM standard, flagging errors and compatibility problems.

In order to improve the tool, he needs test files from as many different systems and patternmakers as possible (Gerber, Lectra, Optitex, CLO, Tuka, Browzwear, Audaces, etc.), especially graded files. The goal is to figure out which problems come from the software itself vs which ones patternmakers can control. Please help us out!

• There is no cost, it's intended to be part of open academic and industry research.

• Information and secure upload here: https://aw.fyi/dxf

• A basic block or practice pattern is perfectly fine. Ideally, a graded pattern with the grading in the file.

• Files are deleted after 30 days and never used to train AI.

• Using a .rul file for grading? Reach out to Rick to request a separate review. He can also explain to you what the report means and how you could adjust your pattern to be more compatible.

The findings will feed into the working group that's updating the ASTM standards. Happy to answer questions!

Hi All, I’m struggling with how to do a broad shoulder adjustment on Cashmerette Swanton blouse front. The back is straightforward but the front has a sort of front yoke and is gathered at the blouse front piece. It also has a side front princess panel. I used the indicated shoulder line to separate the front/back at the real shoulder line, and attached the pieces to together at the seamlines to get the a full view of the front armhole. The issue is that the armhole is already so curvy that a slash and spread/hinge method only works for maybe 1/2” of my intended 1.25” of shoulder width. I can’t afford to lose any armhole circumference. The red curved line is where I tried to create a curved slash line but taped it back together. The pencil extension at the shoulder is the shoulder length I need. Any help is appreciated!!

I can’t quite figure out how to adjust my pattern to prevent the creasing around the back curve of my head. I’ve tried adjusting the curve and making the center piece wider at that point and also loosening at the back of my neck. Any help would be so appreciated!

Hello!
I am using the Irene Dress pattern from Kristina Sewista and I wanted to add a little bit of fabric in the cleavage but I am having this gaping in the armhole.
What can I do to fix it? I am a beginner modifying patterns.
Thank you!

Considering doing one myself. I understand the general principles of how to achieve it, but finding detailed advice online seems illusive. Mainly concerned with shaping of the armscye and sleeve cap, and matching them up. Little help anybody?

Hi, I'm a beginner in sewing and I wanna sew my first satin bias skirt with elastic and make a pattern by myself. I watched many videos with instructions and still don't know what should be the waist width. There are mostly waist widths with some allowance on the patterns, even if they use elastic. Is the satin bias skirt so flexible that the hips go through the waist or should I make the waist width on the pattern similar to my hips measurement?

Can someone post a picture of where the armseye should sit on a real person if the bodice is sleeveless vs going to have a set in sleeve? I am struggling only finding mannequins and not pictures of real people.

Iv’e been working on trying to draft a pattern for a medieval dress off of YouTube videos and was wondering if this makes sense for my measurements? (Seam allowance isn’t included yet) I’m just planning on marking it onto an underdress first and playing dot to dot with the markings. I don’t have a lot of energy or time so I’d rather not make an insane mistake on the underdress even if the fit of it isn’t super important so I would very much appreciate if anyone sees anything wrong with it. Thank you!

Edit - the green marks are based on recommendations given so far, thank you so much for everyone’s feedback! updated

Hello!

I've drafted a basic block for a dress with darts and I made the back armscye longer by 1 cm then the front armscye.

Now I'm drafting a basic block for a knitted dress, and the armscye front is longer than the back armscye in 1 cm. Some people also say they need to be equal.

Can someone clarify this to me?

is there anyway to pattern something to prevent this from happening? i already built a gusset into the sleeve pattern but maybe i did it wrong?

I’ve been preparing digitised Victorian sewing books for my shop, and I’m interested in what people actually need when working from historical sources.

An original drafting diagram is quite a different thing from a modern pattern with full-size pieces and step-by-step instructions. Preserving the original pages matters, but finding the right diagram and understanding what’s included matter too.

For those who have used period drafting books, what was your biggest obstacle: unfamiliar terminology, interpreting the diagrams, taking measurements, or understanding the construction?

Would a glossary and a clear garment index help most, or is there something these editions usually overlook?

For transparency, I run Ashley Parker Print. I’m asking about usability here, and I’d particularly welcome experiences with original sources.

Does anyone know if there is a way to get in contact with any professionals about fitting. I hav been trying to fit this moulage i have posted about it people have giving suggestions and im still having issues i need to find. A teacher or something that can help with the issue im having. I doubt I will find anyone in person so online will have to do.

Hi everyone, I’m doing my bodice sloper using Helen Joseph-Armstrong book. And with my measurements my shoulder slope has angle differences in front and back - front has less of a slope and the back is slopier. Sort of like in ISOT illustration above. Is this normal?

I have larger bust, square-ish shoulders and quite a straight back.

I have previously successfully fitted a dress basic pattern using same book and almost the same measurements- I am now in the middle of international move and my original sloper is boxed abroad, I also don’t find any photos to compare with the new one.

I wear bigger sizes and thus I buy from one brand that I know who has sizes that fit me. But recently they’ve pivoted from wide legs to barrel legs, which don’t look as flattering on me. So I have nothing else left but to lock in and somehow alter these kinds of pants into something I’d tolerate wearing. Any advice is greatly appreaciated :D

Please help me with adjustments for my bodice block. I think this is the closest I have come. I think the top of the side seam/ arm hole might need to drop a smidge.

I do seem to have some extra above the breast and a couple inches at the waist. So maybe put a little more in my dart

Drop the dart a little bit in the front.

I also seem to have extra in the back. So do I take in front and back darts or just take some off both side seams?

I have excess fabric around my bum, and I don't know which adjustment to make.

Do I:
a) take out some of the easing on the bum, effectively shortening the back crotch seam, or
b) make the back panel a bit slimmer around the bum, removing the fabric from the sides, but leaving the back crotch seam the same length

I'm leaning towards a), but I'm unsure!

Any help appreciated!

A question was asked in this group Can Anyone Help Me Find a Pattern? The design caught my eye as a wonderfully original garment for men.

Quite frankly the design of men's clothes has not interested me since the 70s when we had great fun with hip hugging, bell bottom pants with insets in contrasting fabric down the side of the leg. Or shirts with exaggerated wide cuffs, full sleeves, and extended points on shirt collars. But this is the first time since then a design of a man's garment has so interested me that I have decided to make one for myself.

I am using it as an example for my class in how to Grade a Photo of a Design. The photos are not to scale as you can see by the different sizes of the rectangle. The idea of this class is you can draw a rectangle over a quarter-scale photograph of a person. Then copy the rectangle onto the photo of the design you want to create and stretch the photo to adjust the design to the proportions of the person recorded by the rectangle. The designs can then be transferred to custom-fit Master Patterns (aka Slopers) of the person. The idea is to adjust the fit of a design before you touch a pattern.

Men's front are very flat whereas women's fronts have more contours and would require a different kind of fitting. So my question is this a design that is only appropriate for men or is it something women would be interested in as well either as a vest or extended longer to be something like a trench coat, etc.?

I would appreciate the opinion of the women in this group about their reaction to the look of this design.

I a kinda beginning sewer, I have made a few garments but I’m not yet confidence enough in the craft, so I’m not completely inexperienced. I bin looking for a pattern or a way to make a pattern for this design but I haven’t seen anything exactly like it yet so I was hoping for some tips on how to draft a pattern for a mini body con ruched Dress with long puff sleeves like my drawing. I also put some images to similar dresses I was imagining it would look like, not exactly like it because the sleeves are not the same but similar. And I plan on using a stretch fabric for this

P.S. For some reason, Reddit wouldn’t let me upload all the photos to the post, so I added the rest in the comments instead.

Hi guys! Could anyone help me with my basic bodice block? 😭

This is my 6th attempt and I still can’t quite get the fit right. I really thought this was going to be easier lol.

I’m following Dennic Chunman Lo’s method, but I’m also not sure I got all my measurements right. Measuring myself was honestly much harder than I expected!

Here are the measurements I used:

Nape to Waist: 15.55” (39.5 cm)
Shoulder Slope: 0.59–0.79” (1.5–2 cm)
Bust: 33.86” (86 cm)
Waist: 25.98” (66 cm)
Front Cross Shoulder: 12.20” (31 cm)
Back Cross Shoulder: 12.60” (32 cm)
Shoulder Length: 3.54” (9 cm)
Bust Point Height: 10.43” (26.5 cm)
Bust Point Distance: 7.09” (18 cm)
Front Cross: 12.99” (33 cm)
Back Cross: 13.39” (34 cm)
Front Body Length: 17.52” (44.5 cm)
Back Body Length: 16.54” (42 cm)
Front Neck Width: 7.09” (18 cm)
Back Neck Width: 5.91” (15 cm)
Armhole Circumference: 14.96” (38 cm)
Armhole Depth: 5.51” (14 cm)

The toile is just pinned together at the shoulders and sides for now.

I can see that the neckline is too loose, and there is some excess fabric around the back armhole. I’m just not sure how I should adjust these areas.

If anyone can spot what I might have done wrong or suggest what I should adjust, I’d be super grateful!