Drafting Part IV - Front+Back+Check

Now that we've drafted the front and back sloper, we need to put them together for a couple more checks before they are ready for the sleeves or (if meant to be forever sleeveless) the first muslin.

Take the front and back slopers and place the shoulder seams together so
(i) the necklines join up to make a full (actually just half!) neckline and
(ii) the armscyes join up to make a full armscye.

I had to flip my back sloper over and redraw the edges and reference lines on the backside to do this.


Q: What's the purpose of this check?
A: The neckline and armscye were hand-drawn (or ruler-aided) curves so it is a good idea to double-check to ensure they will fit the wearer.

Checking the Neckline
First, we will check the neckline for overall fit.

On your combined sloper draft, measure along the neckline curve from A to B as shown in that first picture. Remember that our slopers were drawn for just one half of the body, so you will need to double this neckline measurement (i.e. 2 x AB) to get the entire sloper neckline.

Next, measure the circumference of the child's neck (measurement #6, if you are using the Measurement Table Worksheet), being sure the measuring tape passes over the four points - the two Side/Base of Neck points, the Hollow of Neck point and the Back of Neck point.

Make this a snug but not tight measurement. Imagine this will be a well-fitting button-down shirt collar or a mandarin collar when it is made into a garment, and hold the measuring tape as snugly or loosely as you would want that collar to fit.

My sloper neckline was 11.75" and my neck circumference, as measured on the child, was 11.5".
This is good. You'd want the sloper neckline to be the same or a little bigger than the actual measurement on the child. If it is smaller, your sloper neckline is too small (tight). You can enlarge it by tweaking the curves a little or, if necessary, lowering the neckline slightly in the front.

Q: What does this mean on a garment made from a sloper with a too-small neckline?
A: Remember that the neckline was measured without ease. You wouldn't be able to fasten that garment at the neck. For example, if you fastened it with a back zipper, you wouldn't be able to zip it all the way up. If you fastened it with a front overlap button panel, you wouldn't be able to do up the top button.


Checking the Armscye
Second, we will check the armscye for overall fit.

Measure the armscye of the draft as shown, from X to Y.

Sometimes, instead of the shoulder seams, the side seams are aligned, so that you get this other configuration of the full armscye - I have seen this a lot in pattern drafting resources:
Then refer to measurement #32 in the Measurement Table Worksheet - the Total Armscye +ease, which you obtained thus:


Like the neckline, the draft armscye should also be close to the measured value. My draft armscye and the measured armscye were both 11.5".

Unlike the neckline, however, the armscye was measured with some ease, so there is some room for deviation. If, however, the draft armscye was much smaller (more than an inch) than the measured value, it could mean a very uncomfortable armpit in a set-in sleeve. You can enlarge it by tweaking the curves, or lowering the bottom of the armscye by 1/4" and redrawing it.

If the draft armscye is much bigger than the measured value, your armscye is too loose - raise the bottom of the armscye by 1/4" (or more as needed) and /or redraw the curves.


Other Observations
Here are a few more interesting observations from putting the front and back slopers together. I traced out just the upper portions of the slopers on different colored paper using a finer-nib pen for better effect. The front is green and the back is yellow.



Align the Side/Base of Neck Points:


Observation 1
The back of the neck is slightly wider than the front (blue arrow). But just slightly! This is because of the muscles and bones (like that vertebra!) on the back of the neck. All these make for a rounder back of the neck. The front of the neck, by comparison, is flatter. You will probably not notice this in garment patterns that have already been adapted, particularly those with low or wide necklines that have their seam lines far away from the base of the neck.


Align the Shoulder Points:

Observation 2
The Side/Base of Neck Point (Blue Arrow 1) is slightly higher in the back than the front. Again, this is due to curve of the back because of the back muscles etc. People with rounded backs, especially, will feel the effect of this if they use a pattern that does not take this into account. My aunt remembers wearing dresses made by her mother that always pulled her front neckline towards the back because of this. When this aunt eventually started sewing her own clothes, she drafted the back Side/Base of Neck point a little higher than the front and never felt choked again.

Q: Er, what do you mean by a "higher Side/Base of Neck point"? Which measurement did you take that reveals this?
A: In the Measurement Table, compare #1 and #19. It is a very slight difference, if at all. The effect is only felt in a sloper, where the neckline is snug. In patterns with wider or lower necklines, you won't see this effect at all.

Anyway, this whole Side/Base of Neck point being higher in back than front has some immediate consequences:

1 The shoulder slope is also not the same for front and back.

2 The bottom of the armscye (Purple Arrow 3) is higher in the back than the front. Because we measured this bottom of armscye value from that Side/Base of Neck point (#10 and #27).

Observation 3

The shoulders in this sloper are the same width in the front and back. There are exceptions, of course. People with rounded backs or who have shoulders that lean forward may have a wider back shoulder width than front. People with very developed back muscles (like sportspeople) might also fall in this category. Their slopers will often include shoulder pleats to shape the fullness in this area. But this is usually not the case for children.

Observation 4

The front armscye is deeper (more curved) than the back (Black Arrow 2). This allows for the arms' greater movement in front of the body than the back.

Observation 5

In spite of all the differences between the front and back measurements, the Chest to Waist distance (between the red arrows) is the same for front and back, so that when sewn together, the side seams are the same length.


And that brings us to the end of the How To Draft The Full-Body Sloper section of our series. Was that all too much information for you guys? I am guessing yes, and I'm sorry if you've passed out in front of your computer. I chose to include it because it helps you appreciate that drafting is a lot more Whys than Hows. A drafting tutorial is so different from a tutorial to, say, sew a tote bag. And this is just for a child - drafting for a woman's form is another level altogether. Still, once you've understood the principles (and so many of those we've explored for a child are transferrable to a woman), you're so much better prepared to draft clothes that will really fit well.

And now, the sloper is ready for a sleeve! Or a muslin, or both! Time to go shopping for fabric! Whee!

I'm tired and don't feel like doing a post on how to analyze fit. I think it is safe to let you guys go and try it out yourself. It will be practically self-explanatory when you see the muslin on its model. One thing I'd like to recommend, if you will humor me: buy cheap fabric that has checks on it. "A muslin" (we called them "mock-ups" in Singapore) does not have to mean it is made of muslin fabric. If I can find it, I buy cheap (like $2 a yard) fabric that is in a plaid or some other kind of check or even striped pattern. Some drafting resources recommend gingham but that can be expensive. Checked fabric is like a grid - you can make symmetrical alterations without having to actually use your measuring tape.

Next up is Jen from My Measuring Tape! I am so excited that you'll get to meet and work with her. She will be taking you through sleeve drafting and the adaptation of the sleeve block to design different sleeves. Also the adaptation of the basic sloper neckline for different necklines. And using the sloper to work with commercial patterns. It's not often that you get to learn all this stuff from a professional tailor. Enjoy!

I'll see you at the end of the series to take you through a series of different tailored pockets to jazz up your garment sewing. But I'll also be popping in now and again with some random project or other!

Cardboard Dollhouse

A lot of serious sewing/drafting going on on this blog lately, so I thought I'd swing way over to the other extreme of my manic creative spectrum for a little break. When I make cardboard things, sometimes I have a plan first and then scout around for cardboard to make it with. Sometimes I see a cardboard box that screams out to me the new toy it is destined to become. This week, I found a cardboard box lying around the house that was the perfect size and shape for a dollhouse.

My usual modus operandi is to stash such boxes in storage closets until I feel up to working on it - usually after 10 pm when the kids are in bed. And in the dead of winter when there is nothing to do and nowhere to go. This time, though, I made the fatal mistake of voicing aloud my plan to turn it into a dollhouse. Fatal because the kids were within earshot.

Immediately I was besieged by pleas and bargains to Make It Now. "But I have a dress to cut out! In beautiful embroidered linen!" I moaned pitifully to nobody in particular (who would sympathize, I mean).

So we spent the afternoon on the deck making our dollhouse.

Here's the front:

Here's the back:
Here's a view of the attic (side-less, in spite of
protests from the kids, for easy access).

And here's a view of the other side, with a little
elastic band going over a paper fastener
that the kids can undo
to open out the dollhouse to fill with furniture and people.
Emily was very concerned that we remembered the staircase.
Because the last time we made a dollhouse, it had no
staircase and Emily was perturbed that we had to
make the residents fly from one floor to the other.

A happy Playmobil family moved in right away.

And in the last 10 minutes or so before it was completed,
Jenna and Kate got out all their markers, uncapped them,
and stood poised and ready to decorate.
Had to fend them off just to take some photos, before
I handed the dollhouse over to them.

Emily said, "we need to take our trees out
and plant them beside the house."

So we did.

And the wind blew the three blue robin's eggs
out of the nest in one of the trees

which devastated Kate, so she dashed in to rescue them.

I still haven't cut out that linen dress, but we spent all day outside in 75 degree weather today in spite of crafting, so I call that a midsummer success.

Drafting Part III - The Back Sloper

Welcome back - we're going to be drafting the back sloper now.

If you've just joined us, this will probably make more sense if you first read the Overview post and the Front Sloper post, both of which explain the terms we'll be using, the colors of lines and dots and the purpose of the hideous pink arrows. You will also find a Measuring Table worksheet in the Overview post that you can print out and fill out as you take measurements.

Drafting the back sloper is the same as the front, with the following differences:

• The back neckline is higher
• The back armscye is shallower (less curvy)
  
• There is a back dart to reduce the fullness of the fabric in the back waist region
• In addition to the Shoulder Point and the Side/Base of Neck points that we introduced in the Front Sloper post, we will also need to ascertain the position of the Back of Neck point:

To locate it, have the child tip his/her head forward so his/chin touches his/her chest. Feel on the back of the neck for the most prominent bone (first thoracic vertebra? Last cervical vertebra? I can never remember) at the top of the spinal column. In a garment, this position will be the bottom of a snugly-fitting shirt collar (or a mandarin collar). Mark it with a sticker or a marker.

Let's get started! Remember now that all the measurements will be taken on/along the back of the child.


Step 1
Draw the vertical Center Back line along the left side of the paper.
Draw the horizontal Shoulder Line along the top of the paper.


Step 2
Measure the vertical distance (#19) between the Side/Base of Neck point to the Waist. It may not be the same as the corresponding measurement in the front (#1).
Draw a horizontal line this distance below the Shoulder Line. This is the Waist Line. Mine was 10.5".


Step 3
Measure the vertical distance (#20) between the Waist and the Back of Neck point. This is measured along the Center Back line of the body.
On the Center Back Line of your draft, mark a point this distance upwards from the Waist (pink arrow). Mine was 9.5".


Step 4
Measure the horizontal distance (#21) between the two Shoulder Points. This measurement spans both halves of the body, so we will divide the measurement by two to get the half value.
Plot this half-distance from the Center Back Line (see pink arrow direction) and along the Shoulder Line, and mark the point.
My Shoulder Width was 10" and the half value was 5".


Q: Um, you know, some drafting resources recommend that you measure this distance sort of arched across the back of the neck, instead of purely horizontally across like you did. Who's right?

A: Like this, you mean? The way my mother does? Also the way I measure my husband's shoulders to decide whether or not a store-bought shirt will fit him?

(Meandering discussion about to take place here):
Both work. It depends on what you'll do with the measurement. The real old tailors and other old-school types often use the arched-across-the-back-of-neck method. I learnt it that way also. Mum says it gives a better fit. She's right, but only because of how she uses that measurement in her draft.

First, I must mention that the back of the shoulders is quite different from the front. There are muscles and bones in the back shoulder area that make that whole region more curved than the flatter front shoulders. If you have the chance to enjoy a bird's eye view of a person's head and shoulders, you'll appreciate this observation even more. For that reason, sometimes the back shoulder width is greater than the front, and even more so if that person has a rounded back or hunched shoulders or a similar anatomical gift. In such cases, we might even add a shoulder dart on each side of the shoulder seam to help shape the fabric around the roundedness. And to plot that dart, we measure the horizontal straight-across shoulder width (#21) as well as the arched-over-the-back-of-neck shoulder width that my mother uses and use the difference in those values to make the dart. But I imagine that we would hardly need that for the vast majority of children's slopers.

Second, I will say that I use both measurements - the arched one usually as a check. We will use the straight-across measurement here because it is easier to visualize and more straightforward. And it is the same method as we used for the front.


Step 5
Measure the horizontal distance (#22) between the Side/Base of Neck and the Shoulder Point.
On the Shoulder Line of your draft, plot this distance backwards/leftwards from the Shoulder Point you plotted in Step 4, as shown by the direction of the pink arrow. Mark this point - it is the position of the Side/Base of Neck on your draft. Mine was 2 5/8".


Step 6
Here we will pause to do a check.
Measure around the back of the neck between the two Side/Base of Neck points as shown in the sketch (#23). Unlike the front Width of Neck (#5) measurement, this is not a straight-across one - it curves around the neck and passes through the Back of Neck point. As a result, it is a (slightly) greater value than the front Width of Neck.

Divide this by two (because it spans both halves of the body) and check this half-value against your draft as shown. My width of neck (back) was 4 3/4" and the half value was 2 3/8".


Step 7
Now we will draw the Back Neckline between the Base of Neck point and the Back of Neck point, as shown by the two pink arrows.


Step 8
Measure the vertical distance (#24) between the Waist and the Shoulder Point. On your draft, plot this distance upwards from the Waist Line, and mark the end point so that it is directly under the mark you plotted in Step 4 (pink arrow).
This new mark is the Shoulder Point. Mine was 8 7/8".


Step 9
Here we will do another check, just like with the front sloper.
Measure the diagonal distance (#25) between the Shoulder Point you plotted in Step 8, and Waist Center Back point (the intersection point of the Waist Line and the Center Back Line).
Check it against your draft - it should be the same (or very close). Mine was 10 1/8".


Step 10
Draw the Shoulder Slope - a straight line between the Side/Base of Neck point and the Shoulder Point.


Step 11
We're now going to add in the Chest measurement.

Measure the vertical distance (#27) between the Side/Base of Neck point and the Chest, the same way you did in Step 12 of the Front Sloper.
Add 1"of ease to that (just like with the Front Sloper) and draw a horizontal line on your draft that is this distance below the Shoulder Line.
This is the Chest Line.


Step 12
Use the same chest measurement (#26 = #9) that you used with the Front Sloper and plot the quarter measurement from the Center Back Line, along the Chest Line, marking the end point.


Step 13
We're now going to add in the Waist measurement.

Obtain the measurement of the back of the Waist (#28). This can be done two ways:

(i) Measure horizontally from one (imaginary) side seam to the other, around the back of the Waist, adding a little comfortable fitting ease.
(ii) Subtract #12 from #13.

Plot this distance from the Center Back Line, along the Waist Line and mark the end point.


Step 14
We're now going to add in the Hip measurement.

Obtain the vertical Hip Level measurement that is between the Waist and Hip. This is the same as #16.
Draw a horizontal line this distance below the Waist Line on your draft.
This is the Hip Line.


Step 15
Obtain the back Hip measurement (#29). This can be done two ways:

(i) Measure horizontally from one (imaginary) side seam to the other, around the back of the Hip, adding a little comfortable fitting ease.
(ii) Subtract #14 from #15.

Plot this distance from the Center Back Line, along the Hip Line and mark the end point.


Step 16
Before we draw the side seam lines from armpit to hip, we need to add a back dart.


Q: Why? You didn't add a dart in the front sloper!
A: That's because it was for a child with no fullness (e.g. bust) in the front. If it were for a mature adult female there would be at least one dart in the front sloper. In the back sloper, however, children and women (and men, if they were willing to wear sheath dresses!) alike have a hollow in their backs that require a dart.

First, we will locate the position of the upper point of the dart. For the back, this is strongly related to the shoulder blades. Often, people conveniently plot this along the Chest Line. That is a good rule of thumb, but I thought I'd explain the rationale a bit by starting with the shoulder blades.

Q: Why?
A: Because the shoulder blades are the sticky-out-est part of the back. This means that immediately below and around them are the hollowest part of the back. And a correctly positioned dart is one that reduces the fullness in the hollowest part of the body.

So anyway, locate the shoulder blades of the child when he/she is standing at rest. Measure the distance between their edges (#30). This spans both halves of the body so again we will need the half-value. Mine was 4 1/4" and the half value was 2 1/8". Then measure the vertical distance (#31) between the Waist and this level of the shoulder blades. Mine was 5.5".

Plot this point so that it is

• A horizontal distance of (half of #30) from the Center Back Line (first pink arrow) and
• A vertical distance of #31 upwards from the Waist Line (second pink arrow).

So my point was 2 1/8" from the Center Back Line and 5.5" upwards from the Waist Line.


Step 17
Now often when we plot dart points, we have them start a little way below, and end a little way above the actual start and end points. This gives a more gradual and smoother dart that wraps around the pointy bits of the body without themselves being pointy.

So let's lower the upper dart point by 1" which is, again, a rule of thumb.
Now our actual upper dart point is the one in blue. Which brings the point pretty darn close to the Chest Line, which we talked about in Step 16, which brings us full circle!. Except now we know why this dart is plotted with its upper point there.


Step 18
Now comes the easy part.
Draw a vertical line from this upper dart point all the way to the Hip Line.
This is the center line of the dart.

Q: Why stop at the Hip Line?
A: The Hip is the biggest/fullest part of the lower body. Remember we said that darts reduce fullness at the hollowest parts of the body? The hollowest part of the back body lies between the shoulder blades and the buttocks/hip. The dart doesn't need to go below that.


Step 19
Measure along the Waist Line of your draft, half an inch to either side of that center dart line. These will be the side points of the dart.

Q: Why 1/2"? Where did that 1/2" come from?
A: Experience, and a convenient rule of thumb. Most people's backs are nicely darted with this size dart. But you will know for sure if it's the right size for you when you've made the muslin. Till then, this is a good starting point.


Step 20
Draw two straight lines from the upper dart point to these two side dart points:


Step 21
Using the same rationale as in Step 17, we will raise the lower dart point by 1".


Step 22
Complete the lower half of the dart by joining the side dart points to this lower dart point.


Step 23
Now in making a dart, we are taking in some fullness at the Waist. This means when we sew the dart in the garment, the Waist gets smaller by the width of the dart (1" in our case). This means the Waist is now too tight by 1". We need to add this dart width (i.e. the 1") to the side seam to bring the Waist back to its original pre-dart width.

Mark a point 1" (width of our dart) to the right of the original (red) Waist point. This is the black point indicated by the pink arrow.


Step 24
Now let's draw in the side seams!
One straight line from the Chest to the Waist and another straight line from the Waist to the Hip, going through all those pink-arrowed end points.


Step 25
Drop a vertical line from the Hip (the biggest part of the lower back body) to form the rest of the side seam.


Step 26
Obtain the position of the hemline(s).
Use the Waist-to-Knee distance (#17) and/or the Waist-to-Ankle distance (#18) from the Front Sloper and draw in the horizontal Hem Lines.


Step 27
Remember to curve the Hem Lines up slightly at the side seam, and go over all the actual sewing/fold lines of the sloper in black so you know where to cut:

Step 28
Draw in the back armscye (in bright red below), either with a free-hand sketch or using the round-down method (with the flexible curve) in Step 20 of the Front Sloper post.

Here are the front and back slopers side by side so you can see the difference in shape of the two armscyes. The back is shallower (more vertical) than the front.
And here are the front and back slopers juxtaposed: Notice that all the horizontal green lines match up (or are at least very close) i.e. the front Waist Line is at the same level as the back Waist Line etc.

And now, cut out the slopers and do a final check for overall fit in the next post!