Saturday, June 29, 2013

A morning's work drafting

 We had a late addition to my workload, so I headed in to work this morning to do some drafting.
I get so much done when I am alone in the room.
No interruptions!
I started the trouser pattern late yesterday afternoon, and finished it up before I started in on the waistcoat and jacket pattern.

I started with my basic grid set up, and draft to the measurements I have- then I modify where I think it is needed. In this case I am dealing with an eight inch chest to waist drop and a drop of five inches waist to hip. So a bigger broader chest and slim hip size. I made a little modification in the back   length as well splitting  the back and opening it up for a bit of a forward head/neck.

The jacket starts with my grid set up as well- and I made a mistake  in my set up, forgetting in a moment of thinking too fast that I had added seam allowance. So something looked odd.  I say it over and over to other cutter's apprentices and stitchers that if something looks wrong it probably is,  so stop and retrace your steps.
I was drafting in pen to try to make it visible in photos, so you get to see the mess I made!
A bit further into the process, I think on paper, at this stage I change my mind and the lines as I make adjustments on the fly.
I made a further adjustment after getting the pattern cut out, I needed to create a bit more breadth in the upper chest area only.
I had to leave at noon, so I left it to percolate around in my head for the rest of the week end. The fabric should arrive Tuesday morning and I need to put the scissors to it right away.

Sorry about the photo quality, had to be quick about it all and of course the camera battery chose today to run low!

More later.....

2 comments:

  1. I'm new to reading your blog, could you elaborate more on your grid system. What books, if any, do you reccomend for men's pattern drafting?

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  2. The grid set up is similar in most drafts. It consists of the topline which is the nape level, the scye depth, the waistline, hipline and hem. Vertical grid lines are CB, back width, armhole centre front, neck point, etc.
    Every cutter I know, has minor modifications in the placement of these lines.
    Not sure what to say about recommended books. Depends on what you want to produce, and your experience level.
    Try checking the resources listed on the Cutter and Tailor forum.

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