Drafting for knit or jersey fabric - Seam allowanc

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Tue, 04/17/2012 - 08:58
atan
User offline. Last seen 9 years 7 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 05/07/2010
Posts: 5

Dear Nehzat,

May I check if I were to draft a skirt , pant or bodice, and I would like to use stretch fabric eg knit or jersey, do I draft according to your drafting videos or do I need to draft with a bigger or smaller seam allowance? This is because I would like the end result to be figure hugging.

Also,above question is I might not understand the drafting too well regarding adding seam allowance. Is the seam allowance added in your drafting videos inclusive of ease?  I was thinking if it includes ease, then I might need to reduce the seam allowance since I will be using jersey or knit material which has some stretch and might not need the ease measurement.

Kindly advise and thank you in advance.

 

atan

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Thu, 04/19/2012 - 15:22
#1
Nehzat
User offline. Last seen 1 year 21 weeks ago. Offline
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Joined: 10/27/2007
Posts: 1026
Re: Drafting for knit or jersey fabric

Dear Atan,

Our block pattern does not include ease. Usually knitted fabric stretch either in two directions or four directions, if you want the garment to be fitted you need to make the pattern a bit smaller.

If you fabric stretches in two directions, this stretch is usually places width wise, so you need to decrease just the width of the pattern. If your fabric stretches four ways, you will need to decrease from the width as well as the height of the pattern. 

Make sure to place the side that stretches the most along the width of the garment.

The technique I use to do this is to draw narrow strips along the width and/or the length of my pattern which are spread evenly apart. Then I would fold the strips in on themselves. This way the pattern can shrink evenly without affecting it's over all shape. Then I would smooth out the lines of the pattern.

The width of the stripes depends on the amount of stretch in your fabric.

Happy sewing,

Nehzat

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