length difference in front and back bodice pattern

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Thu, 05/23/2013 - 23:59
purnima123
User offline. Last seen 11 years 23 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 04/20/2013
Posts: 3

 Hi,

I made the front and back bodice pattern from the pattern making video but my back bodice pattern is 1.5cm longer than the front bodice pattern. In this case should i alter and make them the same length ? or did i make some mistake in measurements?

I have another question - Darts are made to use up the excess fabric and give shape to the garment but in the front bodice when we draw the waistline we are adding 2.8cm as dart intake (17.6+2.8) (M - R) so obviously there will be 2.8 cm of excess fabric . Why do we add 2.8 cm and then make a dart with 2.8 cm intake when the excess fabric should be used from within the fabric ? Same goes for shoulder dart - if we add 2cm to the shoulder width obviously there will be 2cm excess fabric. then why do we need the dart ?
I am new to pattern making and its confusing.

Thank you,
purnima


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Fri, 05/31/2013 - 10:27
#1
Nehzat
User offline. Last seen 1 year 12 weeks ago. Offline
Instructor
Joined: 10/27/2007
Posts: 1026
Re: length difference in front and back bodice pattern

Dear purnima123,

When measuring the front and back bodice length, the shape of the body can make it so that there is a difference between the front and back. Most people will get a longer length for the front bodice length. As long as you measure the way I explain in the lesson it will be okay even if the back bodice length is longer. Since we use the same measurement for the front and back bodice side seam lengths, the front and back pieces will be sewn together without any problems.

To draw the waist darts, we need to calculate the intake for each dart. In the bodice pattern drafting lesson I explain that the waist circumference should be subtracted from the lower hip or upper hip circumference, whichever is the largest (usually the lower hip circumference is larger, but for someone who have a large belly, the upper hip may be larger). Then we divide the difference  by 9 to get our dart intakes. When we need to mark the waist measurement on the front and back patterns, along the waistline, we need to add the dart intake as well. Otherwise the waistline will be too tight after drawing the waist darts.

I suggest that you also watch 4. Why do we Need Darts in the skirt block pattern making video lesson to get a better idea about waist darts.

The same concept applies to shoulder darts. To make room for the shoulder blade on the back bodice pattern, we need to add 2 cm to the shoulder measurement when marking the shoulder length on the pattern. This way when we draw the dart the shoulder length will not decrease, but we still make room for the protruding shoulder blade below the shoulder line.

Hope this helps.

Happy sewing,

Nehzat 


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