Drafting the Knit/Stretch Torso Bodice

Sleeve Changes for Stretch Torso

We will draft a sleeve that has both Stretch-woven and Knit ratios on it.

Instructions:  Drafting the Stretch-woven Sleeve Block, Figure 1

I am actually going to remove the elbow dart,  even through we can have darts in the Stretch-woven Block.  I don’t think the elbow dart is really necessary for Stretch-woven.  This means that the Sleeve I will end up with can be used for both Stretch-woven and Knits; i.e. it will have various stretch ratios indicated, from the Stretch-woven to the Super Stretchy amount. We will first remove the elbow dart before making the modifications to match the reduction in width and the raising of the armhole.
  • Trace the curve and the underarm seam without the dart (don’t trace the underarm seam with the dart, or the wrist-line)
  • Mark the shoulder point and continue that line down vertically to mark the center line for the wrist.
  • Mark the elbow line.
  • Mark the front and back armhole notches.
If you want to draft a block with an elbow dart for Stretch-wovens, then trace your Sleeve Block out including the dart, then continue from Figure 4.

Instructions:  Drafting the Stretch-woven Sleeve Block, Figure 2

Remove the block and:
  • Draw a vertical line down from the shoulder point A, down to the mid-wrist point B.
  • Draw in the bicep line from C to D.
  • Draw in the elbow line* for the front of the sleeve from E to F.
  • Draw in the wrist line* for the front of the sleeve from G to B.
*Make sure the wrist and elbow lines are at right angles to the A~B line.

Instructions:  Drafting the Stretch-woven Sleeve Block, Figure 3

  • Measure from E to F on the elbow line (value = x) and then continue that line to H for for the value of x.
  • Measure from G to B on the wrist line (value = y) and then continue that line to I for the value of y.
  • Draw in the other underarm line from D to I.

Instructions:  Drafting the Stretch-woven Sleeve Block, Figure 4

We need to make the corresponding changes to the Sleeve that we made to the Torso Block when we drafted the Stretch-woven.  You need the measurements you used to amend the Torso Block.The changes I made were:
  • Reduced the width of the Block by 1/4 inch.
  • Raised the armhole of the Torso Block by 1/2 inch.
We will make the corresponding changes to the sleeve:
  • Measure in along the underarm line for 1/4 inch and draw the new underarm line (shown in red)
  • Measure up from that new underarm line for 1/2 up to raise the armhole (shown in green).

Instructions:  Drafting the Stretch-woven Sleeve Block, Figure 5

  • Redraw the sleevehead, blending from the new underarm points to the notch point/s, front and back.
  • You now have your Stretch-woven Sleeve.
We will now mark the Knit Ratios on the sleeve, using the measurements we used on our Knit Sloper.

Instructions:  Drafting the Stretch-woven Sleeve Block, Figure 6

Using the measurements from your Knit Block, mark the reductions on your Sleeve Block. Remember that you had 2 options when reducing your Knit Block:
  • Percentage of Block Measurements
  • Percentage of Body Measurements
If you used Percentage of Block Measurements, the Stretch-woven and the Stable Knits will be the same.  If you used Percentage of Body Measurements, the block outline will be Stretch-woven, and all the Knit ratios will be marked inside that.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *