Video Transcript

00:00:00:23 - 00:00:25:20

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me 
 Starlight and dew-drops...
 Hi, this is Maria from Dresspatternmaking.com. This video is a revision of the Bodice Block Front instructions I uploaded in April 2021. There was a mistake in that video that affects the Side-Seam-Length and a related mistake in the measurement video. Pm YouTube. tt isn’t possible to make changes to a video, so I have to upload another one.

00:00:26:14 - 00:00:54:24

This video uses imperial measurements and the background graphic has an inch grid. I will also be uploading a Metric version. I am uploading this revised Bodice Front video in mid-March 2022. I have recently uploaded 2 other videos: Planned Content for 2022 and a slideshow: Variations On A Silhouette. In my Planned Content video, I said I would be uploading the revised Bodice Instructions on 13th of March, but I wasn’t thinking very clearly at the time.

00:00:54:24 - 00:01:15:24

I said that because the bodice instructions is not 1 video, it’s the 4 videos listed: Front and Back in both Imperial and Metric versions. I’m uploading the Bodice Front ones today and tomorrow, and the two Bodice Back will be uploaded in the next few days. So they they’re about a week late. Now f you find my content useful, please consider buying me a cup of coffee on Ko-Fi.

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The link can be found in my channel header. I recommend you draft the Bodice Front before you draft the Bodice Back, but even before you start the Front I suggest that you watch the Bodice Block Essential videos first and watch them in order. That is the order listed on this slide and also the order that they can be found in the Bodice Block

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Essentials Playlist on my channel. Be aware that in the Measurements Video Part 6, the instructions on how to take 2 of the measurements are incorrect, so you will need to redo those 2, after watching the beginning of this video where I show the corrected instructions. Before starting to draft the block, I need to cover the 2 measurements that need to be taken differently to how they are explained in the Measurements video.

00:02:01:20 - 00:02:23:22

Now, the instructions I uploaded in April 21 had significant changes to my original system and one of those changes was drafting a Mouage first, which means using the body measurements when drafting, and then at the end turning it into a Block by adding ease. So the silly mistake I made was using the body measurements for everything except the Upper-Bust placement.

00:02:24:04 - 00:02:47:08

And therefore, as the flow on effect in the instructions that I give, the Side-Seam-Length ends up being incorrect. The toile on Didi on the left is the photo from the previous instructions and the photo that is used in the Measurements video. The Upper-Bust line in pink is 2 and 1/2 cm or 1 inch below the underarm, which should be the placement for the Sleeved Block.

00:02:47:11 - 00:03:09:22

Not the Moulage. The right hand side image shows the correct placement of the body Upper-Bust line. In the measurements video, I also instructed the Side-Seam-Length to be taken from a depth of 2 and 1/2 cm or 1 inch below the underarm point to the Waist. Again, that is the Side-Seam-Length of the Sleeved Block, not the Moulage.

00:03:10:10 - 00:03:34:20

The body measurement of the Side-Seam-Length should be right up against the underarm down to the Waist as shown in the right hand side image. Those instructions started off with an incorrectly lowered armhole, an armhole for a Sleeved Block, and then the armhole was lowered further to create a Sleeveless and Sleeved Block. This means if you continue to follow the instructions as given, you would have ended up with an armhole that was too low and the Side-Seam-Length that was too short.

00:03:35:21 - 00:03:57:15

So the blocks I ended up with for Didi at the end of the drafting proces,s and in this case I’m showing the Sleeveless Block ended up incorrect. So I’ve remade these while with Upper-Bust level correct for the Moulage. So some notes for taking these measurements. The Upper-Bust is taken at the underarm level with a tape measure around your torso up against your underarm.

00:03:57:15 - 00:04:14:04

Of course, you need to break that down to the Upper-Bust-Front and the Upper-Bust-Back. The side seam is from the underarm to the waist, but make sure you don’t lift your shoulders when you take the Side-Seam measurement. For the Side-Seam, uou could stick the end of the tape- measure onto a ruler, making sure you

00:04:14:04 - 00:04:32:18

\butt the end of the tape-measure exactly up against the rulers edge and put the ruler under your arm. Again, be sure your shoulder is down and put that tape measure under the waist elastic to make sure you get the correct measurement, you need to have someone to read that measurement, though, or you may risk at being incorrect if you have to move to try to read it.

00:04:34:04 - 00:04:57:23

I’ll be using Didi, my dressmakers dummy, for the example measurements. I’ve created a separate video giving the details of the measurements needed to draft the block, but I will also be showing them on Didi to the left side, while drafting to the right. Before we start though, I want to make sure you understand some terminology. There are a few key measurements I’ll be referring to throughout the video, and I want to make sure you are clear what they mean.

00:04:58:09 - 00:05:25:18

Now the High-Neck-Point is at the neck side of the shoulder line and the Shoulder-Point is at the other end of the shoulder line. Those points must remain constant because they are used for a few different measurements. The side seam also needs to be firmly established and the same reference point used for the Front-Arcs and the Back-Arcs that is the Upper-Bust-Arc and the Bust-Arc. To the left is the front block I’ll be drafting for Didi.

00:05:25:23 - 00:05:47:09

It is a Sleeveless Block. I will start by drafting the 1-Dart Block, first the Moulage, then I’ll add the ease for the Sleeveless Block, then add ease for the block to be used with sleeves. After most of the block is drafted, I’ll be manipulating some of the waist dart into the side seam so that we end up with a 2-Dart Block as shown in the middle.

00:05:48:00 - 00:06:11:02

So I will, and you will, if you’re drafting your block, end up with the option of using the the Moulage, the Sleeveless Block or the Standard Block, which is the one you use when you add sleeves. Together with the bodice, it will make about a block set. But of course if you do want to use the Standard Block, the one that is drafted specifically to use with sleeves, you will also need to draft the Sleeve

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Block. Now, I just want to be very clear about this. Most Block making instruction draft a bodice block that is to be used with sleeves. Now the difficulty with that is, that people try it on before putting the sleeves on, and that’s a good idea because you actually do want to fit the Bodice before adding the sleeve, but then they think there’s too much ease in that bodice, because the amount of ease there is too much for a Sleeveless Block, and then they might over fit.

00:06:39:15 - 00:06:59:17

Then when they put the sleeve on, it will be too fitting. So my recommendation is that you trace off and make the Sleeveless Block for fit, but you do have the option, if you prefer, of tracing off the Moulage e or tracing off the Standard Block. Of course, if you make any changes to the one that you’ve traced off, you will have to go back and make the relevant changes to the others.

00:07:00:21 - 00:07:22:08

This is a comparison showing you my Sleeveless Block in comparison with Didi’s. This is to show you how different blocks can look. Didi’s block is on the left, mine is in the middle and on the right one is on top of the other to better compare them. Now the reason Didi’s side seam dart looks so different to mine, or mine looks different to hers, is that she has an A-cup or even less than an A-cup.

00:07:23:00 - 00:07:43:17

And that’s pattern making cup I’m talking about not a bra bust cup. And I have somewhere between a C-cup and a D-cup. This means I have a larger difference between my Upper-Bust and my Bust than Didi does. Didi’s Upper-Bust and Bust are almost the same measurem ent. Now as should be expected, the shape of the block shows you the shape of the person.

00:07:44:04 - 00:08:01:21

Having said that, the front is only telling half the story. You need to look at the back together with the front to see the whole story. Looking at this, you might assume that Didi and I have the same Upper-Bust measurement, but that’s not the case as my Back-Arc. My Upper-Bust-Back-Arc is smaller than Didi’s.

00:08:03:03 - 00:08:31:06

Here is another comparison - Didi’s toile and my toile and our blocks with one on top of the other. It’s good to get an understanding of how the block translate to 3D when put on the body. You can use either paper or cardboard to draft the block. You’ll be drafting the Moulage, the Sleeveless and the Standard Block altogether. It’s best, therefore, to keep the original and trace off what you want to use after you’ve tested your block and you’re sure it’s finalized.

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Then put the paper version on top of cardboard, tape it down all along the edges and cut it out. The paper and cardboard will separate easily if you cut exactly along the edge, the cardboard version would be your master copy. This is easy to use because it has a firmer edge and it’s easier to trace around than paper.

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Then put the paper version on top of cardboard, tape it down all along the edges and cut it out. The paper and cardboard will separate easily if you cut exactly along the edge, the cardboard version would be your master copy. This is easy to use because it has a firmer edge and it’s easier to trace around than paper.

00:09:15:12 - 00:09:40:16

Then put the paper version on top of cardboard, tape it down all along the edges and cut it out. The paper and cardboard will separate easily if you cut exactly along the edge, the cardboard version would be your master copy. This is easy to use because it has a firmer edge and it’s easier to trace around than paper.

00:09:40:16 - 00:09:59:09

This is a reference line and we’ll start drafting from this point upwards. Actually, I want to point out that when drafting the Bodice Block, the Centre Front and the Center Back are facing in different direction. So here the Center Back is on the left of the Back Block where it’s the Centre Front is on the right of the Front Block.

00:09:59:17 - 00:10:20:02

That’s because they are made for the same side of the body. So this is Didi’s right side back and right side front. That means that when you true the pieces, they will be up the correct way. You won’t have to flip one over. So for Didi, I will be starting with the Centre Front on the right side and drafting to the left.

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So the first measurement - number 10 on the measurement chart - is the Full-Length-Front. Using your Full-Length-Front measurement, draw a vertical line from A on the waistline up to point B. Make sure the vertical line is at right angles to the horizontal waist guideline. Mark points A and B. The measurement as shown on Didi is taken from the High-Neck-Point to the Waist, over the Bust in a straight line.

00:10:46:05 - 00:11:16:06

The Upper-Bust-Arc-Front is measurement number 2 on the measurement chart. The Upper-Bust-Arc-Front measurement is from side seam to side seam, and you need to divide the measurement in 2 for the half block. Using that measurement, measure across from B in a straight line, making sure that it’s at right angles to the A to B line and mark point C. Then finish the rectangle, drawing a line from C down to the Waist and mark point D. Make sure all corners are right angles.

00:11:16:18 - 00:11:42:01

Now to be clear, this is just the body measurement. No ease. We will add the ease after we’ve drafted the block to the body measurements, right at the end. Using your Centre Front measurement. That’s measurement number 11 on the chart, measure up from point A on the A to B line and mark point E. Then draw a line from point A at right angles to the A to E line for about 4 inches,

00:11:42:08 - 00:12:04:09

and mark the end of that line point E2. This is just a guideline, the E to E2 - to help us draw the neck curve in later. As it’s a guideline, it does not need to be an exact length. The Across-Shoulder-Front is the next measurement. It’s number 12 on the chart. I need to make a point here, for the rest of this video, 

00:12:04:09 - 00:12:28:11

you know I’m drafting the Bodice Front. So if I say a Across-Shoulder rather than a Across-Shoulder-Front, I assume that you know it’s the front I’m talking about because I’m not drafting the back. I’ll try to remember to include the front, but please be aware. Making sure in the measurement chart you are working in the front section. Your Across-Shoulder-Front is generally measured from the Center-Front-Neck to the Shoulder-Point.

00:12:28:17 - 00:13:08:21

However, if you have a really rounded upper back with a forward jutting neck, or very sloped shoulders and you take it this way, you’ll end up with an incorrect Across-Shoulder-Front measurement, and you need to take the measurement a bit further down. Now using your Across-Shoulder-Front measurement, measure across from point B towards point C and mark point F. Then draw another guideline, again, because it’s a guideline, it does not need to be an exact length, about 3 to 4 inches down from point F at right angles to the B to F line and mark point F2. The Shoulder-Slope-Front is measurement number 13 on the measurement chart.

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Using your Shoulder-Slope-Front measurement, measure up diagonally from point A to touch the F-to-F2 guideline. Where it touches the guideline mark point G. Now some instruction say to add 1/8 of an inch or so to your Shoulder-Slope measurement for some ease. I just find that when you take those measurements a number of times you can be out an 1/8 of an inch each time you take it.

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My opinion is just take the body measurement and fine tune it in the toile. Now taking your Bust-Depth measurement, that’s measurement number 14 on the chart, measure down along the Shoulder-Slope line from point G and mark point H. Then draw a line from point H to the Centre Front line and make that right angles to the Centre Front line.

00:13:55:14 - 00:14:22:05

My opinion is just take the body measurement and fine tune it in the toile. Now taking your Bust-Depth measurement, that’s measurement number 14 on the chart, measure down along the Shoulder-Slope line from point G and mark point H. Then draw a line from point H to the Centre Front line and make that right angles to the Centre Front line.

00:14:22:05 - 00:14:47:16

This should match measurement number 16 on the chart. If those measurements don’t match up, then you’ve taken some measurements incorrectly and you might want to check it before continuing. the Bust-Span is measurement number 18 on the measurement chart. It’s usually taken from Bust-Point to Bust-Point and divided by 2. So measure from H2 on the H2 to H line and mark point H3.

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Now for some people, H3 will end up being to the left of point H. For Didi, H3 has ended up almost exactly on top of point H. But wherever H3 is ended up, whether it’s on top of H or to the left of H, rename H3 as the Bust-Point and erase H. So you should end up with point H2 at the Centre Front and the Bust-Point.

00:15:14:01 - 00:15:30:03

So before we look at the Shoulder-Length, let’s look at that Bust-Point. So what I have is just H2 at the Centre Front line and then I’ve got the Bust-Point. Now for some people, that Bust-Point will be to the left of the Shoulder-Slope line and it could be quite a bit to the left of that Shoulder

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00:16:11:07 - 00:16:38:01

The Armhole-Depth is measurement number 19 on the measurement chart. Using the Armhole-Depth measurement, measure down from point C, on the C-to-D line and mark point J. From point J, draw a straight line to the Center Front, making sure it is at right angles to the Centre Front line. This is the Upper-Bust line. Now, you don’t usually mark the upper bust line on the block, but I want you to mark it to make sure you remember to draw it on your toile.

00:16:38:07 - 00:17:14:22

It is good to see that line on your toile so you are clear where the Upper-Bust is. Not just at your armhole depth, but at the front and at the back. And I have included a photo of my toile. So you can see that for some people it wouldn’t be quite so obvious where the Upper-Bust is without this drawn on the toile to show you. Measurements number 20 and 21 are checking measurements to confirm your Front-Armhole-Depth. Measure from point A to the Upper-Bust line and see if that matches measurement number 20. Measure from point G to the Upper-Bust line and see if it matches measurement number 21. If they don’t match,

00:17:14:22 - 00:17:35:19

firstly check your measurements. If you can’t get them to match, choose one and keep drafting. You’ll the lines on the toile and check them again at that stage. This is an aside: If you find notice come across a mistake in my videos and I mean a mistake that matters - regarding drafting the block - not a spelling mistake. Please

00:17:35:19 - 00:18:00:20

First check the video description in the YouTube underneath this video - to see if I have noted that mistake and if I have put a link to the correct information. If there is nothing in the YouTube description box and it hasn’t been brought to my attention and I haven’t noticed it, and in that case, please let me know of the mistake via a comment, but always first please check the YouTube description box.

00:18:01:14 - 00:18:41:19

I can’t actually amend the video and if I replace it I lose all the comments, likes and views. So if it’s a small mistake, I will leave the video as it is, with a link in the to the corrections in the video description. Okay. So now using the Bust-Depth-at-the-Side-Seam measurement, that’s number 17 on the measurement chart. Measure down from point J towards point D and mark point K. We’ll now now mark the rest of the bustline because from H2 to the Bust-Point is part of our bustline, but we’ll mark the rest of it and in that process we’ll get the angle for our side seam that will determine our Bust-

00:18:41:19 - 00:19:06:06

Cup. So first, take your Bust-Arc-Front measurement, that is from side seam to side seam, and divided by 2, and that’s measurement number 5 on the chart. Then measure from H2 to the Bust-Point and subtract it from that measurement. Take the remaining amount and measure from the Bust-Point towards and through point K and mark point K2.

00:19:06:20 - 00:19:29:11

Now I will repeat this using Didi’s measurements in the next slide, so you’re clear on what we’re doing. Didi’s front Bust-Arc is 19 and 1/2 inches, divided by 2 For the half block is 9 and three quarters of an inch. From H2 to the Bust-Point, which is part of the bust line is 3 and 3/4 inches.

00:19:30:05 - 00:20:01:02

So 9 and 3/4 minus 3 and 3/4 is 6 inches. That’s the remainder. So I’ll measure from the Bust-Point toward and through point K at.. for 6 inches and mark point K2. So from H2 to the Bust-Point to K2 is the bust-line. While it does look very angular on the block, I have just traced those lines onto the toile that Didi’s wearing, and on the toile it doesn’t look so angular.

00:20:01:03 - 00:20:20:21

Now the bust line really is a curve, but these straight lines are good enough for the purposes of fitting. Now, if you have a large bust, chances are that that line will look even more angular. There’s a straight line from the Centre Front to the Bust-Point, but then it goes way up on an angle. On my body form, it actually looks straight and parallel to the floor.

00:20:21:03 - 00:20:39:18

On my body it’s actually angled up a bit, but that’s because I’ve put on weight and the block that fits my body form doesn’t fit me so well at the moment. So the next measurement is the Side Length - Number 9 on the measurement chart. We’ll draw the side seam and in the process will get the side seam angle that will give us our Bust Cup.

00:20:40:02 - 00:21:14:03

So taking your Side-Seam-Length measurement, measure from point J through point K2 in a straight line and at the end of that measurement mark point L. Moving up to the Across-Chest measurement, which is number 22 on the chart. You usually measure from armhole armhole and divide by 2. Now when you measured the Across-Chest, you should have noted the depth where you took that measurement. How far down from the Centre Front you took that measurement. For the Moulage, about two thirds of the way down from the Center-Front-Neck

00:21:14:03 - 00:21:35:14

and the Upper-Bust is a good place. I took it a little bit lower than that for Didi. Now using the Across-Chest measurement, measure inwards from the Centre Front line, and at right angles to the Center Front line and mark point M. We will draw the armhole next, but first will just draw a guide line to assist in that.

00:21:36:06 - 00:22:01:13

We don’t want to dip below this line when drawing the curve. So from J, draw a guideline for a few inches and that line has to be at right angles to the side seam. Mark the end point J2. Taking a French curve, draw the armhole from the Shoulder-Point G to touch the Across-Chest point M and finishing at point J at the Underarm / Upper Bust.

00:22:01:19 - 00:22:27:17

Now this block currently has no ease, so that armhole curve is for the Moulage. So now the neckline curve. Taking the French curve again, draw a line from point I at the High-Neck and down to point E at the Centre Front. Now don’t dip below the E to E2 line. However, you can cut into the I to I2 line. Now with Didi, her neck curve.

00:22:27:19 - 00:22:46:12

the pink line does not cut into that I to I2 line, but the green line shows how standard shaping works with the neck line. Now, I’ll show you in the next slide on my block because in this regard I am standard and Didi is not. So I have enlarged my block and you can just see the top of it.

00:22:46:20 - 00:23:16:23

And this is my neck line curve. For my curve, tt goes in an 1/8 of an inch beyond the I to I2 line. And this is actually what a lot of block making instructions say for the standard body. So it seems that I am standard in this regard, the shape of my neck, whereas Didi isn’t standard. Now I will do the Waist. First, we’ll place the first dart leg. Measure from point H2 to the Bust-Point.

00:23:16:23 - 00:23:42:24

Take that measurement and subtract 3/4 of an inch. Using the total, measure on the waistline from point A towards point D and mark point N. Now draw a line from the Bust-Point through point N and 1/8 of an inch pass point N. Mark point N2. The reason for extending the dart leg below the Waist is to get a curve for the Waist rather than a straight line.

00:23:43:03 - 00:24:07:09

And you’ll see how that works at the end when we do the Waist shaping. Now draw a guideline from point L at the side seam to point N2. The first dart leg. This is our waistline, or part of our waistline, because A to N2 is also part of the waistline, but we need to determine how much of this L to N2 is excess to requirements and put the excess into the dart.

00:24:08:07 - 00:24:42:10

So take your Waist measurement and divide it by 4. We’ll call this value X. Now measure from point A to point N2 and we’ll call that value Y. Take X and subtract Y, giving us the value of Z, or Zee if you are American. Using the value of Z, measure from point L at the side seam, along that guideline that you’ve just drawn, and mark point O. Now measure the first leg from the Bust-Point to N2. We need to make our second leg the same length.

00:24:43:05 - 00:25:05:12

So draw the second leg from the Bust-Point through point O and mark point O2. Now draw a line from point L to point O2. At the moment we’re drawing a straight line, but we will later make that a bit curved. We’ll do that at t he end after we’ve converted it to a 2-Dart Block. Now the main shape of the block is finished.

00:25:05:21 - 00:25:42:19

That’s without any ease. And we actually haven’t drawn in the waistline properly. We’ll finish the waistline curve later when we make it a 2-Dart Block. So now onto adding ease. We want to add 1 inch ease at the Waist across the whole block, divided evenly. So we’ll add a 1/4 inch to this half front. So measure out 1/4 of an inch from point L as a continuation from the o2 to L line. Mark point L2. This is the waist side seam point for the Sleeveless and the Standard Block. Now we’ll add ease at the Upper-Bust.

00:25:42:19 - 00:26:02:19

For the Sleeveless Block, we will also lower the armhole 5/8 of an inch. The Upper-Bust ease of the Sleeveless Block is 3 inches across the whole block. We’ll add 2/3 of that to the back and 1/3 to the front. So that’s 2 inches to the back and 1 inch to the front. And for the half block, that’s 1/2 inch.

00:26:02:19 - 00:26:33:19

Just note that the     J to L side seam line is the Moulage side seam line. So measure down on the J to L side seam line for 5/8 of an inch to lower the armhole. From that point, measure out for 1/2 an inch at right angles to the side seam line and mark point J3. Now draw a line which will be the Sleeveless Block side seam, from point J3 towards and through point L2 at the Waist.

00:26:34:03 - 00:26:55:22

Make the length of that line your body Side-Seam-Length minus 5/8 of an inch. Mark the end of that line point L3. Now finish the armhole curve for the Sleeveless Block using a French curve. You generally need a little bit of a straight line to begin with at the underarm so that you get a smooth curve between the back and the front when they are joined.

00:26:56:07 - 00:27:21:06

But just draw a curve to from point J3 to blend at point M at a Across-Chest. The purple stroked line is the Moulagee outline and the blue stroked line is the Sleeveless Block. The Moulage is drawn from point G at the shoulder to point J at the underarm, the Moulage side seam is from point J to point L at the waist, then to point O2 at the waist dart line.

00:27:21:15 - 00:27:43:08

 The Sleeveless Block is from point G at the shoulder to point J3 at the underarm to point L3 at the side waist, and then to point O2 at the waist dart line. The ease for the Sleeveless Block is highlighted in yellow. Of course, this is the half front, so there is the same amount on the other side. Plus there’s the ease in the back. Now will draw in the side

00:27:43:08 - 00:28:09:00

Same for the standard block to be used with sleeves, so will add some ease and also lower the armhole a little ease for the sleeve to block is usually five inches in the upper bust. If you are wondering about this amount of ease and think it may be too much, I suggest you watch my video on ease. It's part of the bodice block essentials where I show that this is the standard amount at the upper bust for the standard block.

00:28:09:09 - 00:28:33:15

Just note, though, that we are adding this at the Upper-Bust. There will be less ease in the Bust. If you have a look, you can see the wedge of ease in the Sleeveless Block narrows as it moves toward the Waist. There is less ease in the Bust than there is in the Upper-Bust. We will later check exactly how much ease we end up with at the Bust level for both the Sleeveless and Standard Block.

00:28:34:02 - 00:29:03:23

So five inches. But as we’re using the Sleeveless Block as our starting point and we’ve already added three inches there, we need another two inches. 1/3 to the front, 2/3 to the back means we need to add 5/16 of an inch ease to the half front. First we’ll lower the armhole 3/8 of an inch, measuring down the J3 to L3 Sleeveless side seam line, from there measure out at right angles to that side seam line for 5/16 of an inch.

00:29:03:23 - 00:29:24:02

And mark point J5. Draw a line from J5 at the underarm to point L3 at the Waist. This is the side-seam-line for the Standard Block or that that is the block to be used with sleeves. Before drawing the armhole for the Sleeved Block will add a bit to both the Shoulder-Length and the Across-Chest measurements.

00:29:24:09 - 00:29:49:21

And mark point J5. Draw a line from J5 at the underarm to point L3 at the Waist. This is the side-seam-line for the Standard Block or that that is the block to be used with sleeves. Before drawing the armhole for the Sleeved Block will add a bit to both the Shoulder-Length and the Across-Chest measurements.

00:29:50:04 - 00:30:10:00

You may not be able to draw it in one pass. You may have to draw two lines and blend them. The green shaded bit shows what we’ve added to the Sleeved Block. Now we can measure how much ease we have ended up with at the Bust level for the front here and when we draft the back, we can check the back amount and add it together.

00:30:10:18 - 00:30:36:06

You should end up with about 2 to 2 and 3/4 inches ease in the bust for the Sleeveless and around 3 to 3 and 1/2 for the Standard Block with sleeves. That’s the total across the whole block. If when you make your toile, this is too much, then shave a little bit off the wedge - front and back - for both either the Sleeveless and the Sleevee Block, if that’s what you want to do.

00:30:37:02 - 00:30:55:00

If you do that, make sure you taper it down to point L3 at the Waist. The way we’re going to convert this into a 2-Dart Block is by cutting and spreading. First, draw a guideline below the waistline and parallel to it that is 3/16 of an inch below the waistline . You can see that on the left.

00:30:55:00 - 00:31:15:24

most image. Still looking at the image on the left, from the side seam cut along the Bust line to the Bust-Point. Then cut up through the left waist dart leg to the Bust-Point, but leave a hinge. Don’t separate that piece completely. In the second image I’ve colored tha cut piece in yellow so it’s easy to see what’s going on.

00:31:16:15 - 00:31:46:03

That piece is pivoted down, pivoted on the hinge left at the Bust-Point so that the side seam touches the line below the Waist. Now on the right, I’m showing you that you need to put paper underneath the opened up section and stick it down. So that opened up section is the side seam dart and the Waist dart has reduced in size and the blue lines show that what the Waist dart is now. On the left side is what we ended up with on the last slide.

00:31:46:17 - 00:32:03:24

In the middle graphic you can see that I’ve just drawn straight lines to close both of the dats. We will finish off the darts in the next slide, but I’ll be working with the white copy on the end so that it’s less busy, less distractions. Again, I’ll be working with just the Sleeveless Block, but the method is the same for any dart.

00:32:05:10 - 00:32:28:15

So now we’ll finish off the shaping of the side seam dart. As shown in the example A - locate the middle of the side seam dart and draw a guideline from the Bust-Point through that point. As shown in example B - continued the straight line from the armhole, pass the top dart leg to touch that mid-dart line. And that is a straight line from the underarm point to touch the mid-dart line.

00:32:29:04 - 00:32:52:02

Then, as shown in C, draw a line from the bottom dart leg to meet that previous point. In this case, it will not be, or it probably won’t be a continuation of the line from the waist. Finishing it off this way will mean that it will fold downwards and the edges will be flush. If you want to fold it upwards, which is not usual, you do it the opposite way.

00:32:52:03 - 00:33:17:07

As in, you continue the line from the waist dart with a straight line in continuation of the side seam upwards, to meet the mid-dart line. Then you draw a line from the top down leg to meet that point. In this case, that line downwards will not be a continuation of the line from the underarm point. Now you could alternatively just fold the paper, by which I mean you close the dart on the paper and then you cut away the excess.

00:33:17:13 - 00:33:38:17

I hate folding paper. I prefer to use this method. Now on the left is the last image from the last slide. In the middle is the final shape of the block, including those lines from C. Now on the right is my block to show you how different it will look with a bigger Bust and a bigger side seam dart.

00:33:39:01 - 00:34:04:20

But the shaping was done the same. The side-seam line is continued from the armhole in a straight line to the mid-dart. Then a line is drawn up from the bottom dart leg to meet that previous point. The shaping done this way means that the dart will close downwards towards the waist, not up towards the armhole. Generally you don’t want darts to close upwards towards the armhole because that creates a little pocket there.

00:34:04:20 - 00:34:26:02

So for when you do the washing, you can catch fluff in there, etc. I suppose you could catch it downwards too, but that would fall out. But anyway, side seam dots tend to fold down towards the waist. Just another note the green dashed lines on my block is the waist shaping done to fold upward so the line is drawn from the waist.

00:34:26:02 - 00:34:50:15

first, to meet the mid-dart line and then the second line is drawn from the top leg to meet that point. Now for the Waist shaping. As shown in Image 1, find the midpoint again, the waist dart, the middle of it and draw a line from the Bust-Point through the mid-dart point. Remember that we dropped the dart legs for 3/16 of an inch and we also dropped the side-seam point earlier as well.

00:34:50:15 - 00:35:17:03

So we want a gentle curve for the Waist. Using a French curve. Look at Figure 2 and make the first part of the waistline from the Centre Front completely straight for a little bit. We want that to be at a right angle. We don’t want to dip or a valley at the Centre Front at the waistline. But curve it down to the dart leg point and continue that curve till it touches the mid-dart line.

00:35:17:19 - 00:35:59:23

Then turn flip, flip the French curve over. So you’ve got a reflected curve and curve that line back up again. You also want there to be a right angle at the side-seam. So that it will true better with the Back Block. That’s shown by that blue square showing that that side-seam point there is squared. On the left is an example of how the waistline would look after the dart was closed if we didn’t do that curving. And the image on the right shows you why we do that curving. And this slide I’m showing you that the curve I drew gives a nice flow through at the side-seam from the Back Block to

00:35:59:23 - 00:36:19:12

the front. The last thing to do is pull the dart points back a little bit from the Bust-Point. The bigger the bust, the bigger the size, the further away generally, the dart-point is from the Bust-Point. A general guide or a starting point is given here on the screen. You’ll probably need to pause and have a look. I’m not going to read all of those out.

00:36:20:02 - 00:36:42:09

Now, these are only general guides and only go up to a D-cup. Maybe you could look at your clothes and measure how far away your dart points are from your apex. That is assuming that the dart points on your clothes suit your body. Measure along the mid-dart line, away from the Bust-Point and place the new dart point on the mid-dart line and redraw your darts.

00:36:43:16 - 00:37:06:00

I recommend you draw all the lines from the block on the toile. Doing this means you can see where you’ve made mistakes. And also it’s much easier to see where the adjustments need to be made. From here on is some general information on truing the front and the back and finishing off your block. You need to do this after drafting both the front and the back.

00:37:06:12 - 00:37:29:05

I’m not using the block I drafted for Didi in these following slides. I’m using a Standard Block. When we finish both the front and the back, we need to check that the length of adjacent pieces match and also check that there is a nice flow through in the curves. If you need to increase the length of anything, you may need to stick on little bits of paper.

00:37:29:12 - 00:37:53:05

I’m not going to be doing that in my example, but just be aware you may have to. So firstly we’ll do the side-seam. Put the back and Front Blocks together at the side-seam Waist. Check that there’s a smooth curve at the waist, then check the side-seam length, firstly from the waist dart to the leg, then check that the remainder matches up.

00:37:54:03 - 00:38:17:20

Check that there is a smooth curve through the armhole. Then match the front and back at the High-Neck-Point to check the neckline curve. While you’re there, mark the shoulder dart placement from the Back Block onto the Front Block so that you can check the Shoulder-Length. Move the Front Block to the other leg and check the Shoulder-Lengths are the same.

00:38:18:07 - 00:38:40:17

This is especially important when drafting the 3 options together; the Moulage, the Sleeveless and the Sleeved. You may have traced off the Sleeveless Block on the front and then accidentally trace off the Sleeved version in the back. So definitely always check your Shoulder-Lengths match. Then check the flow through curve of the armhole when you have your final Front and Back Blocks,

00:38:40:17 - 00:38:59:06

Don’t forget the mark and notch the dart legs, label the block, put all the relevant information on it. Maybe including the date you drafted it. Note whether it’s a Sleeveless Block or the Sleeved Block or the Moulage. Now, I did hear a patternmaker say that you don’t put the grainline on the block, you put that on the pattern.

00:38:59:12 - 00:39:21:18

But I like to have it on my block to remind me, to put it on the pattern. Sometimes I forget, and then I get to putting my pattern pieces on the fabric and realize I haven’t drawn the grainline on there. So yes, I definitely prefer to put the grainline on the block as a reminder. So here are some final blocks, not Didi’s, but this is what the final blocks look like.

00:39:22:02 - 00:39:43:09

These ones don’t have the Bust line or Upper-Bust marked. That was needed during the drafting process for making the toile and getting the measurements right. On the actual blocks, you don’t need them, Today, 16th of March, I’m uploading the 2 revised Bodice Front videos, not at the same time. The metric, probably an hour or two after the imperial version.

00:39:43:18 - 00:40:06:07

In the next few days I'll be finishing and uploading the bodice back revised videos from April to July or August. I'll be uploading the videos that I've outlined in the video titled Planned Content in 2022. The first one should be up on Sunday 27th of March. If you find my content useful, please consider buying me a cup of coffee on coffee a link can be found in my YouTube header.

00:40:06:12 - 00:40:37:23

At the moment, the money I get only covers my costs and I work on creating content part time around my day job. If I eventually get enough support, I can work on this full time and post more content. Thank you. This is Maria from Dresspatternmaking.com.
 Beautiful dreamer wake unto me Starlight and dew drops are waiting for thee, Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,

00:40:38:04 - 00:40:44:04

Love by the moonlight have all passed away.