garment design & construction 1 - skirt block

A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting

Skirt Block

Skirt Block

Waistline around ‘belly button’

Hipline 20cm under waistline

Length Waistline To Knee line

Measurements Required

A Technical Foundation - Women's Wear Pattern Cutting: Skirt Block

EASE

Ease of movement

When creating patterns you need to add EASE into actual body measurements so you can move in the garment

BUST LINE = 4cm (BREATHING)

WAIST LINE = 2cm (EATING)

HIP LINE = 4cm (SITTING)

** Hip Line can be less (2cm) for fitted skirts


Equipment Pattern paper, ruler with a straight and curved edge Pencil, (rubber)


Draw a rectangle

LENGTH = waistline to knee line

WIDTH = HIP plus EASE Divided by 2

** Blocks are always made as HALF of the body front and back

EXAMPLE – Waistline to Knee line = 50cm LENGTH Hipline = 90cm + 4cm ease /2 = 47cm WIDTH


Draw the Hipline 20cm down from the TOP line which is the waist line

Draw the side seam A line in the middle

Top Line is Waistline


PANEL LINE POSITION

The panel line runs down the centre of your body and is where shaping (darts) will be placed to reduce the width at the waistline.

Panel position is 1/10th of your Hip measurement

EXAMPLE 90cm Hip = 9cm panel position, marked back from the outside edges.


ABBREVIATIONS

CB = left side line. Centre Back

CF = right side line. Centre Front

HL = Hip line KL = Knee line

BACK FRONT


C B

C F

HL HL

KL KL

WIDTH is your HIPLINE

We now need to reduce the WAISTLINE (Top Line) To fit your body.

We do this by adding DARTS into the Panel Lines and shaping at the side seam.

Waist Line

Panel Lines

Side Seam


Calculating the DART Width Hipline to Waistline Difference

• Hipline MINUS Waistline• HALVE the measurement as your block is half the back and half

the front• Divide by 4 to reduce waistline evenly around the body. (Front

and back darts, front and back side seam)• EXAMPLE 90cm Hipline. 67cm Waistline• 90 – 67 = 23cm.• HALF = 11.5cm

• Divided by 4 = 2.87cm• THIS is the width of your darts at the waistline


Body Shapes Straight Body (thicker waistline)

You can just have back darts and no front dart.

Small Waist/ Larger bottom

You can have two back darts to account for a more curved bottom.

Place these slightly to the left and right of the original panel line position.


BACK – 14cm FRONT - 10cm

DART LENGTH Darts are placed on the top line, the waistline to reduce the waist measurement. Measure DOWN the PANEL LINE and mark a point for the dart length Back darts are longer to reach the top of the curve of your bottom Front darts reach your stomach.

Back Panel Line

Front Panel Line


C B

Dart length 14cm

Dart width 2.87cm HALF EACH SIDE of Panel line = 1.43cm

DRAW a straight Line to connect points

FRONT DART Length = 10cm WIDTH = 2.87cm HALF EACH SIDE of panel line = 1.43cm

BACK dart


RAISE side seam line by 2cm UP from waistline – This creates shaping at the side


Connect side seam point with INSIDE dart line STRAIGHT line


Waist Measurement 1. Waist PLUS ease DIVIDED by 42. ADD dart width measurement.3. EXAMPLE – Waist 67cm PLUS 2cm ease = 69cm4. Divided by 4 = 17.25cm5. Add dart width = 17.25cm + 2.87cm = 20.12cm6. Measure along the waistline, straight from CB and CF and UP the new line

to side seam. Mark a point at the waist measurement (20.12cm)

Back and Front waistline ** The ‘space’ to the side seam should be similar to the dart width


Use the curve of a ruler to join the side seam line.

Join Side seam to waist point


Create a SMOOTH line which flows into the Hipline It does not have to reach the hipline itself


Create a small curved line, from the dart to the side seam line CURVE inwards 2mm


FINISHED!


FINISHED BLOCK

Showing waist shaping lines.

DARTS and SIDE SEAMS are ¼ each of the waist to hip difference

This gives even distribution of the difference around your waistline.


FITTING SAMPLE PATTERN - CUT OUT the back and front skirt block

GRAIN LINES - Are the direction you cut the fabric and are placed on all blocks, plans and patterns. They are parallel to the CB and CF

INFORMATION is written down the grain line showing what the block is.

BACK

SKIRT BLOCK YOUR NAME/SIZE INFO/DATE


Fitting Sample Take a new piece of paper and trace around your block.

Its good to use a ruler to create a GRID to start before tracing. This is the CB line, straight line for waistline, hipline and knee line. Then place the block against these lines and finish the side and waistline.


ADD 1cm down the side seam. This is the seam allowance to make a fitting sample. There is NO NEED to add seam on the waistline or hem for a fitting sample as you want to see how the block sits in the correct position on your body.

Trace side and waistline of block


Trace the front block, keeping the hipline in the same position across the page. Adding 1cm seam onto the side seam.

THREE DOTS = these mean cut on Fold

GRAIN LINE Information

BACK FITTING SAMPLE CUT 1 ON FOLD

SKIRT BLOCK


Cut out the pattern


NOTCHERS

Pattern notches help you sew. Mark hipline, dart positions and the opening (zipper) with notches.

ZIPPER NOTCH is ALWAYS 2cm above Hip Line to be able to fit the skirt over your hip and bottom


Lay fabric flat on a table. Align to the table edge to keep the grain line straight. As your skirt fitting sample is CUT ON FOLD, fold fabric as below, creating two folded edges and the SELVEDGE in the middle. The selvedge is the natural edge.

SELVEDGE

CUT EDGE from shop


Place pattern pieces AGAINST FOLDED EDGES. Weigh down with pattern weights (or any heavy enough object to hold in place)

NO NEED FOR PINS. If your not sure of your cutting skills use chalk or pencil to draw around the pattern pieces.


Cut out pattern pieces. CUT INTO NOTCH – 3mm MAXIMUM. These will help you sew.


MARK the bottom of the dart points on the fabric. PENCIL or Chalk is good. If you are new to sewing draw the dart line to follow when you sew.


Fitting Sample Sewing

Fold fabric together down the dart length, creating a long triangle. Sew down the length of the dart, finishing at the end point.


Sew all 4 darts, two front and two back.

These are bringing in the waistline


Sew the LEFT SIDE SEAM from under the zipper notch down to the hemline. ZIPS ALWAYS sit on the LEFT side of the body. For left handed people, a right side seam zip would be better


Sew the right side seam from waistline down to hemline.


Fitting sample is now ready to be tried on.

Darts are sewn.

Left seam is sewn from under the zipper notch.

Right side seam is sewn from waistline down to hemline.

Fitting sample should sit at your waistline and hit your knee line.


Front darts should sit smooth around your stomach

Back darts should reach the top of your bottom


Pin side seam opening together 1cm seam allowance.

If skirt is too big reduce down the side seam.

If skirt is too small add onto the side seam.

If darts are not sitting smooth reduce the width and add onto the side seam.


Once size is confirmed trace pattern of block onto card for repeated use.


A Technical Foundation, Women’s Wear Pattern Cutting · ISBN-10: 1849634718

· ISBN-13: 978-1849634717

Concept to Creation; The Design Process · ISBN-10: 1849635730

· ISBN-13: 978-1849635738

A Technical Foundation - Menswear Pattern Cutting · ISBN-10: 1784551236

· ISBN-13: 978-1784551230

garment design & construction 1 - skirt block

Education