How to copy a basic shirt! A written descriptions (photos to follow later)
Recently, I did a tutorial at our LYS, AVFKW for our March Seam Allowance meeting. Here are the notes from that meeting on how to copy a basic T-shirt. I feel these tips could be modified to work with any kind of garment. I hope you enjoy! I will add images later for a more step by step guide. Sorry for all the uninterrupted text!
I also recommend looking at my July post about making my fancy party dress. It has a lot of great images and descriptions for doing a more hands on pattern modification.
**AVFKW how to draft a pattern from an existing garment TUTORIAL**
By Yavanna Reynolds.
**Intro: Pattern drafting basics**
Essentially, all pattern drafting is about understanding shapes. Its Geometry for the body. Knowing how to manipulate these shapes to fit your body is a major part of any pattern drafting or manipulation.
There are various methods used for creating new patterns. Some of the more common are:
--Draping (using a dressform)
--Measuring (taking a series of measurements and drafting by hand)
--Tracing/copying an existing shape.
The technique I will cover is a combination of those last two, and is handy for understanding not only how to make your own custom garments from other garments, but also for understanding how to alter patterns etc for a better fit.
**SOME USEFUL TOOLS:**
1) Paper:
Really, the only requirement for paper is that it is big enough for you to draw out your largest pattern pieces. I use butcher paper, because that's what I can get easily. Tracing paper also works, but is a bit more flimsy (but works great for tracing off your final pattern and adding seam allowances). I've seen patterns also done on newspaper. Some suggested medical exam paper too.
The best paper is alphanumeric dot paper. Its designed for pattern drafting. Unfortunately, most local sources really mark up the price, and buying it online can be expensive in shipping, because you end up with monster rolls of the stuff. If you have a good, inexpensive source, use it! I grabbed a ton when I was still in design school, but used it all a year or so ago! Sigh.
2) Pens or Pencils for drafting: I recommend fine point felt pens (.5mm or smaller!) or mechanical pencils with a fine tip. The size of the tip affects the final pattern, in that it can add a fraction of an inch of unwanted space along the pattern piece, which can really add up once you put seam allowances and go to sew it up. Do not use sharpies! I used sharpies for the demo just because they are easy to see.
3) Rulers:
I recommend everyone have at least a flexible clear ruler (try Blick or another store selling drafting supplies) and a proper french curve at the very least. It also wouldn't hurt to have an L-square ruler for making your large center lines. A hip curve for making skirts later, and for bottom hems. You might also want one of those rulers that takes a curve and holds it for you, very useful for sleeves!
International Design Supplies out of LA has a lot of these supplies, including the french curve, at reasonable prices
4)Tracing tools:
A tracing wheel, tailor chalk, anything you can use to mark the delicate curves you might have a hard time replicating with a ruler in recreating/copying your pattern.
**COPYING YOUR PATTERN: Basic T-Shirt**
STEP 1: Draw your vertical and horizontal guide lines. Make sure these lines lines extend beyond the overall length and width of the garment to be copied. The vertical line should be centered and the horizontal line near the top of the vertical line, perfectly perpendicular.
STEP 2: Center your garment. To prepare your garment for proper centering, iron the garment flat, making sure to get the hems well pressed and that the garment isn't torqued at all. After pressing it flat, fold the shirt in half, pressing in a center crease to help you center the garment later.
Place the garment with the center crease line up perfectly to the vertical line, and the HPS (high point shoulder, lined up neatly to the horizontal line. You may want to pin or tape your garment in place so it doesn't move during the following steps.
STEP 3: Begin marking the pattern. Place marks for the locations of the sleeves, waist, hip. Use a tracing wheel or tailors chalk to mark any curves that might be hard to replicate with a ruler.
STEP 4: Draw in the pattern outline (on the half). Using your rulers and the marks from the previous step, begin drawing out the pattern's basic outline. Square off anyplace that needs to connect to another seam, such as the shoulder and sides, as well as the center hem, side hems, center neck. They should be squared off 1/2".
If your shirt has sleeves. Use a series of measurements to recreate the sleeve. You will need the length of the sleeve from shoulder to end of sleeve, the length of the under seam, and the width at the hem. You will also need to measure the armhole along the seam using your flexible ruler. On a spare piece of paper, draw out your sleeve (I will add images later for this step).
STEP 5: Finishing. You should now have a complete block. Compare it to the original garment to make Trace off your block pattern on another piece to preserve your block. On your new tracing, add your seam allowances. These seam widths will vary depending on the hemming technique you are using, or the type of machine you are using, but in general you want 1/2" seams except at the neck, where it maybe as small as 1/4 if you are using a facing. Bottom hems are often 1".
**IDEAS FOR MODIFYING YOUR PATTERN:**
There are lots of ways for you to make more personalize fit modifications. Some include:
* Adding or removing darts/gathering.
* Adding style lines for patchwork or color blocking.
* Turning the garment into a wrap top, adding panels or
pockets.
**OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:**
When buying fabrics to use for recreating a knit garment, make sure to find a fabric with similar characteristics. By that I mean make sure that it is a similar fiber content, that it has similar stretch, etc.
One way to test stretch: Take 2" of your garment between your fingers along the hem. Stretch along the length of a ruler and note how much it stretches. When looking at fabrics in the store, fold the fabric once and do the same test with 2" of the fabric. It doesn't need to match exactly, but it should be close.
Also, make test garments out of an inexpensive fabric to test your fit. Make sure you don't want to make any changes before cutting into your final fashion fabric. To get a good set of blocks to fit your body, it may take some trial and error.
I also recommend looking at my July post about making my fancy party dress. It has a lot of great images and descriptions for doing a more hands on pattern modification.
**AVFKW how to draft a pattern from an existing garment TUTORIAL**
By Yavanna Reynolds.
**Intro: Pattern drafting basics**
Essentially, all pattern drafting is about understanding shapes. Its Geometry for the body. Knowing how to manipulate these shapes to fit your body is a major part of any pattern drafting or manipulation.
There are various methods used for creating new patterns. Some of the more common are:
--Draping (using a dressform)
--Measuring (taking a series of measurements and drafting by hand)
--Tracing/copying an existing shape.
The technique I will cover is a combination of those last two, and is handy for understanding not only how to make your own custom garments from other garments, but also for understanding how to alter patterns etc for a better fit.
**SOME USEFUL TOOLS:**
1) Paper:
Really, the only requirement for paper is that it is big enough for you to draw out your largest pattern pieces. I use butcher paper, because that's what I can get easily. Tracing paper also works, but is a bit more flimsy (but works great for tracing off your final pattern and adding seam allowances). I've seen patterns also done on newspaper. Some suggested medical exam paper too.
The best paper is alphanumeric dot paper. Its designed for pattern drafting. Unfortunately, most local sources really mark up the price, and buying it online can be expensive in shipping, because you end up with monster rolls of the stuff. If you have a good, inexpensive source, use it! I grabbed a ton when I was still in design school, but used it all a year or so ago! Sigh.
2) Pens or Pencils for drafting: I recommend fine point felt pens (.5mm or smaller!) or mechanical pencils with a fine tip. The size of the tip affects the final pattern, in that it can add a fraction of an inch of unwanted space along the pattern piece, which can really add up once you put seam allowances and go to sew it up. Do not use sharpies! I used sharpies for the demo just because they are easy to see.
3) Rulers:
I recommend everyone have at least a flexible clear ruler (try Blick or another store selling drafting supplies) and a proper french curve at the very least. It also wouldn't hurt to have an L-square ruler for making your large center lines. A hip curve for making skirts later, and for bottom hems. You might also want one of those rulers that takes a curve and holds it for you, very useful for sleeves!
International Design Supplies out of LA has a lot of these supplies, including the french curve, at reasonable prices
4)Tracing tools:
A tracing wheel, tailor chalk, anything you can use to mark the delicate curves you might have a hard time replicating with a ruler in recreating/copying your pattern.
**COPYING YOUR PATTERN: Basic T-Shirt**
STEP 1: Draw your vertical and horizontal guide lines. Make sure these lines lines extend beyond the overall length and width of the garment to be copied. The vertical line should be centered and the horizontal line near the top of the vertical line, perfectly perpendicular.
STEP 2: Center your garment. To prepare your garment for proper centering, iron the garment flat, making sure to get the hems well pressed and that the garment isn't torqued at all. After pressing it flat, fold the shirt in half, pressing in a center crease to help you center the garment later.
Place the garment with the center crease line up perfectly to the vertical line, and the HPS (high point shoulder, lined up neatly to the horizontal line. You may want to pin or tape your garment in place so it doesn't move during the following steps.
STEP 3: Begin marking the pattern. Place marks for the locations of the sleeves, waist, hip. Use a tracing wheel or tailors chalk to mark any curves that might be hard to replicate with a ruler.
STEP 4: Draw in the pattern outline (on the half). Using your rulers and the marks from the previous step, begin drawing out the pattern's basic outline. Square off anyplace that needs to connect to another seam, such as the shoulder and sides, as well as the center hem, side hems, center neck. They should be squared off 1/2".
If your shirt has sleeves. Use a series of measurements to recreate the sleeve. You will need the length of the sleeve from shoulder to end of sleeve, the length of the under seam, and the width at the hem. You will also need to measure the armhole along the seam using your flexible ruler. On a spare piece of paper, draw out your sleeve (I will add images later for this step).
STEP 5: Finishing. You should now have a complete block. Compare it to the original garment to make Trace off your block pattern on another piece to preserve your block. On your new tracing, add your seam allowances. These seam widths will vary depending on the hemming technique you are using, or the type of machine you are using, but in general you want 1/2" seams except at the neck, where it maybe as small as 1/4 if you are using a facing. Bottom hems are often 1".
**IDEAS FOR MODIFYING YOUR PATTERN:**
There are lots of ways for you to make more personalize fit modifications. Some include:
* Adding or removing darts/gathering.
* Adding style lines for patchwork or color blocking.
* Turning the garment into a wrap top, adding panels or
pockets.
**OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:**
When buying fabrics to use for recreating a knit garment, make sure to find a fabric with similar characteristics. By that I mean make sure that it is a similar fiber content, that it has similar stretch, etc.
One way to test stretch: Take 2" of your garment between your fingers along the hem. Stretch along the length of a ruler and note how much it stretches. When looking at fabrics in the store, fold the fabric once and do the same test with 2" of the fabric. It doesn't need to match exactly, but it should be close.
Also, make test garments out of an inexpensive fabric to test your fit. Make sure you don't want to make any changes before cutting into your final fashion fabric. To get a good set of blocks to fit your body, it may take some trial and error.
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