Fitting, sewing, patterns, and useful stuff

duh who wrote:

Thanks for your offer to help on this though. I appreciate it.

Dwight---
^^^^^^^
{trimmed with pinking shears}
^^^^^^^
Cea wrote:
#3) To get the design and details you want, you'll often find you have
to cannibalize parts from other patterns. If you learn how to draft your
own patterns, you might still have occasions where you will want to
combine various pattern pieces. Until then, it helps to look at patterns
differently, as if they were a combination of often-interchangeable
parts.
Have I missed the part of this thread where you mentioned looking at
Burda and Quick Sew pattern books? I think Q.Sew has the most menswear
patterns of any of the books.

KwikSew's online catalogue has been down for probably the last week that
I've been trying to get on there.

Along those lines, I went foraging through one of last years pattern
books (don't know if these patterns are still listed, but it's an
example, OK?) looking for a mandarin style collar.
Q. Sew: #2258 has a stand-up collar, which could be converted to a
taller mandarin style.
McCall: Palmer & Pletsch, #9579.
Costumes, the Bane of your sewing existence: Simplicity, # 7274, view
C--a Civil War uniform with a mandarin style collar. Front closure
would have to be adjusted, width added to jacket body.
S # 8363, view B front opening jacket with a mandarin style collar:
forget the fact that it is a costume. Go with me on this.
Squint at this one--imagine if the shaped bodice front pieces of the
pattern were taped together, thus eliminating the extra cutting/shaping
lines (called princess lines when they are on women's wear), then the
bodice was lengthened and widened, adding the width and ease that you
desire. Figure these amounts from a pattern you have already used, or a
fav. shirt. or adapt the collar to the coat pattern.
Putting disparate pattern pieces together is an adventure, and, I
think, a learning exercise, one which most of us have done at some time
in our sewing lives. HTH.

Dwight--- wrote:
I don't have enough confidence or experience needed to do the type of
swapping you talk about. To me, I'd be afraid I'd end up getting the
equivalent of putting the wrong size sleeves to a different armscye. I know
we're not talking about sleeves here, but that kind of not so evident
mismatches that might not show up for me until I put the final product on.

I will save you post here, though, for future reference.

Dwight

I used to make all my DH's shirts when he wore the western-cut ones
years ago. He's always had a barrel chest, but was much skinnier at the
waist. I learned to do shaping and fitting darts by practicing on him.
LOL My favorite trick for swapping collars between patterns is to stand
my sewing tape measure on edge, along the seamline of the collar piece.
Write the measurment down. Then pin or tape all the neckline pattern
pieces together, just like they would be sewn, matching dots, etc.
Measure the neckline seamline the same way, i.e., tape measure on edge.
Then adjust either the collar or the neckline, depending on what the
numbers tell you. HTH
--
TerriLee Bishop in WA (state) USA
(opinions are wholly owned by the author and don't represent anything)
;-)
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Fitting, sewing, patterns, and useful stuff

(TerriLee=A0in=A0WA)
Dwight sez:
I don't have enough confidence or experience needed to do the type of
swapping you talk about. To me, I'd be afraid I'd end up getting the
equivalent of putting the wrong size sleeves to a different armscye. I
know we're not talking about sleeves here, but that kind of not so
evident mismatches that might not show up for me until I put the final
product on.
I will save you post here, though, for future reference.
Dwight
hereupon TerriLee replies reasonably:
I used to make all my DH's shirts when he wore the western-cut ones
years ago. He's always had a barrel chest, but was much skinnier at the
waist. I learned to do shaping and fitting darts by practicing on him.
LOL My favorite trick for swapping collars between patterns is to stand
my sewing tape measure on edge, along the seamline of the collar piece.
Write the measurment down. Then pin or tape all the neckline pattern
pieces together, just like they would be sewn, matching dots, etc.
Measure the neckline seamline the same way, i.e., tape measure on edge.
Then adjust either the collar or the neckline, depending on what the
numbers tell you. HTH
---
A good explanation of how-to swap pattern parts, TeriLee, and easy,
even for a sewer who isn't very adventurous. Dwight sounds much more
adventurous, so this should be a walk in the park, should he decide to
try it.
If you don't have pattern drafting skills, and the style you want is
not in the pattern books, this is the _only_ way I know of to get what
you want.
Well, the only way, other than finding a ready-made, and tracing a
pattern off of the finished garment. (Reference Tracy Benussen's
excellent books on that subject.)
Cea