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Computer Aided Pattern Design
by Don McCunn
Adding EaseGarments can not be made to the exact size and shape of a body as this would inhibit movement. This means patterns need to be adjusted to add Ease. There are two types: Fitting and Design Ease. Ease is also different for woven and knit fabric. Fitting Ease is added to the side of the body, not the front or back. This is because the bone structures, such as the shoulders do not expand or shrink and the spine does not get longer or shorter. But arms move so there needs to be Ease in the side seam to allow for this. When a person walks the movement is front to back, not sideways. When a person sits, the shape of the body as seen from the side changes, not so much the front and back. Ease also needs to be added so a person can breathe. I made a dress one time for a woman's wedding trousseau. When she came for a fitting, it looked great. But when she attended wedding parties it was very uncomfortable for dancing, etc. because it inhibited her breathing. This is similar to the restrictions of the 19th century corsets when buildings included "fainting couches." ContentsWoven FabricWoven fabric, unlike knits, does not stretch except on the bias. How to Make Sewing Patterns focuses on woven fabric to create Master Patterns. It shows how these Master Patterns can be adapted to knits. Trying to adapt knit patterns to woven fabric is too prone to error. Below are the Fitting Ease measurements I recommend in this book. The 4" measurement for the Bust is for garments that include a sleeve. For the Waist I recommend 1" for skirts and 2" blouses and shirts.
For garments such as Jumpsuits, 2" of ease is required for the length of the garment. Recommendations for a combined Fitting and Design Ease are included in the instructions for Vogue's 1004 Fitting Shell. Vogue wisely does not try to add Waist measurements to the different fits as the waist will be more dependent on the design. But as a guideline, the Hips can be used for the Waist as well.
My RTW shirts expand the width of the shirt at the shoulders by 2" and increase the Design and Fitting Ease at the chest by 12". Increasing the shoulder width is a design choice and not a strictly fitting issue. It is described in the Changing the Size instructions. This video just illustrates how to adjust the side seam for a looser fit at the bust by 150% from 4" to 6". |
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Knit FabricFor garments that are loose fitting, the ease for woven fabric can be used. If a garment is to be more closely fitted, the stretch of the knit needs to be considered. The stretch will vary with each fabric. The stretch can be 2-way which stretches either vertically or horizontally or 4-way which stretches both vertically and horizontally. The amount of stretch can be expressed as a percentage. For example if 10" of fabric can be stretched to 12", the percentage of stretch is 120%. For a 36" bust, fabric with 120% will stretch to 43" for potentially as much as 7" of ease. To reduce this amount of ease, the pattern needs to be reduced in size. This is referred to as negative ease. When determing the percentage of negative ease, it should be based on the comfort level of the garment, not the maximum stretch possible. Athletic BrasWhen I was writing How to Make Custom-Fit Bras & Lingerie, one of the bras I included was for an athletic bra as described on pages 142 to147.  For this video I am using the pattern I made for this bra. To create the pattern, the breast tissue is first compressed into a bra mold. To fit effectively the pattern needs to be scaled down to the negative ease of the fabric being used.
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Copyright © 2024 by Donald H. McCunn
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