[A. A]

Guys,

So I have started the VERY first "baby steps" so to speak towards men's patternmaking. I started with Jack Hanford's book recomended by jcsprowls in this thread

http://www.cutterandtailor.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=164

I would like this thread to be sort of a progress chart. Where other people can see some of the problems encountered by a true beginner in understand the pattern making books. Unless of course mods decide against it for some reason

so in starting to draft a men's shirt pattern the author first explains the measurements, which i took some time to study and then to drafting the very first step he says this

1. Center Back Length - Neck to waist 19" 48.3cm

at the right hand side of the paper, about 2" 5.1 cm from the edge, draw a vertical line for the center back length, leaving approx2" 5.1 cm above and 8" 20.3 cm below. Square the line at the top and bottom for a short distance.

Now what does it mean to "square the line"? Looking at the patern and it seems like he is talking about some triangualr shape in there but what is squaring and how exactly is it done?

At the risk of sounding like a total newbie I have to ask as that is the only way to learn. I am working on getting a scanner or a camera so I can post pictures as I go along.

please help me get started

[greger]

Square the line at the top and bottom for a short distance.

You drew the first line from top to bottom of measurement. Now you draw a line at right angles from it, one at the bottom and one at the top. A lot of times the waist and chest and hem line goes all the way across depending on the system. Shirts usually have a different hem line. Probably the top one is about shoulder width (half shoulder, because you are drawing half the pattern). Most patterns have for directions points to measure from and you look up those points to find out where they are, so to say, by latitude and longitude, and where to measure this from that.

Patterns are fun to make.

[Sator]

Square the line at the top and bottom for a short distance.

You drew the first line from top to bottom of measurement. Now you draw a line at right angles from it, one at the bottom and one at the top.

This is what it sounds to me like the instructions are saying too. The phrase that is often used is "square out from the line". That is, place your square at the top and bottom of the first line and square out/draw perpendicular lines from there.

[jcsprowls]

It sounds like you're drafting a bodice pattern. And, that's fine. You need to practice in order to develop the vocabulary for drafting.

For a shirt, the perpendicular guideline needs to be a bit longer than the nape to hem measure. Then, you strike a line at a right angle to represent the nape/cervicale, another at a right angle to represent the breastline, the scye depth, the waist depth, the hip depth, and the hem.

Just wait. There's a whole new vocabulary for making, too.

[Hanna]

Yep, it sounds like make another line at a right angle to the end of the one you have just made.

I've just started to draft patterns and am finding it very relaxing and enjoyable... even when it all goes wrong and I'm short of time (drafting for my own designs, stupidly enough).

[A. A]

thank you ladies and gents for your responses. Indeed that is what the author was talking about. Squaring as in the right angle that is formed when you extended the line using L square.

I am working on getting a digitial camera or scanner so for upcoming problems I can post a picture of the actual book draft and my pattern where I am stuck at so you can immdeately pinpoint the mistakes that I could be making.

BTW this is for a mens shirt. Books is by jack hanford "professional pattern making for designers" and its on page 421 recomended by jcsprowls. This the VERY first pattern for mens the author explains.

[lspears]

I'm sure A.A has figured this out by now, but I'll state it anyway for the record: Handford seems to use the shaded triangle to indicate 90-degree angles on his patterns.

By the way, A.A, what kind of progress are you making at drafting shirts? In particular, I'm interested to hear how successful you were at getting the right neck and scye curvatures, and what method you used to draw them?

[jcsprowls]

Neck and scye curvatures are corrected during the fitting of the first pattern. If you're learning to draft, just get the draft on paper, first. Fitting is a different operation.

Over time, you'll memorize what the shapes should look like and you'll integrate that into your drafting method.