I’ve heard quite many times about how hard it is to draft basic blocks because it’s not always easy to follow the instructions in the book. I believe a pictures is worth a thousand words, and better yet, catch the drafting in action! So i’ve captured the steps for a simple ladies’ basic bodice block into a videoclip, hope it’s useful to crafters/hobby sewers who wants to make something for themselves 🙂
So, just to explain a bit about this block. It’s a simplified one that’s easy for beginners to use, where the waist, bust and hips are equally distributed between the front and back. The waist darts (3cm) are the same for front and back as well. It’s in centimetres by the way.
Some acronyms that i’ve used in the video:
CF – centre front
CB – centre back
‘L‘ – It looks like the letter ‘L’, it’s to denote the corner where a right angle is required.
The measurements required in order to draft this block:
Neck (around)
Bust (around)
Waist (around) at Natural Waist position
Armhole (around)
Front Waist Length (High Point Shoulder aka HPS to natural waist)
Bust Height (HPS to apex of bust aka Bust Point)
Bust Point distance
Centre Back Length
Shoulder to Shoulder
This block uses the side seam dart or bust dart for the front bodice.
There’s all the instructions to the video, enjoy it & let me know if there’s any area i could improve on! I’m going to work on more such drafting videos so stay tuned!
Just a note: the best way to find out if the fit of the block is good is to make a sample & try it on! I’ve always been asked which drafting method(s) is the best, but honestly, i don’t think there’s ONE method of doing things, it really depends on what you are trying to achieve. And not to forget, all these methods are developed based on a standard set of measurements – it doesn’t mean that it will work for individual bodies! So make a sample/toile, and do a fit evaluation. It’s the best way to figure out if the dart(s) work for your shape, the shoulder slope is ok etc. Have fun!