Author Topic: Mrs Stylebook How-To Info (Read 67872 times)

Liana · « **on:** May 12, 2007, 02:18:09 PM »

There was a lot of very good, helpful information on the old Sewing World, about how to use the Mrs Stylebook pattern drafting instructions. Most of it was provided by artistwhosews, M&M and lsherm.

I offered to aggregate it and post it here so it would be available to anyone who would like to use it. Everyone whose posts are quoted has agreed to this. I believe the issue referred to was from Spring 2005, and the photograph of the skirt is on pg. 36. (Thanks to May for the publication info!) They publish 4 times a year, I believe.

Please note! You may click on the uploaded photos to see larger versions. You may click on the link below the photos to download a photo.

DragonLady · « **Reply #1 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:21:52 PM »

Cool! And good work.

Liana · « **Reply #2 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:25:26 PM »

Skirt Drafting:

artistwhosews posted: Skirt drafting on page 175

First, you need your waist, hip, and hip line (from waist to hip) measurement.

I take my waist and hip at the fullest part measurement and compare it with the chart on page 155 to determine my hip line measurement. Mine is closest to size ML, so I chose 21cm. Here's the chart, and you want the 6th from the top measurement:

Standard Measurements Chart Please click on the photo to see it larger, or click on the link beneath it and Open if you prefer to download it.

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Liana · « **Reply #3 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:36:33 PM »

The skirt front draft

artistwhosews wrote:

1. Skirt Back: draw a vertical line 73 cm for length of skirt. Shortening and lengthening can be done after skirt is drafted.
2. Calculate your waist measurement: Waist measurement divided by 4, add 4.5cm and add 1.5 cm and subtract 1cm. What's going on here is you’re using 1/4th of your waist measurement, adding 4.5cm for the elasticized waistband, adding 1.5cm for ease, but giving 1cm of this ease to the front of the skirt.
Draw the waistline calculation perpendicular (use your right angle) from the vertical skirt length line already drawn.
3. Calculate your hipline measurement: hip at fullest (mine falls below the 21cm waist to hip mark but I use the fullest if I want to get into this skirt) divided by 4, add 1.5cm for ease and subtract 1cm to give to the front of the skirt.
Draw this hip line at the distance from waistline to hipline (as given in the chart).
4. Draw a line parallel to the skirt length line from hipline mark to bottom of skirt hem.
5. On the hipline, mark a distance 10cm from center back of skirt (the broken line). Starting from the waistline, draw a line parallel to the skirt length line all the way down to the hem.
6. Mark a point 10cm from the hipline on the side seam side. Draw a horizontal line to the almost midpoint vertical line on the skirt. This is the point at which the bottom part of the skirt will flare out.
7. Mark a point 20cm from the previous 10cm line on the side seam as shown in the draft. This is the point where the skirt will flare out midway.
8. Draw the hem line and extend the side seam hemline by 2.5cm.
9. Midway down the skirt, mark the 0.5, 0.7 marks and the 0.7 mark at the side seam. Draw a line from the top of the 20cm spot down to the 0.5, 0.7 and the 0.7 marks.
10. Mark 2.5 and 3cm points on the hemline. Draw a line from the 0.5 and 0.7 midway up the skirt marks. Do the same to the side seam. This gives the skirt the bottom flare.
11. At the hemline, the corners of the pattern needs to be made into 90degree right angles. Make sure the length of each line is the same length.
12. Mark a point 2.5 cm from the hipline upwards. This is zipper stop point on the left side of skirt.
13. Waistline: Mark a point 1cm down from the center back of the skirt. Draw a line from the hipline sideseam to the waistline side seam. Mark a point 0.7 upwards on this line above the waistline mark. Take your waistline curved ruler and give the waistline a curved line.
14. Dart: Mark a distance 9cm from hipline upwards. This is where your dart ends. Divide 1.5 into half and measure half of this 1.5 on each side of line. This creates your dart.
15. Everything should be done now so take a tracing paper and trace the center back pattern piece. Make sure you trace the flared lines correctly. Then trace the back side skirt pattern piece. You may want to add seam allowances and add extra for the hem.

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Liana · « **Reply #4 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:40:55 PM »

Posted by M&M

Hellenne,
Yes, I will try translating the page. It will take some time, though.

Liana, from the top, the measurements are:
Bust
Waist
Waist for mature figure
Middle Hip, hip circumference at the highest point of tummy.
Hip
Vertical distance between waist and hip lines
Back body length
Arm length
Wrist circumference
Head circumference
Crotch length
Leg length below crotch
and
Height.
Actually, if you take a look at page 88, you can see how hip, middle hip, and so on are supposed to be measures in photographs. They recommend using a piece of cardboard to make sure that the protrusion of tummy will be taken into account when measuring hip.
M&M

Liana · « **Reply #5 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:41:47 PM »

The skirt front draft.

Posted by artistwhosews:

The draft for the skirt front is very similar to the skirt back. Click here for the drawing: skirt
The differences are:
1. The second dart (actually the first dart becomes part of a seamline), you measure 5 cm from the center of the first dart and draw a perpendicular line from waistline down 8cm. Then you divide 2cm in half and give 1cm to one side of the perpendicular line and 1cm to the other side. That's your dart.
2. The first dart you don't divide the measurement in half, but instead measure 1cm to one side and 2cm on the other.
3. I also circled the kanji character for FRONT. The skirt back draft has the character for BACK on it, too.
As for the waistband, you draft front and back sections separately and then join them at the little circle symbols. There is an extension of 5cm on the left side for buttonhole/button/hook whichever you prefer.
After you've finished drafting, please double check your numbers and calculations, or do so during the drafting process. Also, you may want to measure the waistline and hipline to make sure there are no mistakes there in calculations. And lay your front skirt piece on top of the back skirt piece and make both side seam waistline to hipline curves the same.
My descriptions aren't the best, so please feel free to ask questions.
Once you get your skirt drafted, you can tissue fit in front of the mirror and see if the length is appropriate for your height. I would suggest lengthening and shortening at the line right below the hipline since at this point the skirt does not angle inward. However, this can be a design preference, and if you're super tall you may want to lengthen a little at the bottom flare, midway flare, and below the hipline.
As for the elastic waist, I usually make a casing and insert the elastic then try it on and move around the gathers. Because I have a concave area between my waistline and hipline, I place the gathers there to give it a little pouf to hide my concave spot.
The two darts in the front of the skirt are to allow for the roundness of the tummy .
I would also adjust the hemline while wearing the skirt because the shape of our bodies and the drape of the fabric can create an uneven hemline.
I hope everyone can draft this skirt easily and enjoy the process. It's a little time consuming at first, but after your 3rd skirt drafting, it'll come easy and become faster.
Hellenne

Liana · « **Reply #6 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:44:51 PM »

Speaking about skirt patterns which were included as patterns, not as draft diagrams,

artistwhosews posted:
The skirts on pages 42-47 have the patterns enclosed but not the draft diagram. But it's telling us to do something to adjust the waist. M&M, can you tell us what that info is on page 99?
Hellenne

M&M replied:
Those diagrams are for adjusting waist size for designs 42/43 (above) and designs 44/45 (below). It recommends to choose sizes according to your hip size and adjust the waist. Suppose you want to add 2 cm to the chosen size, for designs 42 and 43, add 0.25 cm to the panel lines at front and back, not at side seams. Similarly, for designs 44 and 45, add 0.25 cm to four of the six panels as you can see. Again, not at the side seams.
For designs 46 and 47 which have yokes, you can choose your waist size for the top of the yoke and hip at the lower edge.

Liana · « **Reply #7 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:50:41 PM »

Translations of text about slopers.

M&M posted:

Ladies, I've translated most of the contents below. Please let me know if you have any questions. I will try to answer as much as I can.
On page 154, there are basically three sections of text: right middle, left middle and lower sections. The lower section says that they can sell you the traditional sloper for sizes S through LL using modifications shown on page 155. Although it does not say so, it is probably for addresses in Japan only as they say to include a 500 yen stamp.
The middle left section talks about measurements which is not particularly different from what you would find in any sewing book.
The middle right section tells you that the traditional slopers have been in use for more than 50 years with several modifications through those years. They are derived using only bust and back body lengths. When drawing patterns for garments, front and back slopers are placed side by side by aligning the horizontal waist lines, while bust lines are not matched. Back shoulder length is longer than the front shoulder length. This difference is taken care when designing garments. There are also sleeve slopers but they are omitted as most of the sleeves are derived using AH(armhole) lengths from the body slopers.
The body slopers shown on page 154 are drawn for size M measurements: bust 82 cm and back body length 38 cm. The traditional slopers are developed using size M. As a result, as the measurements become smaller or larger than size M, the slopers would not work as well. In order to cope with this problem, they have introduced modifications as shown on page 155.
On page 155, numbers in the bottom table and the top diagram (the diagram is drawn for size LL) correspond to each other. For example, number 1 is the vertical length from center back neck to the bust line. For size LL, it should be B/6+5.8=22.5 cm. The middle diagram shows how much of discrepancies you would see if the size M calculation is used for size LL. For example, the measurement 1 would be B/6+7, which is longer than 22.5cm.

Liana · « **Reply #8 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:51:31 PM »

ShannonG4d posted:

About the sloper thing....you CAN use a personal sloper if you have one, and it will work fine. I've used mine to do a couple of things with no problems; I just have to pay attention to the fact that my sloper has darts and the S sloper doesn't. It's a good idea to have a pattern drafting text handy if you can get your hands on one, because it will help you to make sense of some of the steps.
Shannon

Liana · « **Reply #9 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:54:22 PM »

Basic Simple Sloper

artistwhosews posted:

I've got the Basic Simple Sloper hopefully in easy to understand step by step pics. One part I wasn't 100% sure of is the vertical line dividing the rectangle in half (on the bottom half of the rectangle). I believe this line is supposed to be in the center and consulted my other Bunka book, which is 1cm to the left of the center (but it's an older version of the sloper). Please let me know if anyone thinks this is otherwise.
You will need a thicker paper like poster board, but you can start out with Kraft paper and trace your finished sloper carefully onto a thicker board. The sloper is a template and should have NO seam allowances. Make a hole for the BP (bustpoint) so you can make a mark on the pattern piece for the BP. When your sloper is finished, you may want to add side, shoulder, and front/back seams (or place those on fold) and see how the fit of the sloper is.
All lines are perpendicular (except for the angles and curves) and parallel to each other (except for the angles and curves). Your right angle should have a 45 degree on it, if not, just take a corner of a sheet of paper and fold that in half to get your 45 degree angle.
The symbols like triangles and circles means use that measurement for other places with the same symbol.
The French curve for beginners: there are usually 3 points you work with and the curve will lay on those 3 points. Try to get as close to the curve shape as shown in the diagram in the book. My drawing is not that accurate, so please go by the drawing in the book.
The numbers in parentheses are for size Medium.
I am no drafting expert, so those with more experience and expertise, please don't hesitate to advise.
And I am looking forward to the new slopers that will be included in the next issue!
Hellenne

Step One

Make a rectangle using the back neck to waist measurement for the vertical line, and the formula BUST divided by 2 add 5cm (this is the sloper’s ease) for the horizontal line.
Make sure your angles are true right angles – take your right angle and verify.
The left side of the rectangle is the Back Bodice Line and the right side of the rectangle is the Front Bodice Line.

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Liana · « **Reply #10 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:55:06 PM »

artistwhosews posted:

Step Two

Divide the rectangle horizontally using the formula BUST divided by 6 plus 7cm.
Then from the left side, which is the Center Back Bodice Line measure the formula
BUST divided by 6 plus 4.5 cm. Mark this point and draw a vertical line that is
perpendicular to the horizontal line.
Then from the Center Front Bodice Line on the right side of your rectangle, measure out
the formula BUST divided by 6 add 3cm. Mark this point and draw a vertical line that is
perpendicular to the horizontal line.

Divide the bottom horizontal line in half and mark this point. Draw a vertical line from
the horizontal line on bottom to the horizontal line midway in the rectangle.

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Liana · « **Reply #11 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:55:28 PM »

artistwhosews posted:

Step Three
On the top left corner of the Back Bodice measure out the formula BUST divided by 20
add 2.9cm. Mark this point from the top left corner across on the horizontal line. This
MEASUREMENT is designated by the DOUBLE CIRCLE symbol.

Divide the amount between the far left vertical line and the lower vertical line (that
bisects the bottom rectangle). This MEASUREMENT is designated by the solid triangle
symbol.

Look on the diagram. Mark a distance that is the SOLID TRIANGLE symbol
measurement PLUS 0.5cm from the corner at a 45degree angle outward. Mark this point.

Looking at the diagram again, mark a distance that is the SOLID TRIANGLE symbol
measurement from the corner at a 45degree angle outward. Mark this point.

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Liana · « **Reply #12 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:55:52 PM »

artistwhosews posted:

Step Four

Looking at the diagram at the top left corner, divide the DOUBLE CIRCLE symbol
measurement by 3. This new measurement is designated by a SOLID CIRCLE symbol.
Draw a vertical line the SOLID CIRCLE symbol measurement upward (perpendicular to
the top horizontal line) as shown in the diagram.
Looking at the diagram you need to find the center of the second 1/3rd measurement
previously made. From this point a line is draw (shown as a dash line) from the point to
the top of the vertical line just drawn. This “shape” will be used to draw the back neckline
curve.

On the first vertical line located within the large rectangle (not the Center Back Bodice
Line) Locate a point the SOLID CIRCLE symbol distance down from the top horizontal
line.
The measure out perpendicularly out 2cm. Mark this point.

On the second vertical line located within the large rectangle mark a point two SOLID
CIRCLE symbol distances down and mark this point. Then draw a perpendicular line
towards the left about 3-4cm; there is no precise measurement needed here.

On the Center Front Bodice Line (the right vertical line of the rectangle) mark a
horizontal distance from the right corner the distance of the DOUBLE CIRCLE symbol
MINUS 0.2cm. Mark this point.
On the Center Front Bodice Line again mark a vertical distance downward from the right
corner the distance of the DOUBLE CIRCLE symbol PLUS 1cm. Mark this point.
Draw a box with right angles.
Look at this box. Using the bottom horizontal line of this box, divide it in half. This
measurement is designated by the SOLID CIRCLE WITH AN “X” symbol.
Look at the box again. Using the lower left corner of the box, draw a 45degree angle line
towards the center of the box; the length of this line being the measurement of the SOLID
CIRCLE WITH AN ‘X” symbol MINUS 0.3cm. Mark this point.

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Liana · « **Reply #13 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:56:12 PM »

artistwhosews posted:

Step Five

Now we move to the bottom half of the sloper rectangle.

On the midway horizontal line, the Bust Point will be marked.
Divide the horizontal distance between the Center Front Bodice Line (the right side of the
sloper) and the second vertical line on the upper half of the sloper rectangle. This will be
the second vertical line contained within the sloper rectangle, not including the Center
Back Bodice Line. Find the center point and mark. Now mark a point to the left of this
center point a distance of 0.7cm. Draw a vertical line perpendicular downward to the
bottom of the sloper rectangle.

Measure down 4cm and this marks your Bust Point (BP). It may be necessary to check the
Bust Point against the person’s body once the sloper is complete.

Working on the CENTER FRONT BODICE LINE of the sloper, from the bottom
horizontal sloper rectangle line, mark down the SOLID CIRCLE WITH AN “X” symbol
measurement.
Extend the vertical line used in creating the Bust Point downward the measurement of the
SOLID CIRCLE WITH AN ‘X’ symbol.

On the vertical line located in the lower half of the sloper, the line that bisects the bottom
half of the sloper vertically, mark 2cm towards the left of this line on the bottom
horizontal line of the sloper rectangle.

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Liana · « **Reply #14 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:56:36 PM »

artistwhosews posted:

Step Six

Now we are ready to create the shoulder lines.

On the BACK BODICE draw a line diagonally from the shoulder neck point (SNP) —
see diagram— to the shoulder point (SP). This measurement will be designated by the
OPEN TRIANGLE WITH A SLASH symbol.

On the bodice front at the neck point (the left top corner of the box we created) mark a
point 0.5cm down.
From this 0.5cm point draw a diagonal line towards the shoulder point (SP) — see
diagram — the distance of the OPEN TRIANGLE WITH A SLASH symbol MINUS
1.8cm. The mark will land somewhere on the previously drawn short horizontal line.

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Liana · « **Reply #15 on:** May 12, 2007, 02:56:58 PM »

artistwhosews posted:

Step Seven

Taking note of all the points circled in orange on the diagram, and using the French
Curve, start drawing the back neck curve, the front neck curve, the back armhole curve,
and the front armhole curve. Three points should land on the French Curve. Make sure
your curves match those shown on the diagram in your Stylebook page 154.

Draw the bottom lines as seen on the diagram. This is your waistline (WL).

Draw the diagonal line that separates the front and back bodices as seen on the diagram.

Cut out your front and back slopers, make a hole where the BP is so you can easily mark
the BP with a pen/pencil onto your pattern drafting paper later. At this point you may
want to put the person’s name and date on the sloper.

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Liana · « **Reply #16 on:** May 12, 2007, 03:13:31 PM »

ShannonG4d posted:

Okay, I've finished some preliminary testing....first of all, let me say that I have done a few drafts from Stylebook by "guesswork", using the metric values given in the diagrams. Having the translations and explanations from this thread has been tremendously helpful in this latest round of testing.
If you have a personal sloper, you CAN use it as the basis for your Stylebook draft. You do not necessarily have to use the Stylebook sloper draft.
Here are the changes you need to keep in mind:
1. The Stylebook draft assumes a figure with certain proportions, generally smaller-boned and shorter than the average American or European pattern. If you are, for instance, plus sized (like me), this will play heavily into the decisions to be made regarding proportion. I just drafted the twist top using my sloper, and found the neckline to be very high due to the different vertical proportions of the two slopers (mine and Stylebook's). To correct this, I would be less likely to use the exact metric measurements for vertical design lines, but would determine the amount of proportion, or the visual placement of the detail used. For the twist top, rather than lowering the neck 8cm as shown, I might instead look at the neckline and see that the "v" of the neck is about 5 cm above the bust point, changing the draft accordingly.
2. Begin with a sloper that has a bit of ease. If you are using a no-ease sloper (like Kenneth King's Moulage), adjust it to have enough ease in the bust and waist for breathing room; a dress/blouse sloper is ideal. THEN, remove all dart lines by folding them out, making a no-dart sloper (this will have unstitched dart control in the waist area, which is what the Stylebook drafts seem to use). Mark the bust and waist levels with horizontal lines, and mark the bust point! You can then use these lines and marks for reference when determining whether to use the exact drafting proportions, or whether adjustments will need to be made due to differences in shape.
3. Proceed with the draft as indicated in the Stylebook diagram, using the minimal-ease, no dart sloper. Use your intuition if you think something is wrong.....
and.....
Make a muslin to test!
All of that sounds a lot harder than it really is......once you start with the sloper, it is pretty much a matter of following the Stylebook diagram and testing in muslin (which I assume you would do in a self-drafted pattern anyway, right? )

Liana · « **Reply #17 on:** May 12, 2007, 03:15:49 PM »

M&M posted:

About Japanese figures, see (the first photo posted in this thread). The one you should consult has S, M through 3L on the top row. I think these sets of numbers could give you some ideas on how Japanese women's figures are like.
The first column is translated as below:
Bust (78 for size S)
Waist
Waist for mature figure
Middle Hip, hip circumference at the highest point of tummy.
Hip
Vertical distance between waist and hip lines
Back body length (I think this is shorter than Big4 by 2-4 cm)
Arm length
Wrist circumference
Head circumference
Crotch length
Leg length below crotch
and
Height (154 for size M which is about 5').
Does size M correspond to your measurements more or less? Even if they don't, the body slopers require only your bust measurement and back body length to complete. And, yes, you can draw many garment patterns using your body slopers. You may want to start with a very simply blouse to test on the method.
I need to tell a story here. When we were planning for our wedding here in the U.S., I needed to make a blouse suit for my mother who lives in Japan. She is rather heavily endowed and very short waisted with rounded shoulder and big belly. I called my sister up and asked her to take Mother's measurements. I used those numbers to draw up slopers and suit patterns, and made up a suit without actually her trying it on. Upon her arrival, she tried it on. The top fit her perfectly. The skirt, however, was too large. Looks like she did some trick to ensure that skirt was going to be large enough. Well, we fixed that just in time for the wedding. I am not very experienced in sewing for many different figures. I know Mother's, my sister's and mine. That's all. So, I am not sure if the blouse suit success was just a lucky coincidence. But, I thought this story might encourage some people.
M&M

Liana · « **Reply #18 on:** May 12, 2007, 03:17:13 PM »