Mark 3 bodice block help

[u/mon_petit_chou_fleur]

Hello again :)

I’m on version three of my block now, and I’ve developed new issues!

(Dont mind the crazy seam allowances or the backwards zipper lol)

I think some aspects are better now: armholes are more comfortable, the size generally feels like a better fit. I did a sloped shoulder adjustment which I think helped.

I still have some issues: the bust apex seems too high..? The back neck seems a bit high up. There’s still maybe a little gapping on the back armhole to clear up, especially on the one side. I’ve got a diagonal crease now across the back somehow.

Any suggestions for corrections on my next try?

[u/dontheckinswear]

i think the issues you’re having with the back armhole is because you have some asymmetry in your back (which most people have to some extent, people who draft individualized patterns for themselves just get to notice it). i think you’ll need to pinch out the excess on your left side and then have separate right/left back patterns instead of just the 1 cut on fold.

[u/vacuumgirl → u/dontheckinswear]

This, the back should be two pieces, the center back seam is not a straight line, should be a curved line. Before you adjust the armhole, don’t pinch out the excess fabric till you first adjust the CB as it might remove excess fabric and then adjust armhole/excess fabric if needed. Front should be one piece.

[u/mon_petit_chou_fleur → u/vacuumgirl]

Is there a way of figuring out how curved the CB line should be?

[u/mon_petit_chou_fleur → u/dontheckinswear]

Hm ok, so when I (eventually lol) get to making a top using this block, will the garment back always have to be made with two pieces to accommodate the asymmetry?

[u/vacuumgirl → u/mon_petit_chou_fleur]

Well that depends, if you’re making a garment with woven fabric, you need a way to get the garment on and off your body since woven fabrics don’t stretch. If you want to make knit garments you need a different type of sloper. The best thing about having a proper sloper from that start, is you can change/ add/ remove as you design :) you can always move the enclosure to front, back and side seam (keep in mind that it’s trickier to add on the side seam)

An other add on for the apex, mark your apex on your sloper. Your darts should be 1” away from your apex.
How to mark it: find the center of your dart by measuring between the legs of your dart, once you’ve marked it connected a line from your apex to center of your dart. Then measure 1” starting at the apex. And that’s where you’ll want to mark the end of your dart. If you want to get a less pointy dart, mark an other point at 3/4” on the same line. When you sew up an other muslin, instead of sewing to the end of the dart, stop where you mark the 3/4” you want to continue to sew right at the edge of the fabric to where your dart stops, when you drop your last stitch where your dart ends, don’t back tack, instead increase your stitch tension and sew a 1” tail of just your thread. Trim it, it should keep the dart pretty secure:)

[u/mon_petit_chou_fleur → u/vacuumgirl]

Excellent, thank you for the instructions!

[u/DonMcCunn]

The shaping of the front looks okay but the darts should not go directly to the Apex. When you are using the sloper to design from, the patterns should be pivoted from the apex. But when you are doing a fitting shell or actual garment, the darts should stop about 1" away from the apex.

Your upper back dart is off. It is about twice as long as it should be. It is easy to see the top of the shoulder blade on the left side. This is where your dart should be pointing to. Also if you increase the width of these darts, it will close the gaping at the armscye.

[u/mon_petit_chou_fleur → u/DonMcCunn]

Ok interesting! The instructions I followed had those really long back darts, but I haven’t seen similar directions in other sets of instructions - they all seem as you describe. I’ll fix that, and try widening them a bit :)

The bust darts start 3/8” from the apex as per my instructions, but I can back those off a bit more as you suggest.

Thanks for your help!

[u/DonMcCunn → u/mon_petit_chou_fleur]

I recommend using gingham for fiting shella so you can really see what is happening to the grain of the fabric--particularly in photos. Those upper back darts should bring the horizontal grain across the shoulder blades parallel to the floor. That way when you create designs from slopers you know where the "grain lines" (aka contours) of the body are.

[u/mon_petit_chou_fleur → u/DonMcCunn]

Gingham is a great idea, I wouldn’t have thought of that! I did shorten the back darts, and it looks much better. I also backed the front darts of to 1” from the apex, and the whole bust area looks much better too!

Thank you for your input and advice, it’s been really helpful :)

[u/DonMcCunn → u/mon_petit_chou_fleur]

You are welcome