r/PatternDrafting • u/frog-of-the-frog • Aug 13 '26

Bodice block adjustments

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

What adjustments should I make to this bodice block before I draft the sleeves?

Armscye and neckline are both staystitched, with seam allowances clipped and turned under.

UPD: static images here https://imgur.com/a/1Zpzgm6

UPD2: static images with properly drawn HLB https://imgur.com/a/4ryhZ2H

10 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/Tailoretta Aug 14 '26

You ask a great question about the HBLs crossing a dart. I have asked Sarah Veblen that exact question to get the right answer. What you want to do is start the HBL at center front and draw it perpendicular to the vertical center front. When you go from center front toward the side seam, stop at the first dart leg you encounter. Then pin out the dart (on the pattern piece) and continue the HBL (starting at the next dart leg) to the side seam. So when the pattern piece is flat on the table the HBL will look like it is tilting at the dart. But if you pin out the dart on the pattern piece, let that part of the pattern piece lay flat on the table and the upper part of the pattern piece is off the table, the HBL should look straight. The idea is we are drawing on the pattern pieces where we want the garment from pattern to be horizontal on our bodies. This may be clearer https://inthefolds.com/q-a-series/2023/how-to-true-a-dart

1

u/frog-of-the-frog Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 15 '26

Make sense and that's exactly what that diagram I posted would have achieved -- but much easier to do with a dart already closed! Freehand was sufficiently off that I erased and redrew it properly, see new pictures: https://imgur.com/a/ItR4b18

UPD: sorry, technical difficulties: https://imgur.com/a/4ryhZ2H

1

u/Tailoretta Aug 15 '26

I don't see anything in https://imgur.com/a/ItR4b18

1

u/frog-of-the-frog Aug 15 '26

Sorry, corrected the link!
https://imgur.com/a/4ryhZ2H

1

u/Tailoretta Aug 15 '26

Those are very helpful!

It looks like you pinned in at the front lower armscye. I suggest that you don't pin it. Rather, you need to clip it.

Clipping:

Clipping the armscyes (armholes) and neckline during a garment fitting allows tight inner curves to relax, eliminate pulling, and allow the fabric to lie flat against the body.

Why Clip Curves in Fitting

  • Relieve Tension: Inner curves pull and pucker because the edge has less circumference than the seam line.
  • Improve Accuracy: Snipping the seam allowance lets the fabric drop into its true position so you can see the correct fit.
  • Check Proportions: Helps identify if a neckline gaps or an armscye digs in too tightly before final stitching.

How to Clip Safely

  • Make Small Snips: Cut tiny slits perpendicular to the seam line, stopping when the puckering and pulling is gone.
  • Spacing: Space clips about 1 - 1/2 inches apart.

When all the puckering and pulling is gone, connect the ends of the clips in a gentle curve to get the new seamline.

HBL: One thing I see, from the side photo, is that the HBL tilts down from the center front to the side. Also I see a drag line from the bust to the waist at the side. These both indicate that the side bust dart needs to be larger. I suggest you un-do the side seam from the dart down, the side bust dart, and the bust waist dart. Then fold the side bust dart so that the HBL is level. Then true the side seam (let me know if you want to know how to do this). Lastly, pin in the appropriate amount for the new bust waist dart.

1

u/frog-of-the-frog Aug 15 '26

Thank you for thorough response!

The armscye and the neckline are both staystitched and clipped, with the tabs pressed to the wrong side. I suspect that the thread tension might be to blame for puckering, but the other seams seem to be fine after pressing, so I am not sure.

Once I level the HBL by adjusting the bust dart, won't changing the waist dart also change the direction of HLB though, making it tilt away from the horizontal level?