Handy Sewing Math Chart

While pattern drafting Little Miss' Cream Puff Dress (stay tuned for more on this), I realized that some measurements are difficult to convert to sewing measurements.  I thought it would be handy to create a chart for quick reference.

What, you mean sewing involves math?

Yep.

How to Use This Sewing Math Chart

When calculating measurements for pattern drafting, you will encounter some odd {I mean, weird} numbers.  For example, you take a measurement that needs to be divided by 5; you get a measurement of 37 and 5/8.  What do you do?  There are different ways to solve this problem, all of which involve either math in your head, or math on paper.  Neither of which makes me feel very confident of my results.

1.  In this case, your fraction is already divisible by 5, so you only need to divide the 37 and then add the 1/8.  What do you get?  37/5 = 7.4  But now you have to figure out how to add 0.4 and 1/8.  Arrgh!  This is when I start getting frustrated.  What I want to show you is how to get the most accurate measurement for pattern drafting.  So I will walk you through the calculation in three different ways.  *Note:  my chart rounds up to the nearest 1/100.  Generally, you will also want to round up to avoid any pattern piece being too small.  The examples below will demonstrate why.*

2.  Method A:  Estimate, doing math in your head.  We need to add 0.4 and 1/8.  0.4 is almost 0.5, so you could add 4/8 and 1/8 and get 5/8.  So now your pattern piece would measure 7 and 5/8.  Sounds easy, right?  To check our math, let's now multiply our result by 5; we get 38.15.  This means the total circumference at that point on the body will be just over 38 inches.  We wanted it to be 37 and 5/8.  The result will be almost half an inch too big, just because we rounded up by 0.1 before using this measurement.  So, while this is the easiest method, it could lead to more frustration in the fitting stage of sewing.

3.  Method B:  Estimate, knowing that 1/16 = 0.06.  So, we need to divide 37 and 5/8 by 5.  We could convert 5/8 to 10/16, which equals 0.6.  37.6 divided by 5 = 7.52.  Now, checking our math, 7.52 x 5 = 37.6. This result is very close to 37 and 5/8.  (5/8 = 0.63)  This method works well, as long as you want a close fit, or if there is enough ease built into the measurement so that it won't matter.  But any tiny little deviation of your stitch from the exact sewing line could make a garment that is just slightly too tight.  That's much worse than too big.  Too big can be pinched out at the seams, but too tight means starting over.  Plus, the mental math is more complicated than in Method A.  I'd rather use Method A, and have a simpler fitting session.

But you might wonder, why is it so close, but just a bit on the smaller size?  This is because 1/16 is really 0.0625. So 1/8 is just a bit more than 0.06 + 0.06, it is actually 0.125.  The more times you multiply by a factor of 0.06 as an estimate for 1/16, your estimated measurement is coming out just that much smaller.

4.  Method C:  Use my Handy Sewing Chart.  Since I've already rounded to the nearest hundredth, the factor of error does not increase as your fractions increase in multiples.  (Does that make sense?  Sometimes, for me, numbers and words are incompatible, so even though I know what I mean, I can't explain it accurately.)

So let's try my example using my Handy Sewing Chart.

37 and 5/8 equals 37.63.  37.63 divided by 5 equals 7.53.  7.53 equals 7 and 9/16 on your graded ruler.  Let's do the math in reverse to double check the results.  Literally, (or, maybe I should say, mathematically?) 7 and 9/16 equals 7.5625.  Multiply this by 5, and you get 37.81.  This is smaller than Method A, and bigger than Method B, which means it is just right!  It will be 3/16 larger than the measurement you took--37 and 5/8.  This is practically negligible, which means your garment will fit perfectly. 

In my view, for a fitted garment, you have enough room to breathe, but not so much that your strapless top will need to be pulled up constantly.  No fidgeting required! 

For a garment with ease already included in the pattern, this means a perfect fit.

Till next time,--Ayana

The Sugar Plum Skirt

My Friend From the Wedding Dress Shop (FTWDS) came over so we could work on the Sugar Plum Skirt together. 

Pattern Drafting

{Sugar Plum Skirt:  Basted Side Seams}

She wanted an A-line skirt, so I drafted the fitted waist and darts as normal, added about 4 inches of ease in the hip (based on her experience, that 3 inches were not enough when she recently made herself a skirt out of a knit fabric), and extended the hemline about 3-4 inches beyond the hip point.

Based on my own experience with the Golden Goddess Skirt, I added only 1/2 inch of ease at the waist.

 

 

 

 

 

Cutting, Basting, and Fitting

I basted the side seams, and basted in the zipper.  My Friend FTWDS tried in on, and...




{Sugar Plum Skirt:  Basted Darts}


 

WTF--It's like four inches too big in the waist!



What is going on here?!

Why, after so much careful measuring, are my skirts coming out too big?!

So, I pinned out about four inches, two inches per side (one inch per seam).  I also put a pin in the hip, at the fullest point.  This way I can easily connect the new waist seam to the original hip seam.  This one will be easier to adjust than the Golden Goddess Skirt, since I only have to connect two points instead of re-drawing the whole shape.

Other than this, I'm very happy with how the shape of the skirt came out!

{The Sugar Plum Skirt:  Basted Zipper}

Sew What? Skirts!

 I was curious whether other people who used the Sew What? Skirts! pattern drafting method have had the same problem with skirts coming out too big.  I did an internet search, and found that, indeed, others have had the same problem:

• http://craftapple.wordpress.com/2007/09/05/sew-what-skirt/
• http://sewhappygeek.co.uk/index.php/2011/01/04/dont-buy-skirt-patterns-tutorial/

There is a Flickr group devoted to skirts made from this book, and a bunch of people ended up in discussions about how the patterns turned out too big.

I'm not sure what's causing it, but I have a few suspicions:

• Extra ease at the waistband is not necessary.  At least, not for me and my friends.  We like our waistbands tightly fitted.

• (caveat:  you might want a tiny bit of ease if you are making a high-waisted skirt, since you do need some room to breathe, and since your measurements above and below that point will be larger, so it still won't fit if you try to move it up or down.  Remember, though, that the ease in your pattern needs to be multiplied by the number of seams.  Thus, for a two-piece skirt--front and back--1/16 of an inch translates to 1/4 of an inch overall.)

• When the pattern directions tell you to move the waistband side seam upwards by 1/2 an inch and draw a curved line from the center up to this new point, aren't you making the line a bit longer?  Remember what I said just above about adding even 1/16 of an inch?

• Maybe it has something to do with how the darts are added?  The method is this:  for each 1/2 inch dart, add 1/2 inch to the side seam.  This is repeated for the back also. 

• However, I read another method of adding darts--let's say you have a 1/2 inch dart in your front pattern piece, and a 1 inch dart in your back pattern piece.  Altogether, you've already added 1 inch to accommodate the darts for the front (both halves=two darts). 

•  Since you've already added that 1 inch to the front, you subtract that 1 inch from the amount you need to add to the side seam of the back pattern piece.  This method would have you add only one additional inch to the back pattern piece--two 1-inch darts=2 inches, minus 1 inch=1 inch.  Make sense?  (To accommodate two 1 inch darts in the back, the Sew What? Skirts method would have you add two inches to the back pattern piece.  This seems to add a whole extra inch compared to the other method.)

Obviously, I need to learn more about this.  In the meantime, I will just not add any ease at the waist from here on in.

Till next time,--Ayana

Amanda's Golden Dress

I hit a snag with my own wedding dress planning, during and after some health issues.  I was adrift for about two weeks.  Combine that with the problems with fit in the Golden Goddess and Sugar Plum Skirts (stay tuned for more on this one), and I almost gave up. 

Then, I realized that these are just opportunities to go back to square one, sort of.

A Golden Dress for Amanda

To regain confidence, and to test my newest idea, I decided to draft a dress pattern for Amanda, using some scraps from the Golden Goddess skirt.  Since I am re-making my bodice as a five-gore corset-like top (more on this soon), and since I decided not to have a gathered skirt on my own wedding dress, I began thinking:  why not make the whole dress as a five-gore pattern, with a fitted bodice that flares to an A-line shape in the skirt? 

Advantages:  This avoids a waistline seam, which for me would add longer lines to the design.  That's always good for short people.

Disadvantages:  This requires more fabric, due to the width at the hemline and the length of the pattern pieces, and probably has more seams overall.

Advantage:  A smoother waistline.  I can still use an empire waist, and I could still use a tulle overlay that falls from the empire waistline.  The tulle overlay can be placed asymmetrically, so that there is a kind of "cut away" look to the main fabric underneath. 

Possible Idea:  Place crocheted motifs along the hemline and top of the bodice for a lace-like effect.  We'll see if there's time for that, or if I still want to do it later.

Drafting the Pattern

Little Miss and I worked on this together.  I took measurements at three spots:  under the arms (bust--11"), waist (10"), hips (I didn't end up using this measurement).  I also measured the distance between each of these spots.

{Measurements for the Amanda's Golden Wedding Dress}

To create a well-proportioned A-line shape, I doubled the waist measurement for the hip (20), and multiplied the hip measurement by 1.5 for the hemline (30). 

Would you just look at that--it's a Golden Ratio for a Golden Dress (1:2:3)!

{The Golden Wedding Dress:  Measurements for each gore}

Little Miss helped me draw the pattern.  For simplicity, I made each of the gores 1/5 of the measurement at each point.


These measurements should work for any 16" doll; the left column is the width measurement at the top, waist, hip, and hem, and the right column is the distance between each of these points--feel free to use them to create your own Golden Doll Dress!






I showed Little Miss how to draw a center line the length of the whole dress (12").

{Pattern Piece for the Golden Wedding Dress}

Then, we measured lengthwise each of the points where we will need to create a horizontal line--at 1.25" down for the waist, at 3" down for the hip, and then we double-checked our point for the hemline at 12".

At each of the points, I showed Little Miss how to center the ruler at the center line, and draw a horizontal line the correct width.

We then connected each of the points with the straight edge, smoothed the angles with a French curve, and then trued the seams to 90-degree angles at top and bottom.

Pinning, Tracing, and Cutting

Little Miss and I pinned the pattern on a small length of scrap fabric.  I showed her how to use the grading ruler to trace a 1/2" seam allowance around all the edges.

We took turns pinning, tracing, and cutting.

Since each of the gores is identical, we only needed one pattern piece, but cut it five times. 

All of this took a while; about an hour and a half to this point.  Little Miss wanted to play, so I did the sewing.  (She was mad at me though!)

Sewing it Up!

I simply matched the edges, and sewed the seams, pressing each seam as I went.

I accidentally sewed one of the gores with the textured side out instead of the satiny side out--oops!  I didn't worry about re-doing it, but just made that the back panel.

I left the back seam open from the top to the hip for inserting Velcro closures.

I added a thin elastic to the top.  I measured the elastic by pulling it taut around Amanda, cut it, then sewed it close to the top edge of the fabric on the outside, using a medium zigzag stitch, pulling the elastic to stretch it to the fabric length as I went.

{Zigzag stitched elastic edge}

Then, I folded the edge over and topstitched it, again with the zigzag, pulling it taut as I went so that the fabric wouldn't pucker and gather as I sewed.

Now the elastic top band looks decorative.

I didn't hem it, because we needed to go to a party.  Of course, Amanda needed to wear her new dress!  And, to church the next morning.

{Amanda's Golden Wedding Dress really needs ironing at this point!}

I also didn't put the Velcro in yet, or add the decorative sheer over layer yet.  But just wrapping the sheer fabric around the dress, I can tell that it will look even more fabulous when it is complete.

 

Don't you just love Little Miss' fashion design, showing me where the "tool" should and shouldn't go?








Now Amanda has a Golden Wedding Dress! (almost)

Till Next Time,--Ayana

Beautiful Lace Shawl



{Original Source}

Look what I found on Pinterest!


A beautiful, lace shawl that would be no harder to knit than a scarf. 

This project is from Lion Brand, where you can find more information about the specification of the version you see here.  I love Lion Brand yarns, because they are good quality, come in beautiful colors, and are easy to work with.  They are also reasonably priced.  Some day, I want to visit their store in NYC.

The Lion Brand pattern combines cables and lace.  However, you can make this shawl in any knitting pattern you like.  Here's how:

• Choose your favorite knitting stitch, and a beautiful, soft yarn that will drape well.

• Figure out your gauge, using needles in the recommended size for your chosen yarn.  (I tend to go one size smaller, because I know that my knitting is loose.)  Or, sometimes going up a size for a lacey stitch works well, to emphasize the decorative nature of the lace.  If you want a quick-to-knit project, and don't mind sacrificing drape for bulk, choose a bulky yarn and super large knitting needles.

•  Once you know your gauge, figure out how many stitches you need to get a width that drapes roughly from one hip to the other on the bias.  From here, you can calculate how many pattern repeats you need, and cast on.

• Knit until you have enough length to wrap around your shoulder. Attach buttons and button loops where the closure needs to match. Then, you could choose to crochet a border around all the edges for a neat finish.  Or, you can leave the edges unfinished for a softer look.

• For a different look, you could actually knit on the bias, so the project would grow upwards from the lowest hip corner, making the stitches appear to wrap around you horizontally, instead of diagonally.
• The more adventurous could figure out how to create flowing sleeves by adding a side seam under the arms--the fabric would have to be much wider, and some shaping would be involved.

The basic version would be a great advanced beginner project.  One of the things I always felt intimidated by as a beginner, was creating the shaping necessary for knitting sweaters.  This would be an in-between project, once you feel confident enough to knit a scarf.  Now you're just knitting a bigger scarf!  But you're also building your stitching skills, confidence, and stamina in preparation for your first sweater.  The total number of stitches, and time to knit, is almost as much as a sweater project.  Once you can knit a large shawl, you can tackle a simple sweater.

Happy Knitting!--Ayana

The Golden Goddess Skirt

Creating the Golden Goddess Skirt

Okay, so this is the first adult-sized project.  I made a few oopsies. But I think everything will turn out in the end. 

Although I wanted to finish the skirt while my Sweet Sistah was still in town, I realized it might be better to get it mostly done, fit it on her, mark adjustments, and put on the final details when she comes in town before the wedding.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

Drafting the Pattern

First, I took measurements, and using the chart in Sew What? Skirts! drafted the pattern on graph paper.  I like to use graph paper because it is sturdy (which is good when you're cutting the fabric), and it's easy to see whether your seams are trued and your lines are straight.

However, it is not good for "tissue fitting" your pattern (i.e,, when you pin the pattern pieces together on the body to check fit and make adjustments).  More on this later.

I had a bit of trouble with one aspect of the pattern drafting.  I curved the bottom hem to match the curve in the waistband, but then couldn't true the side seam line--it just wouldn't work the way the instructions said it would.

I think A-line skirts are easier to draft.

So, I fudged it a little bit.

Cutting the Fabric

Before cutting, I just wanted to eyeball the fit--here is where pattern tissue paper would have been better.

Oh, no! it looks too narrow!  Maybe I didn't add enough ease? 

Sweet Sistah wanted it fitted, not loose, so where it said "add 2-4 inches of ease," (hip measurement) I added 2.  Where it said "add 1-2 inches of ease," (waist measurement) I added 1. 

[I partly made this decision based on the results of The Cotton Candy Skirt.  Although I had intended a fitted waistband, the amount of ease suggested in the pattern drafting instructions made it too large, so I had to use elastic.]

Since the pattern looked so small, I decided to add an additional 1/2 inch seam allowance at the side when cutting the fabric--a total of 2 inches around.  I didn't want to do a lot of work only to have it not fit at all!


{Basting Darts--
Golden Goddess Skirt}

Basting the Darts

The first sewing task was to baste and sew the darts. 
 


My Mom had given me some tips over the phone:

• While basting the darts, take one stitch on one side of the dart leg--from the top towards the point--then cross to the other side, continuing in the same direction, and take another stitch. 

• Keep alternating sides with each stitch.

•  When you get to the point, pull the thread taut--magic!  a perfectly formed dart.

{Basting Darts--Golden Goddess Skirt}

No need to try to fold slippery fabric and pin!

 



•  Now, just sew from top to bottom of the dart (on the inside of course), making sure to sew off the edge of the fabric at the point. 



{Basting Darts--Golden Goddess Skirt
Here you see where I like to add a pointed tab at the top of the dart
instead of closing it while cutting the fabric.  Now I can simply trim
away the extra fabric to match the contour of the waist.}

• Remove the basting threads.

Voila--simple, perfect, beautiful darts!






{Basting Darts--The Golden Goddess Skirt. 
The dart still looks a bit puckered, since I machine basted but
haven't sewn final stitches or pressed yet.}

It's fun to see how cloth takes shape with a few simple stitches!

Basting the Side Seams

Now, I simply basted the side seams, and gave the skirt to Sweet Sistah to try on.

{Golden Goddess Skirt:
Basted Side Seam}

WTF!  IT'S LIKE FOUR INCHES TOO BIG EVERYWHERE!

So much for the pattern looking too small.




We held the skirt in place, and I pinned on both sides where the seams should have been.

I removed the skirt and roughly marked the pin line with fabric marker.  (Well, I'm calling it fabric marker; it's really just cheap kid's washable marker--it washes out super easily!)

 

{Golden Goddess Skirt:
Basted Side Seam with Adjustment Marked}

Then, I traced roughly along those lines with marker.  In theory, I should be able to just re-baste along those lines, right?

Maybe.  Or, possibly, wrong!!

The problem is, if I do that I won't be able to use the paper pattern for cutting the overskirt.  Also, because of the pinning and marking, the distance between the original seam line and the new seam line may not be identical on both sides.

Maybe I shouldn't be so particular?  I know it will fit, at least. 

But maybe it will end up looking lopsided?  What if the distance between the seams and darts are not symmetrical across all four quadrants of the body?

 

{The Golden Goddess Skirt:
Sudden Dart/Fitting Angst.  This photo is appropriately F-d up!}

This is what Sweet Sistah said would happen.  It would come out lopsided, but I (and now everyone) would feel obligated to wear it anyway. 

These were supposed to be special, hand-created garments, gifts, to be worn proudly!

CRAP I hate it when naysayers are actually right!

On the other hand, if I do simply re-baste and pull out the original basted seams, then I can use the skirt itself as the pattern for the overskirt.

Or, even better, since the overskirt is supposed to be a bit wider than the underskirt--kind of a floaty, sheer, layer--maybe all I have to do is measure the new waistline after I've adjusted the skirt, and gradually connect the new waistline to the old hipline on the paper pattern.

I'm a genius!

It's amazing how writing about something suddenly solves all of its problems.

All week, I've been trying to figure this out.  I had at least three more-complicated ways of figuring this out.  Since I couldn't face it, I set it aside.

Now, instead of having three skirts finished in a week, as I had planned, I only have one slightly messed-up one, that's still not finished.

But now I know how to fix it!



 

{Golden Goddess Skirt:  As I pinned out the excess, I also fitted the skirt more like a pencil skirt than like a straight skirt, since I thought it would be more flattering.  Here you can see how the contour moves closer to the body at the knee.}

Till next time,--Ayana