There is a folklore that tells of someone’s mother or great aunt or clever little dressmaker who could cut out any garment without a pattern. Like many a myth there is an element of truth in the story. anyone-amateur or professional-who sews a great deal can be so familiar with the shape of a sleeve or a collar or a neckline that she can cut from memory. Some day you, too, may be able to do this. In the meantime, there’s safety in sticking with patterns.

PATTERN WHYS

A pattern is fiat while you are not. And thereby hangs a tale. The body has height, width, and depth. Within this roughly cylindrical framework there are a series of secondary curves and bulges. In a woman’s body there are eight such bulges (each with its high point) which concern the pattern maker (Fig. 1). .

(l) bust, (2) abdomen, (3) side hip, (4) buttocks, (5) upper shoulder blades, (6) lower shoulder blades, (7) elbow, (8) dowager’s hump (back of neck).

No matter how much or how little you have of any of the above, the problem remains the same. The pattern must provide enough length and width of fabric to cover the high points (where the body is fullest, the measurement is largest, the fabric requirements are greatest) while at the same time providing some means of con¬trolling the excess of material in a smaller adjoining area. Dart control is the means by which this is accomplished. It is the basis of all flat patterns.

It is not magic, nor wizardry, but dart control that converts a flat length of cloth into a three-dimensional form which fits the con¬tours of the body. Dart control always represents a relationship. It is the difference between a larger measurement and a smaller one. For instance, if the bust measures 35 inches and the waistline 27 inches, the dart control necessary to shape the bodice is 8 inches. If the waist measures 27 inches and the hips 37 inches, the dart control necessary to shape the skirt is 10 inches. The greater the difference, the larger the amount of control. The smaller the difference the smaller the amount of control.

It is not whether a figure is short or tall, heavy or slim, which determines the amount of shaping or dart control. It is always the relationship between two adjoining measurements. For example, a petite figure with a 22-inch waist and 27 -inch hips needs 5 inches for the skirt dart control. So does a heavy figure with a 38-inch waist and 43-inch hips (Fig. 2).

There is this, too: the larger the amount of stitched dart control, the greater the resulting

bulge. The smaller the amount of stitched dart control, the less the resulting bulge. This means that the shaping will be greater in those areas of the body that have the greatest need. Gentler shaping is reserved for those areas where the needs are less.

All of this vital information-the amount and the placement of the dart control-is contained in the five pieces of a sloper (basic pattern or foundation pattern) (Fig. 3).

Note that the total amount of dart control is divided three ways; front, back, and side. In the bodice, since the bust needs the most shaping, the largest amount of control is placed in front. In the skirt, since the buttocks require the most shaping, the largest amount of control is placed in the back. If you place the front and back bodices and skirts side by side so that the center fronts and center backs are parallel to each other, you can readily see the dart control on the side seams (Fig. 4)
{Credit} Design Your Own Dress Patterns

Adele P. Margolis