How and where to start

That post is on how to start when you want to make a garment.

In the class, I ask the beginners to do "enlargements". It is the first exercise. Redraw a pattern on the top of the block (using different color pen helps) with added value on the side seams.

The aim is 

• To start from our master block for every garment
• So we can have a more sensitive approach to the hardest thing in Garment drafting : the ease
• By starting from the master block, we always have our body dimention (our block is our "second skin") and the pattern in sight and we are able to give enough ease from the beginning.
• We have full control on the value we add. It will be different if we do a shirt, a jacket or a coat, a fitted jacket might need an enlargement of 3 cm underarm and a loose coat might need 10 to 15 cm.

Some methods (not mentioning them) will use different master blocks for the different garment with ease included. That leaves very little control on the amount of ease to add and the body dimention are forgotten when you start drafting (as we start our pattern from an already enlarged block).

I don't recommend students to start pattern making with those methods but I encourage them to use one and only master block with is equal to the body measurements and we can call second skin.

More precision on how to enlarge in the next post.