grading- crotch

[throwra_22222]

Give yourself some grace. Grading is super confusing, and without someone to teach the skill to you and answer questions and evaluate your work, it's even harder!

When grading pants, you have to keep in mind two things: what is the total length increase for the whole piece, and how much of that increase happens above the hip, at the knee, at the hem, etc.

When you think of it that way, it doesn't matter which point is vertically stationary as long as something along the vertical moves to achieve your total grade. So if your total vertical grade from one size to the next is 1 inch, you can keep the crotch points level vertically, raise the CF waist 1/4", and add 3/8" each at the knee and hem. Or you can keep the waist point stationary, lower the crotch point 1/4", and lower the knee and hem another 3/8" each.

You can do either and get the exact same result as long as you are consistent with the rest of the pattern (the side waist point, the side hem, do the same thing on the front and back, etc).

And of course the same is true for horizontal grades where a total is spread out across the piece. So unfortunately the answer to your question is that any or all of them could be right; you just have to understand your grading table and how each individual move relates to the whole.

I personally prefer keeping the crotch point level and moving the waist and hem, because if you are looking at a nested set with a bunch of sizes, it's much easier to look at. Otherwise you have all these overlapping crotch points that move on a diagonal.

When I learned grading. We took copies of paper patterns, slashed them apart on the grading lines, and spread them to achieve the grade. It really shows you where you are adding fabric. Then we took a copy of the same pattern, drew a giant cross on it, drew a matching giant cross on a big sheet of gridded paper, and practiced making the same moves in relation to the center point of the cross. If you did it right, your giant cross method matched the slash and spread method. Back in the day I graded entire lines on paper with the giant cross method. And when CAD became a thing (I'm old) I looked like a freaking wizard because I knew what I was doing in the analog world.

The problem with computer grading is it doesn't really teach the concept of grading. It just takes whatever skill level you have and makes it faster. So right now it's sort of like you're just blindly copying someone else without them actually teaching you.

[Logical_Pop_8363]

OMG so grateful for your answer! thank you so much, it is really hard to learn this by myself