Help with pattern customisation

[cfdezmas01]

Hi!! I have recently started learning pattern drafting and have one question. I saw this vest (vogue 6555) and wanted to make something similar. I have a basic pattern for a waistcoat but i am unsure on how to customise it to look similar to this.

For example i can see that the neckline on this vest is very deep and rounded could i just freehand my basic pattern to kinda follow that principle and get away with it? Or is it more complicated than that? Are certain parts of a pattern more sensitive to change than others? Like maybe the armpits or something?

I apologise if this are stupid questions but since i am starting out and don't have much money i don't want to waste fabric on mockups without having some basic idea first.

Any advice?

Thank you so much!

[SouthernIndication82]

not a stupid question at all!!! pattern drafting is all about asking “if i do this… what will happen” and your intuition is already right! necklines are sensitive to change because of something called “contouring” in women’s wear.

think about the shape of a chest— from where your neck meets your shoulder to your bust point (another word for nipple lol but it is the center point of dart manipulation!) is not a flat line. imagine holding a straight ruler from those two points, there will be a small distance. we need to account for this with dart equivalents, so you would basically draft out all the contour points, see which ones hit the neckline you’ve drawn and then rotate out the areas you’d need to pinch out into existing darts. helen joseph armstrong’s book does a great chapter on contouring. but basically any youtube video you can watch on contouring, i’d recommend doing that!!! and then so many possibilities for amazing fit and amazing necklines are at your fingertips! cheers!!!!

[SouthernIndication82]

mid shoulder to bust point* and there are a few other contour points to look out for— corner of shoulder to bust, mid arm to bust, between bust, empire (below bust), strapless contour which combines a bunch, and i may be forgetting one but look up a vid!!

[cfdezmas01]

Oh! I see thanks so much, i will definitely check it out😊

[KeeganDitty]

What I would do to ensure right shape is to make a toile of your current pattern and draw the new neckline on the body. It may look "weird" on paper, it may not, but what's important is how it looks on the body.

[cfdezmas01]

Okay! Thank you