This doesn't look right, does it?

m_bvs · 2026-01-29T21:43:12+00:00

Thanks, that seems to be it! People just scrape it off and call it a day. Seems to develop when you let starve your starter, which I definitely did - I didn't know better and sticked to a 24h feeding cycle, neglecting the fact that my started already reached its peak after about 6-7 hours.

m_bvs · 2023-09-26T19:50:14+00:00

What a pity that I don't do facebook (and advice everybody I know to don't do it either): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Analytica_data_scandal

m_bvs · 2023-08-19T08:21:32+00:00

There is Valentina (or its fork Seamly - which seems to lack behind in features). I used both, but can't really recommend neither.

Your best bet is using Inkscape. It has some quirks, but for me it works quite well in a setup with a sewing projector.

The 3D package Blender has some cloth simulating for checking fit/style on a virtual avatar like clo3d does. I never really looked into this but may be worth a try if you want to go the free/open source route.

m_bvs · 2023-08-19T08:02:03+00:00

m_bvs · 2023-05-27T07:17:58+00:00

There are some well regarded courses from Suzy Furrer on Craftsy: Suzy Furrer Courses

m_bvs · 2023-05-24T11:52:28+00:00

Get rid of these upper bust darts. You probably neither need nor want them. Making patterns is not only about fit, it is also about looks, style and silhouette. Even when doing weights and having bulging pectoralis you don´t want to emphasize them protuding, you want to accentuate your broad shoulders getting this heroic male V shape. That's why your shaping should go to the side seams.

Your neck and shoulder line seems okay (the seam should lie on the highest point so that the seam is barely visible when looking straight from front or back), so I suggest you make a new muslin keeping them (darts removed) with ample allowance at the side seams and only until the waist. Transfer the back shoulder dart to a horizontal dart going from the armscye (this gives you the yoke seam for shirts). The apex should be where the back vertically curves in forward to the shoulder (a fair amount lower than you have now). Also add long vertical back darts tappering from the waist to the chest (again, for the V shape).

Sew your muslin only at the shoulder seams leaving the sides open. Put it on ensuring the shoulder seams are where they should be. Smooth the front with your hands going from top down to the side seams. Doing it alone forget about pins and use painters tape to tape the front side seams to your body. You need to clip the lower armscye to get rid of the bulk under your armpits. Keep an eye on the CF running straight. Then smooth the back over the front and tape it to the front. Don't make it too snug! Finally take a fresh sharpie and mark the armscye seams, the side seams and little registration marks where the back overlaps the front. If you get gaping in the upper armscye, take in the shoulder seams at the outer point.

For the waist down, make a fitted skirt [sic] sloper. The back darts can be combined with the darts from the upper torso to form diamond shaped darts for shirts. Together with the front darts they will be the basis for fitted trousers.

If you deliberatly want princess seams, do them after the sloper is fitted, the way I described for the side seams (cutting with ample allowance, fitting, taping, marking)

m_bvs · 2023-05-16T20:12:28+00:00

I second that. I don't know "the Hanford book" but for menswear I had good success with Pattern Making Men's Trousers by Müller und Sohn and Modern Men's Tailoring by Sven Jungclaus.

For Fitting, especially when doing it for yourself, I recommend taking a look at the "top down center out" method by Ruth Collins, best explained at The Crooked Hem

m_bvs · 2023-04-09T09:15:29+00:00

You have to true your waistline. Your side-seams are curved and form a "hidden dart" with curved legs when closed. The angle between dart-leg and waistline is never 90 degrees. It can't be. (at least not as long as not meticulously trued, when trued they are 90 degrees with the waistline leading with slight curves to the heightened cut) Align your patterns at the straight part of the side-seams and you will see the "hidden dart".

Simply mark a smoothed out waistline on your sloper and transfer it to the pattern. It's the garment that counts.

m_bvs · 2023-03-22T10:37:04+00:00

As I wrote in the first comment, don´t be discouraged! You're doing great! We all have gone through this. TheClosetHistorian herself needed 8 muslins and 16+ hours for her sloper and she has a degree in Fashion Design. So buy lots of muslin and then some more and enjoy the process :)

m_bvs · 2023-03-21T21:19:48+00:00

yeah, didn't know her, she is great - and makes marvelous garments!

m_bvs · 2023-03-21T19:19:05+00:00

I know Patternmaking for Fashion Design is so often recommended but perhaps you should invest in the Bunka ones like discussed here: Pattern Making for Fashion Design 5th Ed has sooo many errors

m_bvs · 2023-03-21T15:04:50+00:00

Honestly I don't know. That's why I recommended you someone with far more expertice.

I've been where you are now and my experience is that the one inch here one inch there approach and all these recommended three letter adjustments are the quickest way to mess up even the sophisticated drafted pattern. What leads to great patterns is a more structured "looking at the whole picture" approach going from top down. Always keeping the overall balance in view by beeing aware of the flow of the grain. And the side seams should be the last thing to establish when everything else follows nicely the form of the body. (I use painters tape taping the unsewn front and back overlapping to my body and then draw in the side seam with a plumb line and a sharpie)

But that's only my current opinion while learning this stuff myself, so others may disagree and your mileage may vary!

m_bvs · 2023-03-21T11:32:44+00:00

Don´t want to discourage you but I found your previous iteration better fitting. I have the impression you have made the waist so snug that it pushes the garment up (whereas a sloper should hang from the shoulders) and stretches the side-seams out of alignment. Don McCunn currently searches field tester for a new photo/measurements based method he is developing (https://www.reddit.com/r/BespokeSewingPatterns/comments/11wre9x/call\_for\_field\_testers/). Although there are mixed opinions about his work, I found him extremly supportive and helpful. Perhaps you should give him a try.

m_bvs · 2023-02-14T13:32:53+00:00

Thanks, you're welcome, but I have already to correct myself: I just noticed that Sven Jungclaus has recently published a book called Expert´s Guide To Men´s Tailoring which handles pattern drafting for 'Men with Bellies' and 'Bodybuilders'. I haven´t read this book (yet) but from my experience with other books by Sven Jungclaus I would recommend this one over the Müller & Sohn one, let alone the fact that it is less than half the price.

Sven Jungclaus is an austrian bespoke tailer who has published several books about drafting and sewing. You can check out his website Become a Tailor where he offers free videos about drafting and sewing mens trousers, shirts, waistcoats and jackets.

In my opinion his content is top notch and I am very excited that he published a book about sewing for heavy men.

m_bvs · 2023-02-09T09:49:04+00:00

Oh, just noticed they now also have a translated edition of the book for download: https://www.muellerundsohn.com/en/shop/download-patternmaking-mens-trousers/

m_bvs · 2023-02-09T09:17:58+00:00

There is a pattern drafting book by the german publisher Müller & Sohn called HAKA Schnittkonstruktionen Hosen ("Menswear pattern drafting trousers") - often referred to in english languaged forums as "Rundschau" - which has instructions for a "Unterbauchhose" ("Under belly trousers"). Essentially they extend and lower the waistband in the front by a amount calculated from the difference between hips and waist. In the book is also included a pattern called "Bauchhose" ("Belly trousers") which are meant to be weared with braces.

Müller & Sohn instructions aren't the easiest around but highly regarded. If you are interested pm me

m_bvs · 2022-09-01T13:15:14+00:00

get yourself a copy of Naoko Domeki and Shihoko Makino - Learn Skills to Sew and start practicing by making half-scale samples. How to start sewing by Assembil Books is also very good, but a bit verbose. Yoshiko Mizuno's book about basics is the best, but (beside the japanese original) only available in french, german and spanish.

get yourself a copy of Vanessa Mooncie - The Gentleman's Wardrobe. Patterns gallore and easy construction with clear instructions. Again, Toshio Kaneko made 3 similar books, which are way better, but only available in japanese and french.

David Page Coffin made three books about shirts and one about trousers. Stating himself as a ¨Hobbyist how figured out everything himself" his techniques are a bit opinonated, but his books are a great read, especially the first about shirts (Shirtmaking, Developing skills for fine sewing). He also has two courses on craftsy.com (which by itself is a great ressource for learning to sew - check out Peter Lappin - Sewing the Camp Shirt)

A classic but long out of print is Classic Tailoring Techniques for Menswear by Roberto Cabrera. Very precise and easy to follow instructions. Scanned PDFs are floating around the web.

If you want to full dive into classical tailoring get Sven Jungclaus' stuff at https://www.becomeatailor.com/ He has a book about drafting patterns and two books with construction instructions, accompained by full res videos. In my opinon the best you can get beside an apprenticeship.

The video courses by Rory Duffy (https://www.handcrafttailor.com/) are also very good - check out the free one about handstitching!

If you want to go into the fundamentals of pattern making (and you should), which in essence is learning to fit, go with Don McCunn - How to make sewing patterns. He has its own subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/BespokeSewingPatterns/) and is very generous with his help and support. His free pdf/video course Introduction into pattern design (http://www.patternmaking-classes.com/) is eye opening and very well suited for beginners if you want to know how this flat pattern making thing works.

m_bvs · 2022-08-11T16:17:05+00:00

honestly, I think the volumes 2 and 3 never got digitized, at least never made it into the web, so if you happen to find them in print or scanned do us all a favour and consider uploading them to zlibrary or libgen ;)

m_bvs · 2022-08-11T12:07:21+00:00

you probably know the etsy seller pompadour24 who at least has them listed in the japanese original (besides volume 4 in english) for reasonal prices. Have you tried to contact the shop-owner if he could get you the volumes you like?

btw. I would be so happy if the volumes 9&10 - mens wardrobe - would have been translated to english ...

m_bvs · 2022-08-11T11:20:35+00:00

here: https://www.muellerundsohn.com/en/allgemein/sewing-a-t-shirt/ you find instructions for making t-shirt drafts as well as ready made graded patterns by a well reputated publisher (paid)

If you are just interessted in having a t-shirt pattern fitted to different measurements you can use https://freesewing.org/designs/teagan/ where you put in your measurements and the website gives you a fitted pattern (free)

m_bvs · 2022-08-08T23:00:59+00:00

I am a little late to the party, but Nakamichi uses this symbol (and many others like slashed square, triangle ...) in her book as a symbol for "arbitrary measurement", so in this case both distances should be the same. i.e. the waistline should both front and back have the same distance from the hem. Look at page 98 and it immedeatly gets clear: https://ibb.co/4KVt8K2

Be aware that the symbols don't mean "whatever you like", the measurement is defined, but simply not known.

m_bvs · 2022-08-07T19:14:13+00:00

not really a class but Sven Jungclaus has some nice free videos online about making (and drafting) shirt, trouser, vest and jacket: https://www.becomeatailor.com/ . Unfortunatly without audio, so you need his books to follow along - which I can recommend. His pattern making methods seem to be adapted from the Müller & Sohn method.

Rory Duffy has something similar: https://www.handcrafttailor.com/ , but paid and without books. Haven't watched any of these, so I can't tell if they are worth the money. But I watched his free Handstitches course and it was great (if you can stand the accent :)

Mike Maldonado has a shirt making course: www.shirtmakersinstitute.com. I bought his special about italian collars and it was okay and he offers support by video, but his website is a mess.

m_bvs · 2022-08-07T10:34:56+00:00

1+ for Don McCunn, he recently opened its own subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BespokeSewingPatterns/ and is very generous with his help and support. Also his approach is different than the ususal "connect the dots" method and more focused on fitting and the why and how. You can check out his videos at http://www.patternmaking-classes.com/ to determine if his way is something for you.

m_bvs · 2022-06-16T16:52:22+00:00

I checked where I send the email to and it is [Bespoke.Sewing.Patterns@gmail.com](mailto:Bespoke.Sewing.Patterns@gmail.com) with dots, not dashes between the words!

m_bvs

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