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Leena's Pattern Drafting Lesson:
Drafting Patterns For Women's Basic Skirt
 Metric
conversion table
This lesson shows how the patterns for the basic skirt are
drafted according to the Scandinavian pattern drafting system. Follow
the pictures as you read the instructions.
MEASURING
Click
here
to move to the measuring page. Read the measuring instructions carefully.
To draft skirt patterns, you have to take the measurements listed in the
table below. To keep the pictures clear and readable, the measurements
are given only in centimeters. You can change centimeters to inches using
formula 1 cm = 0.4 inches.
ADDING EASE
You would not be able to wear the skirt if the patterns were drawn exactly
to your body measurements. Therefore you have to add ease to some of the
measurements. The basic skirt usually is a tight fitting garment
and therefore only a small amount of ease is added.
ADD TO THE WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE: 2 cm
ADD TO THE HIP CIRCUMFERENCE: 4 cm
Do not add any ease to other measurements.
Write down the measurements in the table below.
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Body measurement
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Body measurement + ease
|
| WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE
|
* |
+2 cm= |
| ABDOMEN CIRCUMFERENCE |
* |
|
| HIP CIRCUMFERENCE (if your abdomen
circumference is more than your hip circumference, use it for your
hip circumference) |
* |
+ 4 cm= |
| ABDOMEN HEIGHT |
* |
|
| HIP HEIGHT |
* |
|
| SKIRT LENGTH FROM WAIST TO HEM
|
* |
|
DO THE FOLLOWING CALCULATIONS:
Round the measurements up to the nearest 0.5 cm.
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Body measurement + ease
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Divided by 2
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Divided by 4
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Divided by 10
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| Waist circumference |
* |
* |
|
* |
| Hip circumference |
* |
* |
* |
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DRAFTING THE PATTERNS
Draw a frame first.
1) Start by drawing a vertical line that corresponds to
the length of the skirt. This is the center front line of the skirt.
2) Draw a horizontal line at the top of the vertical line. This is the
waist line of the skirt.
3) Draw a horizontal line at the bottom of the vertical line. This is
the hem line of the skirt.
4) Measure down from the waist line a distance equal to the abdomen height
and draw a horizontal line. This is the abdomen line.
5) Measure down from the waist line a distance equal to the hip height
and draw a horizontal line. This is the hip line.
6) On the waist line, measure 1/2 of Hip circumference to the right
from the skirt's front center line and draw a vertical line from there
down to the hem line. This is the center back line of the skirt.
7) On the waist line, measure 1/4 hip circumference and 1.5 cm to the
right from the skirt's front center line and draw a vertical line from
there down to the hem line. This is the side line. The side line is thus
moved 1.5 cm towards back to prevent it from being seen from the front.
Darts
 8)
On the waist line, measure 1/10 waist circumference to the right
from the skirt's front center line and start the front dart from there.
Make the dart 2 cm wide. The dart extends from the waist line to the abdomen
line. Draw the right side of the dart so that it forms a right angle where
it meets the abdomen line.
Back dart is 2.5 cm wide. Center it at the midpoint of
the back waistline. Vertically, the back dart extends to the midpoint
between the abdomen and the hip height.
9) Mark the waist side points according to the picture.
First, calculate the amount of width you have to remove on the waist line.
Subtract 1/2 waist circumference (+ease) and the widths of the darts (2
and 2.5 cm) from 1/2 hip circumference (+ease). Measure 1/2 of this amount
to the right and to the left from the top point of the side line. Finally,
raise front and back waist side points 1 cm.
If the difference between your hip circumference and your
waist circumference is 25 cm (10") or more, draw two front darts.
Measure 6 cm from side line to the left and start one dart from there.
Place the other dart 4 cm to the left of the first dart. Make the darts
2 cm wide.
Round abdomen
If you have a round abdomen, raise the front center by
2-3 cm to make more room for it.
Raised waist
Remove ease from the waist measurements. Draft the raised
waist to the skirt's waist mirroring darts to it. Draft facing pieces
copying them from the skirt's raised waist as in the picture. Move and
rotate the pieces to form whole facing pattern.
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