(Untitled)

[_tove]

bblum was at my house the other day, and asked a question about a sewing project I was working on. I said "It's a dart. It's a way of controlling fullness. Wait, that's jargony and not helpful to you..." and then explained in a (hopefully) more enlightening way. But it occurred to me last night that the fuller explanation is not actually that

Comments

[infryq]

o_o You have just revolutionized my understanding of princess seams! This is awesome.

[_tove]

Ha, sweet. I was actually going to specifically call out princess seams as being in the "just two darts that have run into each other" category, but then I figured I'd have to explain what princess seams were. :)

[kepod]

I am imagining a folk tale that starts with "two darts that have run into each other" and ends with "princess seams," and so far I think it involves magic scissors.

[bubblingbeebles]

is that somehow different from the plain old "seam" diagram you showed?

[lindseykuper]

imagine how wide you're going to want your shape at its widest, then set out to reduce it elsewhere

Not coincidentally, that's the advice I've heard given to people who want to make off-the-rack clothes fit them as well as clothes made for them would -- buy something that fits your body at its widest point, and then have the rest of the garment tailored to fit. (Not that I ever manage to follow this advice.)

[jcreed]

omg naked cylinder!

NOT SAFE FOR CYLINDERS AT WORK

But seriously this is way awesome. I am flattered that you consider this jcreed-style!

[joyful_vydra]

I am interested in anything you have to say about drafting! Drafting is my sewing nemesis :(

[_tove]

Okay! Most of what I have to say about drafting is covered in more detail in Donald McCunn's How to Make Sewing Patterns, which is a book I heartily recommend even though it is not very beginner-friendly. I believe he also teaches classes in San Francisco.

[bubblingbeebles]

I will also throw in my vote for "excellent writeup". it shouldn't surprise you, from the questions I was asking, that I love learning to have an eye for things that I'd otherwise never pay any attention to.