Drafting of Patterns—2 In this chap

Drafting of Patterns—2 In this chapter I shall enlarge on what was written towards the end of the previous chapter on the subject of the chest line. For the purpose, I take two examples of design in a jacket—one a waist-fitting style and the other a straight-hanging style. The first of these is illustrated by the small centre figure on Plate XXIII. Such a design may not be contemporary at the time of this book’s publication, but it has features in it that are likely to be repeated in a number of designs. Whatever the future may hold in the way of fashion, the observations made here of certain principles will always be applicable. This jacket is a single-breasted one with a waist-seam and a “whole” back,. This means that there is not a centre seam. There is the customary shoulder bust dart (dealt with in detail in a following chapter) and three short darts at the waist. There is no need in the present analysis to take any special note of the latter darts. Further, there is an under-arm side-seam—a frequent feature in jackets at the time I am writing this book. It will be seen that the garment fits the waist very closely. This characteristic presents certain problems in cutting, for waist suppression has to be considerable—on back and forepart. Distribution of the darts in the latter reduces the danger of interference with balance; but the design of the former makes for some difficulty in getting the necessary suppression without disturbance of balance. In the majority of female figures, as I have already stated, the back waist is very hollow, the hollowness being accentuated in some cases by the relative roundness of the upper back in the shoulder-blade area. These features are indicated by 1 and A on Figure 1. The side waist also gas a certain amount of hollow, in relation to upper back and hips-seat regions, as shown at 2-2 on Figure 2. The ideal position for seams is indicated by lines B and C on the latter figure. This placement (one frequently adopted in the design of panelled jackets and coats) enables the cutter to effect waist suppression at the ends of the back and side dimensions; the balance is thereby less vulnerable to interference. In a back of the type depicted on the illustration the nearest seam to the blade vertical is the one under the arm of the figure—in this instance 5 ins. Towards the front of the garment. Wisthout thinking carefully about “what will happen” we might make a suppression of the under-arm seam as illustrated on Figure 3. Squaring down from A to locate B, we could mark out so much on each side of the latter point and fix C and D. (And this very thing has been done very many times.) Perhaps we have overlooked the relative distances of C-E and D-F, and what effect the ultimate suppression will have on those distances. We must also think of the distance 1-2. Figure 4 tells us something. In this diagram the under-arm seam is shown in the “closed” state. E and F are pulled down, as the result of C and D coming together. 1 and 2 are much farther apart. The shaded triangles above points E and F (placed at equal distances from A in both Figure 3 and Figure 4) indicate the minimum amount of shortening which the pattern parts undergo when such a suppression as C-D is made. Here is a clear example of interference with balance. Further complications would ensue as the result of the increased distance between points 1and 2. The whole scye has been “opened out,” and when, later, 1 and 2 are brought together at the shoulder-point (as they must be when the garment is made) there will be some very unsightly effects at front and back scyes. There is no necessity for me to take the matter any further at this stage. Sufficient has been said to make it obvious that the chest construction line, however useful it may be in a basic structure (and of course it is useful there), has to adapt its original horizontal direction to the requirements of both fit and style. And what happens to it has to be very closely watched by the pattern cutter.