Pattern Cutting: Dart Manipulation

First of all, this is what a basic bodice block looks like. The two big triangles are darts. These can be moved to another area of the bodice in a process called dart manipulation.

You can see some little lines on the neck line and arm line of the block. These are called balance marks, or notches. They are essential for making sure your pieces are lined up when sewing the garment together.

For this dart manipulation I will be doing an underarm bust dart.

First of all, you want to draw a line where you want your dart to be. This will be under the arm hole, but leaving enough space so you don't have an awkward amount of fabric for when you come to sew the bodice.

Draw the line from the edge, to the point where the 2 darts meet.

You will then cut along this line to where the points meet. Fold the existing darts in half, and secure them with masking tape. Your pattern will then look like the example below.

You now have your master pattern. This is the pattern you refer to if something has gone wrong, so you shouldn't cut thus one out.

Trace over the pattern. Curves are sometimes traced over using a dashed line. Remember to mark your balance marks. These are used to match up the pieces of the garment.

On my pattern bellow, CF stands for centre front, and the line with C.O.F. written on it, means that you cut the piece out with this line on the fold of the fabric. This means you don't need seam allowance there. Add seam allowance around the rest of the pattern. Some people leave the dart as a solid triangle, but I like to add seam allowance inside  of this triangle, as it reduces fabric bulk.

This is the finished front of the bodice pattern.

This method can be used to do a variety of dart manipulations.

Pattern Cutting: Getting Started (Equipment)

Before you get started pattern cutting, you will need the appropriate equipment. Here are the things that you will need to get started:

A - Pattern master.
These are an all-in-one pattern design tool. They can be expensive, but it will last you a long time if looked after. 

B - Pattern paper.
Pattern paper is quite thin, and is partially see through, which allows you to trace off patterns easier.

C - Mechanical pencils.
I would recommend using a mechanical pencil when drawing out your patterns, as it's important to use a sharp pencil so you can be as accurate as possible, and you don't have to keep sharpening your pencil every 5 seconds. Alternatively, a good quality hard lead pencil, like a 2H, are also good to use.

D - Notcher.
These cut a little line in the edge of the paper. Notches, or balance marks, are put on each pattern piece to make sure your pattern pieces fit together nicely. They are essential when sewing garments together.

E - Paper scissors.

F - Eraser.

G - Masking tape.
Masking tape is used when closing darts, etc. It is the best tape to use because it can be removed without ripping the paper, and it can be drawn/written on top of.

H - Tracing wheel.
A tracing wheel is a bit like a spikey pizza wheel. You use this when tracing around pattern pieces. You can lay your pattern on top of another piece of pattern paper, and then run the spikes along the lines you've drawn. The wheel will make little holes in the paper underneath. You can then draw over these dotted lines.

I - Tape measure.

Hello everyone.

As a student, I'm always trying to find out information online for my projects, and sometimes I just can't find what I'm looking for, so I thought I'd share some of the stuff I've been learning, and hopefully I can help some people out.
I have a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Fashion Design (I know, it's a very long course name). I am currently studying for a BA in fashion design at a college in Essex, and I am just finishing my 1st year.
I'm hoping to post about a variety of subjects on here, including how to how to do pattern cutting techniques, researching for design projects, and generally, just stuff I've been learning about on my course.
I hope that some of you find this helpful, and I'm always open for suggestions, so feel free to comment if there's anything that you would like to see.