How to Draft a Sweetheart Neckline Bodice Pattern (Pattern Drafting)

So I have been trying to explain how I draft my own patterns for the past few months, with what I would call varying success because I actually find it hard to describe pattern drafting in a way that isn't confusing! While I keep working on how exactly to translate my skills into tutorials, I thought today I would give you an example of how I take my standard bodice pattern and change it up for different designs.

I recently made a rose print dress and decided to make it with a sweetheart shaped neckline with a separate section at the shoulder with gathering. This is an easy pattern modification to make if you have a standard 2 dart bodice pattern already, so here is how I made the bodice pattern for this dress!

Of course, first you want to trace your bodice pattern onto some nice clean paper. I recommend doing all pattern drafting in pencil of course, but I'm using bright markers so you guys can see what I'm doing.

So now that you have a fresh copy of your bodice pattern, draw on the neckline shape that you would like to have. Seen in green above. Remember if you mark your standard bodice pattern with some neckline guides for how low or wide you usually like your necklines, drawing new styles later will be easier to get right. For example I know that I wan't my necklines to always be at least 3 inches above the level of the apex mark on my pattern. You can see above on my pattern the green cross mark of my apex and I marked the same level on the center front line so I could keep that in mind when drawing the neckline.

After you have the sweetheart shape neckline drawn on your pattern, you can draw a line straight from the angle of the neckline to the armscye area. This can be any angle from the neckline, but a 90 degree angle is probably the easiest to sew later. See my line in red above.

Take the time now to cut out your pattern so you can move onto the next steps!

Slice off that shoulder area piece!

And then label it a lot so you don't get confused later.

Above you can see the next step is to create the gathers along this seam line we just created. To do this, I am going to move the side dart of the bodice to the new seam we made. We do this with the slash and spread method of moving darts around. To start, draw a line from one of the side dart legs to the apex, and then from the apex to the place where you want to move the dart. See above in red.

Then cut through these lines right up to, but not totally through, the apex mark. Now you have this corner of the pattern you can swing around.

"Close" the side dart by overlapping the paper along the dart legs and taping it down. Doing this will open a new dart where you had also cut into the pattern to the apex.

Fill in that empty dart/triangle of space with some scrap paper as above.

Almost done now! Add seam allowance to both the edges where you cut off of the shouldery bit from the pattern earlier and the other side where you just moved the dart. (See above!) You are going to gather the fullness you just added to the seam (via moving the dart there) that we made at the start when you sew these pieces together later. For the back of the pattern, just make sure that you redraw the back neckline to match at the shoulder seam with the new front neckline potentially being narrower now after you changed it. That's the pattern finished! So you will just gather the excess fullness (see the wiggly red line above) to fit the other piece we cut off at the start. See the finished dress of mine at the start of this post to see how it looks when it's all sewn together!

I hope this gives a bit of insight into how I modify my standard bodice pattern for different designs and projects. Doing a pattern modification like this is super simple and because I know my standard bodice pattern fits, I don't have to worry at all that the new changed bodice won't fit. Everything drafted from a sloper or standard bodice pattern that fits you is still going to fit you even if you move a dart or make a change as long as you don't forget to add seam allowances back on or something silly like that. (Which I did all the time when I first started, no worries)

I have another bodice style to draft this weekend, so I'll try and document that process too!  I have two last summer projects to finish and wear before fall truly beings! I love fall so I can't wait to start on some more autumn inspired projects, but I have to finish these other projects first! Have a good weekend everyone!

Pattern Drafting: Drafting the Basic (Bodice) Sloper

Whew! This is going to be difficult you guys, because frankly I want to give you the exact directions from the pattern drafting book I use which feels quite...icky? I mean, I highly recommend you all invest in the book, Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph-Armstrong, as I continue to use my copy all the time, despite buying it ages ago originally as a textbook my first year of college. This is Joseph-Armstrong's method, and walking you through it feels very close to plagiarism. The question is if you can plagiarize text, which is obviously a thing, can you also plagiarizer methods and techniques? I dunno, but all I'm going to say before continuing is--- please go buy the book so I feel less bad.

Then again, perhaps my directions will be so confusing you will literally have to buy the book ;)

You all have your measurements from last time right? Great, though I have some bad news, if you start drafting your pattern and you notice things are just not working, it may be because your measurements are off (like- you think the end of the shoulder is one spot, and really it is off by an inch or something). This quickly happened to me, and so I turned to plan B, which in this case was to look at a measurement chart and find a "size" with measurements where most of the numbers matched mine as much as possible. The book I use to draft patterns has such a chart in the front, and the listed size 16 measurements matched over 50% of my own. The listed "size 16" (whatever that means?) had a 40 1/2" bust, a 32" waist, and a 42" hip, and my own measurements are 40 1/2" bust, 30" waist, and 44" hips. So they were a bit off there, but at we won't be using the hip measurement to draft the bodice sloper I knew that number wouldn't matter, and taking in the waist in the end would be easy since there are going to have to be adjustments to the final sloper anyway.

What's that? Adjustments? Why yes, my dear intrepid patternmaking folk, the odds of this first sloper pattern fitting you perfectly are slim to none (yes, even though you may be using your "exact" measurements). So sorry again, but them's the facts. I mentioned before that my own method of pattern drafting has all the real work upfront, once you have created your perfect bodice pattern, you will then be able to draft almost any style of dress from it, but you have to make that base bodice pattern first, and to do that there is going to be a lot of adjusting, mock-ups/muslins, and fitting involved. My guiding principal is this: it is always going to be much easier to fix something imperfect than to create a perfect thing from scratch. 

To that point I must mention again that you can buy sloper patterns, they are a thing you can purchase and skip this whole step. You will still have to adjust them to fit you, but hey you can skip the following mess if you'd like. I personally have the double quality of being impatient and cheap when it comes to patterns, I don't want to wait to acquire them (via ordering online or whatever) and I don't want to pay for them when I know it is possible to draft them myself for free. So if any of you are still with me, lets make a simple sloper so we have something to work with eh?

Three further disclaimers: firstly, I wish to formally apologize to metric users...so sorry bout that, and second the name of the measurement used for each line below will be in bold text. Finally, the letters in the instructions below correspond to Joseph-Armstrong's order of her directions, and while my directions may be in a different order, I have kept the letters the same (so we wont necessarily be using the letters in alphabetical order, but that doesn't actually matter). Mmkay ;)

Grab some paper, a long ruler (I needed my regular clear 18" ruler as well as a longer 24" ruler), a french curve will come in major handy and they are pretty cheap so get one of those, a pencil and a big eraser and we'll get going...

(don't say I didn't warn you)

Creating Your Dream Vintage Inspired Wardrobe : An Introduction

For those of us without an infinite budget, or for those who have more modern leaning measurements (Super cute 1930's dress for sale now!!! Great cotton print, waist size 24....oh wait, umm,yeah that's not gonna work) , or if you are like me-- both, the best way to build the vintage style wardrobe of your dreams is to learn to sew.

Now, I'm sure that's not what many of you want to hear. Sewing apparel is a rarer and rarer skill t pick up these days, but with practice, sewing gives you the power to create the wardrobe of your dreams. As if learning to sew wasn't task enough, I'm going to be even bolder and recommend you learn to make your own patterns too. WHAT! I know what you're thinking "well, I'm gonna close this tab now because this girl is crazy". Hear me out! We all start somewhere, and once upon a time I was just learning to sew, stuck in a pile of ripped tissue paper wondering why nothing I made from commercial patterns ever seemed to fit right. Not to mention my self esteem was so in the toilet I wouldn't even let myself wear vintage style to begin with, thinking I somehow didn't deserve it. I've come a long way in the last five years, and maybe perhaps some of you want to make a journey too...

(source)

Which is why I want to renew my focus on sharing how I achieved my goal of not only being able to have a closet full of vintage style clothing, but also how you can have one too. Maybe you have done some sewing before but the idea of making patterns yourself sounds like way too much trouble, perhaps the idea of learning to sew at all is just too daunting, or maybe you enjoy spending quite a lot of moola on a basic repro pencil skirt when you could have made one yourself for half the price, I don't know where you're at, but I figure I ought to start sharing how I have come this far.

Of course this is not to say you can't have the wardrobe of your dreams without learning to sew, of course you can! Vintage is often expensive, but you can save up for each piece. Vintage in larger sizes is even rarer, but maybe you are ready to wait for the right pieces to come along. Perhaps repro brands are your purveyors of choice, and there are some amazing repro companies out there making some great stuff, but being small scale retailers in the scheme of things, their ranges are only so big each season, and finding items more vintage leaning than pin-up can be a challenge. Not to mention a lot of repro dresses cost as much as a vintage piece... but I can't say it isn't doable, of course it is! Even those on a budget can find vintage appropriate pieces thrifting and build a wardrobe that way.

All ways of dressing vintage are good ways if you enjoy them and are having fun and feeling beautiful! As I mentioned recently, nothing makes me more peeved than people who think their way of wearing vintage is somehow better than others. In my opinion, (and hey, you're on my blog so you are gonna get my opinion) repro, whether bought or home sewn, thrifted or modern items that fit the bill, and authentic vintage items are all equal in the goal of vintage style. Some gals have a mix going, some have closets of only authentic vintage pieces, some girls wear mostly repro brands, and none of them are more "right" than the others.

Still, there really is nothing like seeing a vintage image of your favorite old Hollywood starlet in a great dress and thinking to yourself, "ooo I can make that!" and then a few weeks later to have a replica of the exact ensemble hanging in your closet. I don't want to say sewing your own repro is better, I just want to share about how it has been the easiest and best way for me personally to achieve a vintage style wardrobe while on a budget and being an impatient person! Unless you have got a personal dressmaker (and if you do, I'm rather jealous) it falls to you to become your own personal dressmaker.

2014, 2015, 2016

As your sewing skills improve, and you spend more time studying vintage clothing and styling, your style is bound to evolve. I started my journey to creating a vintage inspired wardrobe with just two simple pencil skirts in cotton twill from Joanns. The navy skirt in the first outfit above (from my first ever, and now cringy to me, outfit post!) was one of those two skirts, the other is black. From just these two items I build up an entire closet full of reproduction vintage clothing sewn to my own size and specifications!

I have so often had people ask me what pattern I used to make a dress or blouse, and I always feel bad saying that I didn't use one I can recommend because I made the pattern myself! I dream of launching my own pattern line someday, but until then I figured I'd try my best to do one better and try and teach anyone who's curious about my patterns and sewing how to do it themselves. I think every vintage loving gal (or guy, or person) deserves to have the wardrobe of their dreams, and if I can help at all in that endeavor, I'd like to do so!

I have long hesitated to teach pattern drafting and sewing because I figure there are already so many blogs and resources available out there on the subject. I realize now though that while much of what I want o talk about can be found out there somewhere, I have my own way of doing things that may work better for other people too.

So today I wanted to announce a new series here on the blog (and most likely in video format over on YouTube too) dedicated to the basics of pattern drafting and sewing with a vintage wardrobe in mind. We'll dive into the more psychological topics too, like wearing vintage as a feminist, dealing with the general public's weird comments, and knocking down the mental walls telling you you can't be a glamorous bombshell. Finally we'll be taking a look into how ladies of the past styled their fabulous vintage clothes in each era and for different occasions!  First things first, as all things start somewhere, we're going to need to draft a basic sloper (which means some math will be involved, unfortunately). So that post will be coming soon, and in the meantime I'd love to know; what would you like to know about creating a vintage wardrobe? Pattern drafting questions? Sewing inquiries? Let me know what you would like to know more about and I'll add it to my little table of contents in a jiffy!

I'm excited to start this series, and I really hope I can articulate my process and hopefully inspire some of you to give creating your vintage inspired wardrobe from scratch a go too :)

(header image of Diana Doors from here)

DIY Embellished 50's Sweater

Sometimes when you are watching a film, a costume will be so pretty that it will break your concentration on the story. Now some will say this is bad costuming, because it brings you out of the narrative, and it is indeed bad news when a costume is too over the top, awful, inaccurate, or otherwise distracting. However, some things are just really pretty though, and perhaps it is because I have my eye tuned to pick up on costuming anyways that this phenomenon happens for me more often then would otherwise be usual. 

Well, I fell for this lovely sweater in Brooklyn, and I immediately wished it would get in my closet!

Saoirse Ronan as “Eilis Lacey” in BROOKLYN. Photo by Kerry Brown. © 2015 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

That is one cute sweater! I loved the costuming in Brooklyn in general, but this was one piece I could actually come close to recreating on the fly. I had two simple sweaters from Lindy Bop that I hadn't been wearing as much as I thought I would when I got them, so I decided it was meant to be-- one of them had to get embellished à la Brooklyn.

There are a few things to keep in mind before you dive into embellishing a sweater, so I took some photos along the way to show you all how I went about decorating mine. All you need is: a sweater, a needle and thread, and whichever beads/sequins/rhinestones/other jazzy stuff you want to sew on.

I think it is best to start out by laying everything flat and playing around with the design and placement. A good place to get some inspiration (as always) is on Pinterest looking at 1950's beaded cardigans, as there are plenty of pretty ones of those around! You could of course embellish a button down cardigan just as easily as a pullover sweater.

To start I knew I wanted to copy the tiny pearl lined neckline from the Brooklyn sweater. Using a length of thread (doubled and knotted) to match the color of my sweater, I sewed each small pearl bead on using the ribbing of the neckline as a guide to space the beads out evenly. The key with embellishing a knit garment though is this: remember this thing is still going to need to stretch! 

If I simply used one length of thread to sew on all of the beads around the neckline, the neckline would no longer be able to stretch when I tried to put on the sweater. So what does this mean? It means I sewed on three beads, tied a knot in the thread, cut the thread, then started over for the next three beads. This break in the line of thread every three beads ensured my neckline would still stretch when I went to wear my sweater!

This same remember-the-stretch principal should inform your other decisions about how many beads/sequins/what-have-you to sew on before tying off and starting a "new" thread. The more stitches (and the farther apart/longer they are) done with one piece of thread, the less that area will be able to stretch afterwards. So to be cautious, and help inform my design as I went, I sewed the next set of beads on individually, starting the thread and tying it off again after each bead. Yes this is a bit time consuming, but put on a podcast and lean into the activity of some good old fashioned hand sewing.

You can see in the photo above that instead of just eyeballing the placement of the rhinestone/beads I used a ruler to mark dots (with a colored pencil in this case) 1 inch down from the pearls and an inch and a half over from one another.

Sew-on rhinestones with a bezel like these have holes on the underside so you can sew them onto your projects.

After I had the rhinestones sewed on, I added some diamond shaped sequins in silver in gold on either side of the jewel. As you can see above these sequins have two holes which make them a snap to sew on. To sew on a single hole sequin by itself, you can stitch up from inside the center hole and then come back down on the outside of the sequin, or if you don't want to see a stitch like that, use a tiny seed bead threaded onto your needle before taking it back down the center hole again.

To create little daisy-ish round designs, simply sew on a bead or sequin and then thread the needle up through the material on one side, slide on some smaller beads (in my case seed beads, enough to reach around the pearl) to fit and then move the needle back down through the fabric in the same place you started, creating a little loop of beads next to the one you would like the smaller beads to surround.

Simply push this loop over the bead and then tack it in place with a few stitches! (See above)

I almost thought I was done at one point, but then I added a few more pearls, this time little rice shaped ones, in between the sequin embellishments. After the pearls I called it done and tried on the sweater to make sure everything looked all right. You can of course add as many or as few embellishments as you'd like!

I am really pleased with how this little project came out and I think I will wear this sweater more now that it is sparkly and fun! Do keep in mind that such embellishing work could render your sweater dry clean or hand wash only of course, especially with beads like faux pearls as heavy washing could remove the pearly finish from the beads.

I hope this was helpful for any of you thinking of embellishing some knitwear :) It's time for me to get back to some different sewing, as I finally try to fix my bodice pattern once and for all!

New Creations 2016: Everything I Made in 2016

For the past two years I have done a post compiling a list of everything I made over the past year, and here indeed, is the same post for 2016. Find the list for 2015 here, and 2014 here. It seems after last year's triumphant feat of 71 items sewn, 2016 just couldn't compete. I had a full time job (well nearly full time, just under if were going to be technical) for most of the year this go around, and therefore I just wasn't able to complete as much sewing as the year before.

Looking at this year's projects, I think I did well on my goal to make more dresses this year. The rest of my goals (make more historic costumes, learn tailoring, knit sweaters...) didn't quite pan out, but there's alwasy next year! I really do want to learn tailoring techniques and to knit well, so those are goals I will carry over into 2017.

Without further ado, here's the list!

Dresses:     (18)

Dark purple cotton sateen 1950s dress 
Basic Black polyester 1920s 1 hour dress
Fall leaf print rayon 1940s dress
Grey blue silk bridesmaids dress
Sequin spiderweb 1920s dress
Shades of green printed cotton sateen wiggle dress
Red linen/rayon 1930's wrap dress
Magnolia print rayon 1940s dress
Mini brown and white gingham dress
Grey and white gingham daisy 1950s dress
Brown twill dress
Lemon print cotton 1940's dress
Dark red cotton sateen wiggle dress
Medallion print 1920s 1 hour dress
Dream 1940s little black dress in rayon
Black 3/4 sleeved cotton sateen wiggle dress
Navy and red Agent Carter inspired dress
Black and gold atomic fleck wiggle dress

Skirts:     (9)

Black taffeta spiderweb flocked circle skirt
Fall leaves cotton circle skirt
Dark red cotton sateen pencil skirt
Red cotton sateen circle skirt
Black cotton sateen pencil skirt
Black cotton sateen circle skirt
Green cotton twill safari skirt
Red twill 1930's skirt
Teal linen/rayon blend 1930's skirt

Other:     (7)
Practice haori in black polyester (Men's style haori)
Color blocked cotton twill jacket
Edwardian cotton twill skirt and cotton shirtwaist
Novelty print cotton Star Wars blouse 
Tartan suit in blue and green wool

For a total number of pieces sewn of 34, except that I have also made 2 circle skirts that I gave away as gifts, so I actually sewed 36 garments this year! Still not too shabby, but I think next year I'll be focusing on quality over quantity even more, starting with improving the fit of my basic dress bodice pattern that I use for nearly everything. Looking at some of the dresses from this year I can definitely see the flaws in the fit, so fixing my patterns (and even making some new ones) is going to be my first order of business moving forward. There is always room to learn and improve!

How did you all do with your own sewing this year? Anything particular on your sewing list for 2017?

Pattern Drafting: Tools of the Trade

As many of you know I make the majority of my clothing myself and I have been sewing now for over a decade. I first learned to draft patterns (and how to drape too!) during my freshman year of design school back in 2009, and I have never looked back! After having been restricted to commercial patterns for my early years of sewing, nothing felt better than being able to draft anything my mind could dream up onto paper. Move the darts into a princess line seam instead? Change a neckline? Add a sleeve? With some basic pattern drafting skills, a whole new world of possibilities open up!

So what do I use to do my pattern drafting? The most basic of tools are paper, a pencil, and scissors of course, but upgrading these basics from what you have lying around to real deal equipment makes the experience so much nicer! My favorite pattern drafting tools include:

1) A flexible clear ruler. These bendy (but not too bendy) clear rulers usually have red lines and mine as you can see below is 18 inches; though when I studied abroad I did have a different one that was centimeters instead of inches. This is my main ruler for drafting, and I actually have two of them lying around my sewing room as I like them that much!

2) Alphanumeric paper. Of course hypothetically any paper could be used for pattern drafting, but alphanumeric paper (gridded with you guessed it, letters and numbers) is my favorite for both the general 1"-ish (it's not precisely perfect but it'll do) grid and for its light weight. Tissue paper rips too easily, poster-board and the like are too thick, alphanumeric paper is just right.

3) Big paper shears. Why have such ludicrously large paper scissors? Well because they make cutting through any weight paper a breeze and are frankly easier to use on wide width paper when your cutting it off the roll. The shorter blades make them easy to use on curves too, plus they can probably double as a weapon in most zombie apocalypse scenarios (just kidding).

4) Curved rulers. Nothing better for hip and arm hole curves than these standardized curved rulers sold for just this purpose. Find them online or at most fabric shops and keep them on hand for smoothing out curves.

5) Pencils. Obviously, of course. Also a larger eraser for when you change your mind :)

6) Scotch tape. I like regular old plastic scotch tape for putting together and changing my patterns on the fly.

7) Weights of some kind. I use my brick-like tape dispenser and paper shears when I get desperate, but they do sell specific pattern weights for holding down your paper when it wants to roll back up while you attempt to draft on it.

8) Pattern Making for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph Armstrong. Of course I am still no expert on pattern drafting so I pull out my textbook from university from time to time when I want to know how to properly add ease here, or move darts there, or change a style line I'm not familiar with. It's good to have resources on hand so you don't have to break the flow searching for hours on the internet to see how something is done. There are dozens of pattern drafting books out there, but this is the one I have always used and I do quite like it.

Of course there are a bunch of other tools out there, from tracing wheels to special carbon paper, but this relatively short list of tools are the ones I have in constant use myself. I hope to start sharing more about how I make and transform my patterns here on the blog in the near future, so I figured going over some very basic information today would be a good start! Do any of you draft your own sewing patterns? If so, what are your favorite tools for doing so?

Pattern Drafting: Creating a "Kimono" Style Sleeve

I have been talking a bit about actual Japanese clothing like haori here on the blog recently, but the "kimono" style sleeve in western fashion is really nothing like a Japanese kimono sleeve! Hence why I am putting quotes around the word kimono above, because the word kimono gets rather over used these days for things that bear little resemblance to actual kimono (those flimsy chiffon shawl/cardigan things in every shop these days for example are being labeled as "kimono"...). Still, this style of sleeve, which was very common in the mid 20th century, is one of my favorites and I use it in my designs/sewing all the time!

Above are just a few of the many many results that come up when you quickly search vintage kimono sleeve on Pinterest. The best thing about using a kimono style sleeve is that as is cut in one with the bodice, you don't have to set in the sleeves separately. So you save a step while sewing up the dress or blouse in question as the sleeve is created simply when the bodice pieces are sewn together at the side seam and shoulder. See the difference between a set in sleeve (the red dress) and a "kimono" sleeve (the print dress) in the side by side photos below.

You don't have to buy a new sewing pattern to use a kimono style sleeve for your next project-- they are super easy to add to an existing bodice pattern! So pull out your favorite dress bodice, button down shirt, or even knit top pattern and give this pattern hack a try. (Though as always I suggest you try any new pattern in muslin or a mock up first to test it out and make any fitting adjustments!)

Some more notes before I continue: the patterns I use below are self drafted and I use them over and over so these traced versions have seam allowance already included, and you will notice I don't add any additional seam allowance as I know it is already there (does that make any sense?). If the pattern you start with doesn't have seam allowance do make sure to add some. Also, this isn't some official way to add a kimono sleeve, this is just a method that has always worked for me.

Start by tracing the front of your preferred bodice pattern onto a fresh sheet of paper (this gridded paper is called alphanumeric paper and comes on a roll, I highly recommend it for pattern drafting.)

First add 1/4" to the top of the arm side edge of the shoulder line and redraw the shoulder. See what I mean in red on the illustration below.

Next measure 2 inches down from the underarm at the side seam and put a mark, then put another mark 1/2" further. Draw a line 1 1/2" out from the first (the 2") mark like above.

Draw a curve between the two marks from the last step. As you can see my sleeve ends up starting directly above the side dart on this particular pattern, but this has never caused me any trouble.

Next measure 5" out from the first point you altered at the shoulder line. You can make the sleeves longer than this too of course. I am also factoring in that at least 1/2" inch (or more depending on if you line the bodice or simply hem the sleeves) will come off the sleeve hem in seam allowance eventually when this pattern is sewn up.

Then connect the two points between B and C on our little diagrams. Like magic you have added a kimono sleeve to your bodice front!

Now for the back pattern piece start by measuring just how long that last line you drew for the front (from B to C) ended up being in the end. For my pattern this measurement was 9 3/4".

Next add the same 1/4" to the outer shoulder to the back too and redraw the shoulder line like you did for the front. Then add the same 5 inch extension to the shoulder line too.

The easiest way to progress from here is to have the front pattern piece cut out and to lay it on top of the front matching the shoulders and sides up and then tracing the sleeve you drew for the front. Or you can measure down 9 3/4" (well that was my measurement, but use whatever your measurement was) from the 5" out point on the extended shoulder and connect it to the side seam using the same curved 1 1/2" line like you drew on the front. I hope some of that made at least a bit of sense...sorry!

Again I'll repeat that you should test your lovely new sleeve by making a muslin before you cut into nice project fabric ;) With a muslin/mock-up you can check both the fit and adjust the length of the sleeve if you need to.

I hope this will help someone take the plunge and have a little more fun editing patterns, go ahead and dip your toes into pattern drafting, it's super rewarding! As I use this sleeve style in my own sewing all the time it was well time I explained how I manage it :)