Drafting a Basic Bodice Block

Working towards creating a haute couture bodice, a basic bodice block was drafted in order to be adapted at a later stage. Following the Martin Shoben and Jannet Ward book 'Patter cutting and Making up Volume 1,' I drafted the basic bodice block onto card. 

Drafting onto card is something new to me however it saves time and also allows the card pattern to be traced and re-used with little damage. A good tip if you plan on adapting a block several times, which is what I plan on doing to achieve my design at the perfect fit.

Using the measurements taken from my previous comment, and the highlighted measurements taken from the books size chart, I followed each step to complete the block. I have also uploaded the image of the bodice block from the book itself to make my notes easier to follow. 

The pictures shown are the notes taken from each stage of the block. I have written each instruction from the book along with my calculations to make it clear how I arrived at each final measurement/step. You are welcome to use my notes and create the block for yourself.

When drafting my block there were a number of different points which I struggled with. One aspect was drawing in the armhole and other curves such as the neckline. My curves are not as smooth as I would like them, however this will come with practise. The picture shows my armhole curve. 

Another area I found difficult was on points 30,31,33,34 and 35. Where the book uses the term 'swing an arc from _ to _'. At first I was unsure what this instruction was asking however after consulting with my tutor it became very clear what it was asking. I have made a short video for this stage if you find you also feel confused as to what to do.


Click the link below to watch my video:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/105796644147549408446/albums/6063015767368100289/6063015771041552658?pid=6063015771041552658&oid=105796644147549408446