Sew Explicit

In September of 2016, I released my first 3 sewing patterns and by August of 2017, I had published  4 more. In between, I had also released 2 sloper/block patterns. Then nothing, no new pattern till now (February of 2021).  What happened you may be wondering? Well, I started working on a clothing line in the latter part of 2017 and released a ready-to-wear clothing collection named under the brand name "Simplitude" in about May of 2018. You can view pictures of this collection on the Simplitude Instagram and Facebook accounts. This took a lot of my time, energy, and efforts so I couldn't work on releasing new sewing patterns. Also, I was not selling enough sewing patterns to make a decent income. My marketing skills, especially social media skills were not (and still not) all that.

  The month of February is Black History Month and this year   @sewnaturaldane   is hosting a   #BHMpatternDesigners  Instagram  challenge alongside   @islandsewcialist . The  #BHMPatternDesigners  competition was established in 2019 by Nateida of  @sewnaturaldane  to give visibility and representation to black pattern designers, fabric companies, and knitting designers. Check out her website  for details on how to enter, the rules, prizes to be won, and more. 

  What a year 2020 has been for everyone us the world over! I hope you are all keeping safe and healthy.  This will be my first and last post on this blog this year. I just want to drop something here before the new year and say thank you to all who continue to visit my blog and read my posts even without new content.  I hope in the new year, I will be able to create more content here on the blog and other online platforms. I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2021.

This post brings the "how to learn to grade sewing patterns" post series to an end. In  part 1 and part 2 , I talked about why one may need to grade, what grading is and is not, and methods of pattern grading. You should look at those posts before continuing with this. Those posts contain videos and links to resources that can help get started. This post will even contain more links to resources I have personally found very helpful. First up is a Threads magazine online article from way back (2008).  This article is golden. It gives a simple example of how patterns “grow” at different locations within a pattern. It explained grading using a cut and spread diagram, but the info is also useful to both the “slide” and X &Y methods. This growth in different locations as shown on the chart in another  article linked to ) are known as “ grade rules ”.  The chart shows a simple formula for arriving at the grade rules. This formula is not set in stone, but it is an excell

The previous post defined what grading is and why you may need to grade. Today's post highlights different pattern grading method WAYS TO GRADE Different sources may categorize it in different ways but it all boils down to the same thing. Below is my classification: A.     Manual grading B.     Machine grading C.     Computer grading

What is Pattern Grading? Pattern grading is the process or the technique of making a sewing pattern available in other additional sizes without redrafting each size from scratch;  Grading is the method by which the pattern grader creates patterns for a whole range of sizes from the agreed base size. It is the task of grading to proportion those increments among the different parts or panels of the garment according to detailed, logical rules

 Is the bust fitting and back shoulder fitting darts (as shown on Diagram A ) always necessary? A number of pattern drafting methods have you draft the bodice block with a bust fitting dart in front and sometimes a short shoulder fitting dart at the back. The bust fitting dart may be positioned during drafting at the corner of the shoulder (Natalie Bray); At the corner of the Neck (Aldrich) or at the waist (Armstrong).  It is not all the time that a garment require a bust fitting dart. Instead of transferring the dart elsewhere where it would create unwanted fullness, why not start with a block that has eliminated that step (of transferring fullness) yet remains fitted?