Page:The practical designer (Rosenfeld, 1918).djvu/23

17 TEST OF SYSTEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE AND THEIR PRINCIPLES

The system of designing and pattern cutting shall be carried out with a great many principles. The first one of the principles is to know the different sorts of fitting: as the tight-fitting, half-fitting, three-quarter fitting and full fitting. Every one of these garments shall be adopted in a different manner and shape. The tight-fitting garment has its strict fitting points and the spaces between gores are not changeable for any reason. Before testing the waist and hip for tight-fitting patterns have seams taken off both sides of the gores and after measuring for each gore, it shall amount to half of the waist measurement wanted for the size. The half-fitting garments shall be tested the same way as the tight-fitting, except the waist. It is not necessary that the waist for half-fitting garments should be tested. Should you want to measure it measure half of the size wanted without the seams taken off. For size 36, the waist should measure 18 inches, including seams, or it shall measure 3 inches more than the waist measurement. The hip for tight or half-fitting garments shall always be full and shall be tested for tight and half-fitting alike, with the exception that the half-fitting garment may be one inch larger. The waist of the half-fitting garment shall be increased with the curving or shaping of the waist, which makes it three-quarter fitting. The full fitting garment, called the box coat, is only cut in two parts. No shape or waist effect is required, therefore the waist shall not be tested. The hip is to be measured and direct allowance is to be made for fullness.

Model patterns should be tested before they are used for fashion work or grading. The testing should begin at the depth of size, natural waist length or full length coat. The size should be carefully examined at the neck and arm-hole, as these parts of the garment are the most important parts built for the size, otherwise the size number is not measured across the chest and is only a controlling number for its use.

The bust measurement is directly adapted for the connection to the size or so-called chest measurement and is an increase on the chest line and shows the development of the bust. This bust measurement is changed into action after drafts are required. The bust line can, therefore, be adapted, which is drawn from the back depth point to the front part between the regular breast and waist line at the front part where the bust can be measured for testing the bust measurement if necessary, and by all means all seams shall be deducted in order to get the actual measurement of the bust.

When measuring waists, measure on the waist line and towards the front and measure on the long waist line and not on the straight waist line. The bottom of short coats shall not be measured. Full length coats or capes shall measure half way as much as the full length of the garment. Suppose the length of the coat or cape is 50 inches, half of coat or cape shall also measure 50 inches. This means that the full bottom shall be 100 inches. It shall be understood that this width is the fullest to be made, but in order to follow the style from time to time, you can make the width of bottom of long coats and capes accordingly.