The Lutterloh System Pattern Making Zip
Gaspard Xenos
There are several different types of Draft at Home Systems, I am listing several below and if you are interested in trying them out yourself, I will include links for as many as I can. The first ones listed are the ones I will be trying soon. I will be posting about my adventures in using these systems and I hope you come along for the journey! As I find more drafting systems I will be sure to blog about them.
Sewists will be able to draft patterns to their exact sizes from the miniature pattern template and specially designed rulers. If you need help with drafting your pattern, Mrs. Depew has a really handy blog post about it.
In addition to these three systems I have a few more I want to try out. I have listed those below with other drafting systems that are out there! These are just a few, there are so many more systems. The ones I am interested in are from 1900 to the early 1960s. I am always on the hunt and my goal is to try to make at least one garment from as many of the systems as I can.
My objective was simply to test it out, using the system to make a toile. My bust and hips are not far off in proportion, but my waist is out of proportion, so I was keen to complete a toile that would test the theory on my body shape.
The system comes with a pattern book of 280 patterns, which are updated quarterly, and you can subscribe to get updates every quarter. The core of the system is the special tape measure and the mini patterns. You can purchase the system with two quite large curves, and with rolls of paper, which is somewhat thicker than normal dressmakers tracing paper, and probably better to use to draw the patterns.
My personal sewing projects have ground to a halt, because of two classes I am currently taking at City College of San Francisco. But I am not complaining; both of them have been exciting and enriching.
The finished moulage can be used as-is for certain types of garments, including those for knits. But typically you use it as the starting point for making patterns of other types of garments. More on this later.
The first class was devoted towards taking measurements. The instructor demonstrated each measurement necessary to draft the moulage. We split up into groups and measured each other. My measuring partner was unsure of the accuracy of his measurements; fortunately this was not a problem as the instructor was willing to check measurements for anyone who asked.
The outcome of this process was a sheet with our individual measurements, that we would use to draft our own personal moulage. We also filled out a separate worksheet, calculating some numbers from the measurements we would use as the basis of the draft. The instructor led us through those calculations. Some students used fraction calculator apps for modern smartphones, that make the arithmetic easier to digest.
Weeks two and three of the class were devoted towards drafting the back and front pieces of the moulage, respectively. The instructor would give us a few steps to follow, we would go to our worktables and draft, then come back for more.
We run a zipper all the way up the back to get in and out of the muslin. It is crucial the center back line on both meets precisely at center back. To get this to work, I sewed the center back seam line with a basting stitch and pressed the seam allowances open. Then I overlaid the zipper with the teeth centered on the seam line, stitched the zipper in place with a zipper foot, then undid the basting with a seam ripper.
Our most recent class was a giant fitting and pattern alteration session. Each of us took turns posing in front of the class wearing our muslin. The instructor used the opportunity to teach us about the fit issues in each of the muslins, as well as the method to correct them.
One common alteration is adjusting the shoulder line. The shoulder line is very crucial for proper fit; once the shoulder is adjusted properly many problems lower in the garment often disappear. I would have had an easier time with my recent fitting experience if I had addressed the shoulders early on.
I still have to revise my moulage pattern though, due to a mistake I made in drafting; I lowered the underarm point on the front piece, and the side seam in front ended up too short compared to the side seam in back. The front is on the left in this photo.
After the fitting session, the instructor showed us how to make the flat-pattern adjustments for each kind of fitting change. We saw full bust adjustments, booty (seat) adjustments, and full belly adjustments. The students then updated their moulage patterns accordingly.
The moulage by itself can be used to draft a form-fitting garment, or to make a garment from knit fabrics, which have stretch and are often skin-tight. But to be useful for other types of patterns, a sloper is created. The sloper adds wearing ease to the moulage and produces a wearable garment, albeit devoid of style.
There are multiple sloper patterns one can create from the moulage. The first is for a blouse, dress or shirt. The second is a jacket sloper; it adds more ease to the shirt/blouse sloper. And the third is an overcoat sloper, which adds more ease to the jacket sloper.
The textbook contains instructions for all three types of sloper. In class, we are drafting the shirt/blouse sloper, as well as a matching sleeve for it. It is not possible to fit a sleeve to the moulage draft, as it is too tight and creates mobility issues with a sleeve attached.
I traced off my completed Moulage pattern and followed the instructions to produce a sloper pattern. You can see both here in this photo, with the sloper having a lowered neckline, higher shoulder, and expanded side seams.
The moulage as described by Kenneth King, who teaches at FIT, relies on a double ended dart in the front and back. The double ended dart is appropriate when the the body as seen from the side has the same projection for the bust and the tummy in front and the same projection for the shoulder blades and the hips in back. I have put an image on my website that compares the contours of an industry standard dress form to a real person. The double ended dart would work for the dress form but not for this individual.
My conclusion from teaching pattern design since the 70s is that most bodies are best served by creating a fitted sloper that has a waist seam. This allows front and back patterns to be created for an accurate representation of the upper body and front and back patterns for the lower body regardless of the contours of the person.
My mantra has become that you can only rely on any measurement system for the size of the body, NOT the shape. Both the size and shape are important for any patterns that are to have an accurate custom-fit.
The Moulage was developed in the mid-1800s at the school Ecole Guerre-Lavigne in Paris. It is based off genuine human body proportions, having been developed as a consequence of the invention of the numbered tape measure. It takes advantage of the common body proportions we all share, even if our actual dimensions are different.
So what I have learned from Mother Nature surpasses any human created system for evaluating body shapes from measurements, even Leonardo da Vinci. This is why I say measurements will indicate a general size but never reveal the specific contours of an individual human body.
Overview and research Archive From the first published paper pattern making techniques to The more recent techniques. Tip This page contains media that is intended to start playback automatically on opening. This may include sound. Your browser is blocking automated playback. Please click here to start media.
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