 |
August 20, 2021
There are some other key components to doing some serious designing and that's what we're getting into with all this sketching and tracing to make the garments we like.
Apex Points -
What in the world are apex points and who cares and why does it matter?
The are the points around which darts rotate. This is from apex - tip or vertex or summit, and point - a projecting part of anything.
Those apex points that are key to fitting a garment:
- Bust
- Shoulders
- Hips
- Stomach
- Bottom
You may think there are more, but these are the basic ones to fit. And all darts or fitting seams or mechanisms, either run through or point to these apex points in our body. Actually this is one of those guidelines that really makes sewing a lot easier. Instead of having to fit a myriad of different points, there are these 7 points and you know more than you think you do about these points.
We instinctively know about fitting and we instinctively know what looks good and what doesn't. We know when we have great proportion and when we don't. We know when something sings on our body and when it doesn't. We may know that it's right, but most likely don't know why.
Working through some theory lessons in flat-pattern design can really explode your creativity way further than you thought. And here's what I'm talking about.
If you have a bodice that fits you, and you draw a line (it can be curved, angled, or combo of both, but that line crosses the apex points on your bodice, you can cut it apart on that line you just drew, stitch it up and it will fit. Like this:
 
Pretty wild huh? Here's the explanation. See the above left, and the side bust dart and the bust/waist dart? Those are built into the bodice so it fits. Now look at the line, it's totally curvy, however the line goes through all for dart points, so when it is sewn up again, it has the shape of the fitted bodice with regular darts. This technique is called Transformational
Reconstruction developed by Shingo Sato
GUIDELINES FOR USING APEX POINTS
Never make dart point and apex point meet
This is what know about Apex Points and their use can do for you. There are some other things too. Since we humans are nice and curve and not angular, that means that the darts that fit us should also be soft and curvy. So we should never have the dart point sewn all the way to the apex point. Otherwise we end up looking like we're on the Blond
Ambition Tour....
YIKES!!!!!!
Always have darts point to the apex point.
There is NOTHING that looks worse that the dart pointing to the wrong place for the area of the body the dart is supposed to be fitting. Here's a perfect example:
The first shot on the left - oh brother, I look like Karl Lagerfeld would say, "Lady you have given up!" My bra is so low and in horrible shape, and I didn't even notice till I made this dress. So off to the bra shop and I got a good bra, but forgot something....middle shot shows just how badly things look when you aren't fitting the dart to the right bust point. I had NO idea it
was this bad. The final right shot shows what happens when you have a good bra and a good fit. I swear this dart point placement can remove 10 years from your looks! So make sure your dart points to the place it's supposed to fit.
Girth Measurements at Apex Points Have Ease
No matter what, we need ease, otherwise we can't move. There are standard ease amounts for each point, however, I personally, think that these ease measurements are a very personal thing, so start with the standard measurement and then go in or out from there, but know what these areas need that ease. And that ease is just as important for stretch fabrics as it is for woven fabrics. Stretch fabrics stretched too tightly around our bodies, doesn't provide any
flattery...it's too much information.
 Hitchcock will tell you (if he were still alive) that showing Norman Bates knifing Janet Leigh in the shower would have been boring after the first 10 or so showings...oh this looked wrong or that was out of place, or that couldn't occur and on and on. Showing Janet Leigh screaming her head off with the shadow of Norman Bates, left it to our imagination and that meant whatever we
invented in our head was way more scary than anything Hitchcock could show on the screen. BTW, since making this movie, Janet Leigh finds it terrible scary to take a shower!!!
TMI (too much information) always does that, and ease helps prevent TMI - it leaves what's not shown, to our imagination and our imagination will always invent something way more flattering than what's actually there. We can use that to our advantage.
Here are some standard ease measurements
Bust - 1"
Waist - 1"
Hips - 2"
Stomach, Bottom - 2"
That's only a place to start.... here are mine:
Bust - 3/4"
Waist - 1/2"
Hips - 2 1/2"
Stomach, Bottom - 2 1/2"
This is just me but it shows you how it changes and you can experiment till this is the right ease for you.
One Last Apex Point that Isn't A Point
Yeah, that sounds confusing, but we have one last place on the body that needs to be fitted, even though it's not a point. It's our waist. I don't really need to say too much about this, except that is is a fitting point even though it doesn't stick out. It goes in, and that's what makes it a fitting point. You may say that your waist doesn't go in very much, but it goes in a little and that's what we want to accentuate - just a little is
enough.
Finally Putting This Altogether
So what do we do with this info? Well, when we're out there rotating darts and drawing seams through our apex points, remember that darts rotate on the point they are fitting. Shoulder darts in the back rotate on the shoulder point; hip darts on the skirt or pants rotate on the hip point, stomach darts on the stomach point. This is pretty much a law. Even in the Transformational Reconstruction.
Now you can have darts, which are wonderful, but you can also have seams. Traditional seams like princess seams are excellent for fitting. As a matter of fact, you will find that famous designers use these princess seams when they are fitting some of their more "dowager" shaped clients. It allows the incredible flexibility in fitting.
Bottom Line
All of this may sound like a bunch of hullabaloo, but when you're working with your core pattern, and especially when you are wanting to do something really interesting, keep in mind the guidelines and you will have great success.
These guidelines are true almost all the time. Unless your growing a third boob, or loosing half of a bottom, you don't need to vary much from these guidelines. I know I'm always saying you need to know the rules to break them, but that's on the artistic design of your work. For fitting, guidelines are pretty much set in stone so you don't need to worry about breaking these rules! Even the Transformational Reconstruction that Shingo Sato created
follows these rules.
Don't let these guidelines confuse you. They are meant to help and focus you on your design experiments! Have fun with them and most of all play around with these to see what sorts of new ideas you can come up with....but always using these guidelines.
This is the quintessential toolbox for the wannabe designer, and you don't even have to draw to use them. All you have to do is trace. That may sound just a little too far-fetched, but believe me, not all designers can draw, and most of them do not sew. So you are one up on most designers.
This package includes a lot:
Elements & Principles of Design w/Color
Proportion (Divine and Rule of Thirds) and Apex Point Fitting
and something new:
 Sketching - taking the idea to sketch, to pattern to garment and yes, you can do that. It's not that hard. There are a lot of steps, but this is the final part of the whole package of creating something especially for yourself.
You know all those pictures on Pinterest or pinned in your studio or on your bathroom mirror?...those ones you know you would look smashing in if...1.) you could find the right pattern, 2.) you might be able to find it in RTW, but to fit you would be a problem or 3.) you've always wanted to create a look or certain collar or fabulous sleeve or some other detail and never knew how. Here's how to do that.
This does require that you have your core pattern up and running. That's what the whole pattern will be based on and it is what makes all this work so well. Whereas commercial pattern makers and designers have to go through 5 to 8 iterations to get it right, with your core pattern, we already know it works, and what we're doing is copying that to make the style you want.
If you already have only one of the above, then you have the opportunity here to bring your toolbox up to date by acquiring the only what you need at a discounted price. The Sketching Resource is the only one that's new that no one has before this month.
At the same time if you want the whole kit and caboodle, it's at an even greater discount than normal. Here's everything with the whole kit and caboodle at the bottom!
Enjoy!
Elements & Principles of Design with Color Primer - This is what art and design students learn in art school. The only difference between them and you is that they have the time to play around with them. But we can do the same, albeit a little less time.
Fitting with Proportion and Figure-Flattering Tools
(This one comes in two parts)
Sketching - From Idea to Garment
The Design Toolbox - All Three Resources above in one download at a terrific price.
Once this special is over, the Sketching will go into both the Proportion and Elements & Principles (it's already in the Toolbox), at regular pricing.
On the Blog
From the time I started my design company, I was sketching designs for clients. It was the only way that ...
|
It's fascinating to listen to this discussion of How Much Clothing Do I Really Need? for me because I don't ...
|
What has happened to fashion? There was a day when well-dressed and even not-so-wealthy women looked to the latest in ...
|
View past emails or in your browser click here.
To talk about a sewing problem, a style quandary or size situation one on one with Claire, click here.
We respect your email privacy.
|
|
|
|
