POSTURE DIFFERENCE. Information about balance, posture difference and proportions

t POSTURE DIFFERENCE Information about balance, posture difference and proportions used with the patterns for women designed by Leena Leehthamaki for PatternMaker

Content Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Chapter 2 Order of work 2 Chapter 3 Measuring instructions 3 Chapter 4 4 1 2 3 4 5 What is 'Posture... difference' 4 Patterns with separate... front and back measurement tables 5 Shoulder difference... adjustment 6 Cup size adjustment... 8 Sleeve adjustment... 10 Sleeve adjustment... with bigger bust dart 10 Sleeve adjustment... with separate Measure Tables 12 6 Chapter 5 Fitting the bodice... 14 Calculations 1 2 3 4 5 6 15 Determine your... Standard size 15 Determine shoulder... difference 15 Calculate posture... difference 16 Determining your... cupsize difference 17 Measurement table... Front 17 Measurement table... Back 18

Introduction 1 1 Introduction Working with patterns of the Designer leena is an enjoyable and addictive activity. It does not matter if you are tall, short, fat or thin, the patterns are drawn to your own personal measurements. For the Pattern Collections for women Leena has made a special measure tabel: Leena_default_women.mmt. The measuring instructions for this tabel and a form to fill in ( Leena_default_women.pdf) can be found when creating a measure tabel. However, fitting problems after careful measuring still occur sometimes. This is because not everyone is build to the same proportions. Most sizing systems make assumptions about the proportions of the body and this is t also the case with macros of Leena. So if you exceed the limits of these assumptions fitting problems can occur in both the bodice and trousers/pants. Unfortunately, we are no longer able of adapting the macros, because, sadly, Leena, who programmed these patterns, passed away. However, we have devised a way to solve these problems. You have to make some calculations, then there are a few extra steps to make fine adjustments to the patterns. Most fitting problems can be solved with this. To do the maths, we have made an Excel spreadsheet, Leena_Posture_difference_measureform. xls. Once you have entered the relevant measurements, the Excel spreadsheet calculates which measurement you should change or what changes you need to make for a good fit to the pattern. The changes in the measurement form are very easy to implement, the changes in the patterns are more complicated. But certainly, if you follow carefully the step by step instructions, you will get a good fit. You will find the Posture_difference_measureform in the menu Help\Manuals in the ordner Leena

2 2 Order of work Take accurate measurements Taking measurements is one of the most important things if you want to achieve success with this program. Do not measure yourself, it will give strange measurements. Watch the measuring instructions en pictures in the measure table in the software! With the button PDF in the measure table you can open and print the measuring instructions. Determine the shoulder difference For a better armscye shape, determine the shoulder difference. (use the Leena_Posture_difference_measureform.xls) Determine the posture difference Are you in balance? For a good pattern, start by calculating your posture difference. (use the Leena_Posture_difference_measureform.xls) Determine the Cupsize Difference Perhaps your backwidth is disproportionate to your overall bust measurement. This is caused by having a cup size which is either smaller or larger than average. (use the Leena_Posture_difference_measureform.xls) Modify the Pattern Change the measurement form and/or pattern with your measurements and any posture difference, cup difference and shoulder difference values as indicated by the Excel spreadsheet. Make a fitting bodice Block/sloper Create with the fitting bodice macro a block/sloper to see if you have taken and entered your measurements correctly. Check whether the changes have had the desired effect. With the fitting bodice block/sloper, you can also "fine tune" your adjustments and achieve a perfect fit. Progress to a Real pattern After making a good fitting bodice pattern it s time to start designing. Remember, if you have made any adjustments to the block/sloper pattern, then the same changes must be made to the other macros. Fabric Yardage Now you can work out your pattern layout and required yardage. Sewing... And then the best part: making the garment!

Measuring instructions 3 3 Measuring instructions Taking the measurements correctly is very important for a success. Never measure yourself; this will be no success! Ask for help from your sister or a girlfriend. The program uses a custom table with illustrations and descriptive text, showing where you should measure and especially how to make the measurements. Carefully read the descriptive text, and look closely at the picture. Take the measurements while wearing underwear; a good bra is important and wear the same one later again, when fitting the fitting bodice. Stand straight but relaxed, while you are being measured. Take 4 lengths of buttonhole elastic and put it around you: Breast Waist Abdomen Hip Use a fine chain necklace as a guide when measuring: Neck Size Shoulder Length Back length Caution! Make sure the elastics are level with the floor! Take the length measurements to/from the bottom of the elastic. All measurements are body measurements so do not add extra for ease; the program does it for you according to the chosen ease option Ensure the measurements are neither too tight nor too loose! Note a few key dimensions: Waist Height Back length Back width Shoulder Length Crotch Depth The program includes a measurement table - print it and fill it out as completely as possible. Tip! Also include your weight. If you lose a few pounds it can immediately reduce some measurements by a few centimeters! Enter a ll m ea surem ents in the Excel sprea dsheet a nd use the results a s described in the following cha pters.

4 4 4.1 What is '' Almost every pattern sizing system is based on proportional sizing; bust circumference, back length and waist height need to be in the correct proportions. This is also true for the patterns of Leena. If these sizes are not in balance, then there is a posture difference. What types of posture difference are there? Forward leaning posture (the back length is proportionately longer than the waist height) Backward leaning posture (the waist height is proportionately longer than the back length) Prominent bust (the waist height is proportionately longer than the back length) The first model has a perfect posture. The second model has a slightly slouched posture. The dotted 2nd model is badly slouched with a waistline going up and a forward tilted pelvis; the latter can also result in fitting problems for trousers. Also the shoulder tip is different for both compared to the perfect model. The third model has a backward leaning posture (very erect). The dotted 3 rd model has a prominent bust and a waistline going down; in addition her pelvis is tilted back.

5 4.2 Patterns with separate front and back measurement tables Calculate the Posture Difference with the Posture_difference_measureform. The Excel spreadsheet indicates your posture difference: If your posture difference is less than 3 cm, then you can split it between the values of waist height and back length to get the pattern back into balance. Fill in the dimensions of the first column of the spreadsheet and continue with any other adjustments. If your posture is more than 3 cm then you need to use a front measurement table and a back measurement table. On the Excel worksheet there are now 2 columns with headings Front and Back. So you need to make separate measuring tables for the Front and Back! In Pattern Maker go to custom settings table: Enter your Name + Front and enter the values from the Front column Save this measurement table as <name>front.mtb Repeat this for the back measurement table, but save it as <name>back.mtb You have two custom measurement tables called <name>front.mtb and <name>back.mtb 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Run the macro using layer 0 (black) and select your Front measurement table. Erase the Back pieces Select a different layer 1 (Green) Run the macro again on the new layer but this time use your Back measurement table. Erase the green front pieces + green sleeve Save the pattern Caution! The side seams have different lengths. Equalise the sideseams by only moving the armscye points (see Figure 1). Move the front points.. up / down (1/2 posture difference value). Move the back points down / up (1/2 posture difference value) Move the points 1, 2, 3, 4 up by half the posture difference. (Use Point / Move point) Type in the coordinates of the destination point: r0,... Similarly, move the points 5, 6, 7, 8 down by half the posture difference. (Use Point / Move point). Type in the coordinates of the destination point: r0,-... figure 1 The side seams are now equal. figure 2 Caution! This may have consequences for the sleeve!

6 4.3 Shoulder difference adjustment Use the Posture_difference_measureform to calculate the shoulder difference. Some women have small shoulders, while having a large bust size. This can result in a poor shape to the armscye. Therefore it is recommended that you always start by using a shoulder length which corresponds to your bust size. The excess length / shortfall is removed / added by manipulating the darts. This retains the armscye shape. You can correct the shoulder length by rotating about the back and front shoulder dart points to compensate for the shoulder difference. Step by step instructions are given below: 1. Select Point 1 LM, RM 2. Select bust point for the centre of rotation LM, 3. Select startpoint (1) LM, 4. Type in the shoulder difference... (think about whether you need to rotate clockwise or counter clockwise) 5. Enter 1. Select Points 2 and 3 LM, RM 2. Select Point 4 as the centre of rotation LM 3. Select startpoint (2) LM 4. Type in the shoulder difference... (think about whether you need to rotate clockwise or counter clockwise) 5. Enter

7 The shoulder length has been adjusted. Check the length with the DIM command! Here you can see what has been removed from the shoulder seam to get the measured value. If you choose a pattern with the dart in the side seam. Cut the pattern along the red line as shown. Rotate the cut piece to close the side dart and open up the shoulder dart, as shown in the figure

8 4.4 Cup size adjustment Calculate the Cup size difference with the Posture_difference_measureform When you have a cup size different from standard : 1. You can change the bust dart in the pattern by following the rule: every 4 cm cup size difference is a bout 1 cm extra da rt. (Example: The calculated Cup size difference is 8. This means 8:4 = 2 cm extra dart must be made into the pattern) or 2. You can make the fitting bodice and then determine the difference on the bodice itself. Check if the bodice is gaping at the armscye front. When it is gaping, fold from bust point to the armscye the fabric that is too much. Measure the folded fabric and note the amount of cm (Example: the folded fabric is 1.5 cm wide, this means that the dart must be made bigger with a rotation of 1.5 cm). Follow the steps below for the Adjustment: Draw a cut line from bust point to armscye point (Use the line icon or the menu Draw/Line) Cut the side part with the cut line. (Use the Cut icon of the menu Edit/Cut) When you follow method nr. 1 above: Select the rotate icon or Edit/Rotate and select the cut top part LM, RM Select bust point (BP)as rotation point Select the top point as Start point Type in the distance of rotation... Enter When the value is positive, the rotation is counterclockwise. When the value is negative, the rotation is clockwise. ( Exa m ple: clockw ise rota tion is va lue neg a tive= -2 cm)

9 When you follow method nr. 2 above: Select the rotate icon or Edit/Rotate and select the cut top part LM, RM Select bust point (BP)as rotation point LM Select the armscye point as Start point LM Type in the distance of rotation... Enter When the value is positive, the rotation is counterclockwise. When the value is negative, the rotation is clockwise. ( Exa m ple: clockw ise rota tion is va lue neg a tive= -1.5 cm) The top part is rotated (1) Measure with the DIM icon the distance of the rotation in the armscye (2), necessary for sleeve adjustment. 2. Measure distance 1. Top part is rotated Join the two parts together again (3) (with the Join icon or Edit/Join) The armscye is strange (4). Point 3 has to be deleted to make it fluently (5). Align the curve points 1 and 4 to point 2 with Point/Align X (6) 3. Side parts are joined

10 6. Curve points 1 and 4 aligned at point 2 5. Point 3 deleted 4. Armscye is strange This m a y ha ve consequences for the sleeve!! See next cha pter! 4.5 Sleeve adjustment 4.5.1 Sleeve adjustment with bigger bust dart When you cut the armscye of the front part to get a bigger bust dart, it will influence the sleeve. The armscye at the front will be smaller, this means also some space has to be taken away from the sleeve cap front. After rotating de dart you have measured the distance with the <DIM> command, that has been taken away from the armscye. Measure the distance with the <DIM> command that has been rotated in the armscye before the parts are joined. Draw a cut line from the sleeve point(s1) to the seam line of the sleeve (use Line icon or Draw/ Line). Cut the sleeve with the red cut line(use the Cut icon or Edit/Cut).

Rotate with the rotate icon or Edit/rotate the left sleeve part inside. The rotation point is point RP. The start point is point S1 from the left part. The distance is the measured distanced from before.the rotation should be inside, which means here clockwise (= minus: -1.5) Join the two parts together with the Join icon or Edit/Join. The overlapping lines will disappear. Delete point S2 to make the sleeve cap fluently! (Point/Delete point) The sleeve cap front has become a little smaller therefore it fits the adjusted armscye again! Measure the sleeve cap and the sleeve width and compare it to the arm hole and arm width before you cut it out of fabric! 11

12 4.5.2 Sleeve adjustment with separate Measure Tables When you have to use use a separate Measure Table Front and Back because of a big Posture difference and you had to adjust the side seam, then the method of sleeve adjustment explained in the chapter before can also be used here. The sleeve cap will better fit into the armscye. The front sleeve part has to be rotated half a posture difference inside. The back sleeve part has to be rotated half a posture difference outside. Or vice versa when your armscye points are adjusted the other way around. Draw a cut line from the sleeve point front (S1) to outside the seam line of the sleeve (use Line icon or Draw/Line). Draw a cut line from the sleeve point back (S3) to outside the seam line of the sleeve (use Line icon or Draw/Line). Cut the sleeve two times with the red cut lines(use the Cut icon or Edit/Cut). After the cutting delete the red cut lines with the Erase icon or Edit/Erase. Rotate with the rotate icon or Edit/Rotate the left sleeve part. The rotation point is point R1. The start point is point S1 from the left part. The distance is half a posture difference. Whether the rotation is inside or outside depends on the value of the posture difference. Clockwise is negative, counterclockwise is positive. The endpoint is S2 Rotate with the rotate icon or Edit/rotate the right sleeve part. The rotation point is point R2. The start point is point S3 from the right part. The distance is half a posture difference. Whether the rotation is inside or outside depends on the value of the posture difference. Clockwise is negative, counterclockwise is positive. The endpoint is S4

13 Join the two left parts together with the Join icon or edit/join. The overlapping lines will disappear. Draw a line from S3 to S4 using Snap Endpoint with the Line icon or Draw/Line. Join the sleeve part of S3 to the line with the Join icon or edit/ Join Join the right sleeve part to the rest of the sleeve. The overlapping lines disappear. Delete point S2 to make the front sleeve cap fluently with Point/Delete point. Delete point S4 to make the back sleeve cap fluently with Point/ Delete point. The sleeve cap front and back have changed(here the front is smaller and the back is wider) and therefore will fit the adjusted armscye again! Measure the sleeve cap and the sleeve width and compare it to the arm hole and arm width before you cut it out of fabric!

14 4.6 Fitting the bodice Once you have made all the adjustments to the pattern you can print it out and sew it together. Use a smooth cotton fabric. It can be an old piece of cloth, which is not good enough anymore to use in a real garment. Do not use stretch fabric!! Clip the seam allowance at the bust points and waistline. Sew the fitting bodice together, but don t sew in the sleeves just yet! Highlight the bust points and waist line using a marker pen and sew an (old) zip in the center back seam. Iron the seams open and try it on. Check the following points: 1. Does it fit closely? (not too loose and not too tight) No? Re-measure and enter the revised values into the measurement table (fill in for instance 2 cm wider or tightr). Don t forget to check any resulting changes in the posture difference! 2. Are the bust points at the correct position? No? Measure the height bust again! 3. Is the waist line in place? No? Measure the waist height and back length again (think about the balance!) 4. Is the back width correct? No? Measure the back width again! 5. Is the width across the front correct? No? Change the back width, the armscye will shift further forward or backwards. 6. Is the shoulder width correct? No? Change the shoulder width (see the chapter on shoulder difference) 7. Is the shoulder seam at the right place? No? Measure the back length and waist height again and recheck the posture difference value. 8. Does the hemline of the bodice hang horizontally? No? Recheck the posture difference value. Once the main body of the block/sloper is correct, you can start on the sleeves! It is possible that your shoulder tip is tilted forwards or backwards. If so, then the sleeve might not hang correctly. If this is the case, then do the following steps: Sew sleeve seams closed and press the seams open. Now put the sleeve on your arm and bend it. Match the center of the sleeve cap with the shoulder seam and see how it hangs. Try pulling the sleeve a little to the front or to the back (1-1.5 cm) and see if it is better. Once you are happy with the way it hangs, mark the new shoulder seam point with a notch on the bodice. You have to move the shoulder seam to this point;, this means raising the back shoulder and lowering the front shoulder or v.v. You have to make this change on your patterns.

Calculations 5 15 Calculations For those of you who would like further information on the calculations, here is a list of all calculations. You will need: Measure form Leena V7.5 Standard size table You will find these both in the pdf file Leena_default_women in the menu Help\Manuals\Leena 5.1 Determine your Standard size To be able to carry out any calculations, you should first determine your Standard size. 1. Measure your bust circumference 2. Find your bust circumference in the table of standard sizes. 3. Follow up this column and see the corresponding Standard size. This is what all your calculations are based on. Example: Measured bust circumference : 106 Standard size : 46 Enter your own size: Measured bust circumference :... Standard size :... 5.2 Determine shoulder difference For a well shaped armscye, the shoulder length should always equal the value in the Standard size Table Example:: Your standard size is: 46 For this size (column) the shoulder length is: 13.9 cm Measured shoulder width Standard Shoulder Width Shoulder Difference : 13.0 cm : 13.9 cm : 0.9 cm Your own values: Your standard size is:... cm For this size (column) the shoulder length is:... cm Your standard size Standard Shoulder Width Shoulder Difference :... cm :... cm :... cm

16 5.3 Calculate posture difference Based on your measurements in the measurement table and using the Excel spreadsheet you can calculate whether there is a posture difference. However in this short section we explain how we have calculated these values. For this, you need your own measurements, the table of standard sizes and the measurement form. 1. Take your measurements and enter the values in the Measured column. 2. From the Standard sizes table, find the standard size which is nearest to your bust size. 3. Use the corresponding Standard values for the waist height and back length. 4. Calculate the difference between your own measurements and the standard values. 5. If this difference is less than 2-3 cm then you can modify your custom measurement table as follows: Example 1: Forward Leaning Posture Measured Standard size Bust Width 102 104 Waist Height Back length Difference 56 43.5 12.5 55 41.7 13.3 Example 2: Backward Leaning Posture Measured Standard size Bust Width 93 92 Waist Height Back length Difference 53 40 13 52.6 41.1 11.5 Difference Correction Result +1 + 1.8-0.8 : 2= 0.4 + 0.4-0.4 0.8 The difference must increase 56.4 43.1 13.3 Difference Correction Result + 0.4-1.1 1.5 :2=0.75-0.75 + 0.75-1.5 The difference must decrease 52.25 40.75 11.5 Make a table as in the examples above. Use the green numbers from the calculations in your custom measurement table. With these values, your pattern will be balanced. The red shoulder length in the Result column must be equal to the value in the Standard Value column. If your posture difference is more than 3 cm, then you can't use this method. In this case, you need to use two custom measurement tables, one for the front and one for the back. See the section on Patterns with separate front and back measurement tables.

Calculations 17 5.4 Determining your cupsize difference It may be that your back width is not in proportion to your overall bust circumference. Suppose your bust size corresponds to a size 42 and your back width also corresponds to a size 42. Then there is no Cup size difference. But if the bust size corresponds to a size 42 and the back width corresponds to a size 36, then there is cup size difference. Clearly, the discrepancy arises because of the size of the front; this usually means that the cup size is larger than that which corresponds to the Standard size. We can pre-compute it or find it when fitting the fitting bodice. Example: Suppose your back width measurement corresponds to a standard dress size 46. The bust size for a standard size 46 is 104 cm. Find the difference between the actual measured bust size and this standard value (given in the Excel spreadsheet) 106-104 = 2 If the difference is < 4 cm, then there is almost no cup size difference (size difference is 1) If the difference is > 4 cm, then follow the steps in the section on Cup size Difference Standard size Bust circumference of size Back width Size for Backwidth Bust circumference of backwidth size to that size) :... :... cm :... cm :... :...cm (search the bust circumference wich belongs Standard size bust circumference Standard size backwidth Difference :... cm :... cm :... cm If the difference is less than 4, then you do not need to do anything. If the difference is greater than 4, follow the steps in the section on Cupsize Difference. 5.5 Measurement table Front Example: Your standard size = 46 Your measured waist height = 56 Standard waist height = 55 Actual waist height is greater than the standard waist height = + 1 cm Increase the Standard back length by 1 cm: = 41.7 + 1 = 42.7 cm Use the red numbers in your Measurement table Front Your own sizes: Your standard size =... Your measured waist height =... cm Standard waist height =... Actual waist height is greater / less than the standard waist height =... Increase/Decrease the Standard back length by...cm : =??...+/-??...=??... cm Use the red numbers in your Measurement table Front

18 5.6 Measurement table Back Example: Your standard size = 46 Your measured back length = 46 Standard Back length = 43 Actual back length is greater than the standard back length = +: 3 cm Increase the standard waist height by 3 cm: = 55 + 3 = 58 cm Use the red numbers in your Measurement table Back Your own sizes: Your standard size =... Your measured back length =... cm Standard Back length =... cm Actual back length is greater than the standard back length by... Increase/Decrease the standard waist height by... cm =??...+/-??...=??... cm Use the red numbers in your Measurement table Back

Published by: Apparel Systems - Almere Pattern Made 4 You - Woerden Many thanks to Thea Botter. 03/2013