Make it work!

You may find from time to time that after you've drawn your Lutterloh pattern, plotting all your dots and connecting them ever so carefully, that the pieces just don't seem to fit together. Just like with any other pattern there is always a chance of human error. This may be attributed to the pattern company or, in the case of Lutterlohs, it could be due to operator error on our part. Of course its always best to double check your dot placement but sometimes this just isn't the problem. In either case there's no reason to scrap the whole project if its just a small discrepancy. Below is a photo of my latest pattern, a skirt to go with that flowery summer top I made.

After drawing the pattern I noticed that the pocket facing was just not going to fit the curve of the pocket opening on the skirt front piece. If I tried to line up the curves on each pattern piece there was a strange point at the top corner that would overlap in a tent shape and the side seam lines were thrown way off. I had matched the side seam curves carefully to the back piece so I knew this was not causing the problem. I decided the top curve was the most likely offender so I needed to redraw that area. Below is a photo of my pattern pieces with the changes in red pencil.

I lay the skirt front pattern over the pocket pattern to line up the side seam lines and the top curve the best I could. This way I could redraw the pocket curve to match the pocket facing. I then lay the pocket pattern on top of the skirt front to adjust the top curve on the pocket facing. Sure enough they lined up much better now. Since I was changing the lines anyway I decided to extend the outside edge of the pocket, closest to the front facing, so, once the pockets were finished, I could tack them to the front facing for security. I hate my pockets bunching up while I'm moving around.


When I initially named this post "Make it work" it was because of a different issue I had with this pattern before I even started plotting the dots. I wanted to use up some khaki twill that I had left from a pants project. I had more than two yards of fabric left but it was only about 20 inches wide. I chose to use this pattern because of it's rather narrow silhouette. You'll see in the first photo above that the pattern indicates that the back should be cut as one piece on the fold. I figured, why not add a seam allowance and just create a center back seam?

Keep in mind that center back seams in both tops and skirts can work toward your advantage. I have a slight sway back so the center back seam allows me to take in a little more toward the top of the skirt to bring the fit a little closer. A center back seam in tops allows for more adjustments for rounded shoulders and wider or narrower backs too. Patterns with more seams usually indicate a more fitted garment in general. You can think of all those seams as more fitting opportunities.

So here is a photo of my finished skirt:

As you can see, the center back seam doesn't look out of place at all. You and I are the only ones that know I changed it. Hey, I even managed to use up the last scraps from a nightgown I made to make the waistband and pocket facings! So you see, just because the pattern directs you toward one technique doesn't mean you have to follow it to the letter. This is our creative outlet so let's just make it work!

I had to prove this to myself can the scan size make a difference?

Every body worries that when they scan they will get the wrong size for their pattern


I had to test this and be sure this was really the case. Now I know.


I took an apron pattern and did a pattern at 100% scan. I held the two patterns together against my computer screen's light and they were exactly the same size. Then in another color I made another pattern using 115% and another using 150%. At first I thought the patterns were just cocked on the paper differently, but then I cut out the 100 % pattern and laid it over the other scanned sizes. It was different. Very little at the 115% but plenty at the 150%. As much at 1/3 of an inch all over. So does this matter to you? The darts moved, the neck was slightly off. Maybe it won't be a problem you can't fix.

All the lengths seemed to be fine. You decide.


I do not put pin holes in my patterns, I must scan and use them.

Ann tapes her pattern to the drawing for future reference.

Two great reasons to master scanning your patterns before using them

100% is in pencil
115% is in red lines
150% is in blue lines


All patterns were done in the middle of the cross using the same hole in the pattern paper below

Click to enlarge.

It is very hard to see white pattern paper.
At the very end I re-drew the 100% pattern and laid it over the other two. That is where I found there was as much as 1/3 of an inch off but with layers of white paper the photos didn't show you. Just trust me it was off in the neck, the dart, and the bottom width.
Sorry!

My scanners software allows me to choose the size by percentage and by inches. I find the inches allows me to match things best. I scan the pattern making sure I cut the printing to just around the dark lines around the pattern. I know that many of you struggle with this so check under your setting and find options and see what is possible for you.

The hidden mysteries of the past

A blast from the past

I have been collecting vintage patterns since before they were vintage. The Lutterloh patterns are my favorite to collect. My pattern book from 1954 was well used and taped inside the cover was the notes above. Is this a mysterious helpful note from the past? Who knows. click to enlarge and read it for yourself and see what you think.

Most women were sewing for themselves in the 1950's.

The pages below are a step back in History. There is a line that says "now that we can get fabric again" and this is a clue to when this book came out. Must be post world War II. You will have such fun peeking into the lives of these women of long ago. There is such insight you'll find in this vintage Lutterloh instructions. Enjoy

Click to enlarge and read

This page has great insights into the golden rule

Step By Step – Sewing together a simple top pattern

It’s been blazing hot here in Northern California this last week so I’ve been spending some time inside in the AC sewing up a nice, simple cotton top. Here’s a photo of the model and the four simple pattern pieces needed to sew it up.

Because this top has an empire waist and I have a fuller bust than a B cup I need to add some length to the top bodice in front to make sure the seam hits under my bust not across it. Anyone who has a larger than average bust knows the frustration of trying on a really great top in the store only to find the empire seam looks like it’s trying to cut your bust in half. This is one of the many reasons I sew.

Below is a photo of my altered front bodice pattern:

You can see where the original pattern piece was drawn and the extra I needed to tape on to extend it long enough to cover my bust. I added about 1/2” at center front rounding out to 3/4” at the fullest area, under the gathering, and then tapered back up to meet the original drawn pattern line at the side seam. This redrawing of the under bust seam was necessary because, as you can see from the pattern in the first photo, the cross, where you would make your lengthen line for the pattern piece, is below the bust area. There is no opportunity to use the lengthen line to extend this piece.

Because of the simple shape of this top I won’t make any more alterations to the pattern. There shouldn’t really be any issues for my square shoulders or slight sway back.

Now with the pattern altered I can cut out all my pattern pieces in fabric.

I have a bodice front and back plus their facings and a lower front and back. All of them include 1/2” seam allowances and a 1” bottom hem for the lower pieces. I decided to extend the front facing all the way to the bottom of the bodice front. It will be anchored more securely this way in the empire seam. If you are going to use interfacing now is the time to cut it and attach it to the facings.

My next step will be to stay stitch any edges that are cut on the bias to avoid stretching while I handle them. This would include the neck edges of the front, back and facings, the curved armhole edges and the top and side edges of both of the lower pieces. The bottom edges of the lower pieces are actually bias too but I want the bias to stretch naturally there before I hem the garment.

You may wonder why the tops of my lower pieces are cut on the bias. If you look closely at the first photo you’ll see, near the lower portion of both front and back lower pieces, there is a grain line drawn at a 45° angle to the fold line at center front and back. These are only small pieces so I folded my fabric carefully at a 45° angle and cut the pieces on this fold. This puts the center front and back on the true bias of my fabric and thus the top edges of my fabric are as well.

OK, with all the edges stabilized I can start sewing. Did you see the wavy line at the bottom of the front bodice pattern? This tells me I need to make gathering stitches just under the bust area.

The real construction begins now. I start with the shoulder seams of both the bodice pieces and facings. I recommend you press your seams as you go to make any matching of seams easier later. Next I serge the outside edges of the armholes and the facings. This step is not completely necessary but I like to control the raveling. Next I sew the center front of the bodice and it’s facing.

Sewing in the neckline facing is my next step. Before I turn it to the inside I like to do a little trimming to insure it lays nice and flat. I trim the seams to about 1/4”, clip the curves around the shoulder and back neck area and clip to the stitching at the “V” in front. Now I can press the facing toward the seam allowance to make it easier to under stitch. Here’s a close-up, at the shoulder seam, with all these steps done, right before I turn the facing to the inside:

With the facing turned inside I give the whole neckline a good pressing and then secure the facings at the shoulder and center front seams. My bodice now looks like this:

The facing lies nice and flat and there’s no worry of it flipping outward when I wear my top. The threads you see dangling down are the gathering stitches. If my pattern had sleeves this is when I would attach them. I find it easier to sew them in when the garment is still flat, before the side seams are sewn.

My lower halves have been hanging on a padded hanger while I sew the top bodice. I want the bias to relax as much as possible before I attach them to the bodice. Now I can sew them to the front and back bodice. I will first baste them, sewing from the center to the side seams since I am sewing a bias piece to a straight grain piece. This will just make it easier to control the bias when I serge them together. With the seams now serged I can press the empire waist and move on to the side seams.

Since I’m dealing with bias pieces on the lower half, I make sure to sew both sides from the sleeve to the bottom hem. All the seams are sewn now so I will press those last two side seams and give the whole garment a good pressing. If you had a sleeveless garment this is when you would attach armhole facings or bind the armholes.

Here it is on a hanger with no hems yet:

I’ll let it hang in the closet for at least 24 hours before I sew those bias hems.

Here it is all done:

I felt, when I tried it on, that the shape was much boxier than I had expected so I sewed down the seam allowance of the back empire seam, from side seam to side seam, to form a casing. Then I ran a small cord elastic through the casing to cinch the back a little tighter. I’m much happier with this fit.

So let’s sum up the steps.

1. Cut pattern pieces, facings and interfacing. Don't forget seam allowances and hems.

2. Stay stitch any bias edges.

3. Sew any darts or gatherings

4. Sew shoulder seams and facing seams; serge or zig zag outside edges of facing to prevent raveling.

5. Don't forget to press seams as you go along.

6. Attach neck facing.

7. Trim seams, clip curves and under stitch before turning facings to inside.

8. Press facing to inside and secure at shoulder seams.

9. If the garment has sleeves, attach them now.

10. If this is an empire waist top then attach the lower front and back pieces. Press seams.

11. Sew side seams. Press.

12. Attach armhole facings or bind armholes if this is a sleeveless top.

13. Turn up hems on sleeves and bottom. Hem to desired length.

Note: Don't forget bias cut outfits must rest for a day or two before hemming.

Mastering the Lutterloh symbols

Without sewing instructions you may feel lost. If you learn as much as you can about the Lutterloh symbols you will find sewing your projects together much easier. Today we will look for pleats and gathers. You can open your pattern books and find some of these same examples. It helps to get to know all the different ways a symbol is used. I've stayed with the 1970's and 1980's as before that point there were some very different ways to sew.

1) I study the Pattern picture I will be using. If you look above you will see some places that gathering and pleats might be used. Then I look at the pattern to see what Lutterloh intended for the things I saw on the picture fashions.

There are some directional pleats on the shoulder. See the lines they point toward the arm hole. That's easy. In the fashion picture it looks as if some trim was used or that the area was roached.

You will also see the snake like line of the gather in two places on the front of the top. This can also mean you are easing two fabrics together to fit or it can mean you gather and sew to another part of the pattern.

In this summery outfit we see may not see any gathers or pleats, but look closely at the sleeve

This is two pattern pieces. Cut them apart, add seam allowance, sew them together before folding in the pleat.

In checking the pattern above you will see a pleat on the sleeve. Those lines we have thought of as facing can also ask us to fold, a sort of self facing. The lines show us to fold toward the center line. My concern is how much am I folding in this pleat? Usually there is a cm marking but not on this sleeve. We do know the cuff is 37 cm long and so the sleeve needs to match that on the bottom edge.

I will still need to do some testing to be sure the pleat takes enough out of the sleeve that it will fit into the armscye correctly. I will walk the paper sleeve I made into the bodice pieces.

In this tiny test the sleeve walked around the armscye perfectly!

In the fashion drawing of the sleeve we see that a seam and an arrow has been sewn down the center for a few inches to hold the pleat. Your pattern doesn't tell you any of this so you are going to work from the picture. I find I work from the fashion picture a lot of the time. It was what caught my eye in the first place. If I want my outfit to look like the picture I need to match the fashion bit's and pieces.

What happens if you don't fold that pleat in? Your sleeve will be much too big for your armscye

These cute mom & daughter outfits have some fullness that takes special care. There is the childs skirt to gather. There is also some ruffles which always require some gathering.

See if you can find the elastic in this pattern also, it gathers in the sleeve.

We have a lot we can look at in this pattern. Notice the child's skirt. You will make two pieces out of the one cross, A and Ac/Bc. There is a dashed line on ac/bc which means it goes on a fold. How do you know to make two pattern pieces. See the two arrows pointing down the dress? One arrow for each pattern piece. Even though you may draft it at the same time you cut it add seams and hems and sew it back together. Next you will see the top is gathered for sewing to the bodice on the childs dress.
Now look at the sleeve, gathered at the top and elastic near the bottom it tell us 4 cm from the bottom I put .5 cm elastic. It doesn't tell you how to put that elastic in but you do have choices. Bias tape channel, zip zag a channel if you don't mind the thread showing or make the bottom longer and fold it up to make a channel and a hem. That's all up to you. There is no right or wrong way. There is only working to get the outfit you'd love to wear!
You will also see a couple of ruffles to gather and the mom's skirt is also cut into several pieces even though you draft it as one, and it is put on the fold.

These are great patterns for study.

Find some others and do ask questions when you see a symbol use that is not familiar.

Next time we will cover another symbol you might not have seen often.

For the most recent Lutterloh symbols chart see this post here.

How do you know which supplements are included in your book?

Some of you may have seen that you can order past supplements from the various Lutterloh websites. You may wonder though, which patterns do I already have in my current book? Well, if you have a book that was published anytime after 1974, there is a way to figure this out.

1974, by the way, is the year that Lutterloh switched to the format that they sell currently. The yellow shipping box, and the seven supplement, 280 patterns format were both implemented in this year. Before 1974 it can be very difficult to decipher exactly when your patterns were released unless they actually have a date printed on them.

The supplement numbers that are included in your book can be found on the fashion photo pages of patterns 1, 41, 81, 121, 161, 201, and 241. They are listed after the Reg. No. on the bottom or left side of the page. In the current books they will look like this on the left side of the photo below:

The first zero appears to be a space marker, the next three digits are your supplement number and the last two digits indicate the number of the month the supplement was published, 02=February, 05=May, 08=August and 11=November. So from the above example we know we are looking at supplement number 261 released in the fifth month or May of 2006. The year is listed in Roman numerals.

Lutterloh currently uses a six digit number to indicate the supplement number but this was not always the case. Below are fashion photos from books from the 1970s and 1980s.

The supplement number was first listed as a three digit number with a letter to indicate the month. F=February, M=May, A=August and N=November. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that Lutterloh started to print the copyright year on each and every pattern page.

Later, in the late 1980s, they changed the supplement number to start with a zero and used a number to indicate the month. 2=Feb., 5=May, 8=Aug., and an 11 for November. The two digits in eleven must have been confusing to some because they soon changed again to the six digit number we see used today.

Unfortunately I have recently found a discrepancy that contradicts this clever numbering system. I noticed my book from 2008 has a few numbered pages that are repeated. It appears as though, for some of the patterns, they actually combined pages from two different supplements. I will have two pages that start with, for instance, number 121 and the following few pages include some patterns from 2008 and some from 2005 until they get to the page of the next Reg. No. I hope this isn’t going to be a regular new format. It will just be too confusing to find which patterns you’re missing.

Now, barring any new changes to the manual format, you too can decipher the make up of your Lutterloh pattern book. There’s no reason to wonder, which supplements do I need to complete my collection?

fabric requirements

Did you know that the Lutterloh patterns have a fabric requirement listing on each pattern?

It has been calculated on a 92 cm bust

(that's just a little less than 36 and a 1/4 inches).

If you are that size then you are very lucky.....Here's why

Look at fashion #67 I need a piece of fabric 135 x 140 cm to cut out a 92 cm bust size pattern.

See that fun summer dress #68 155 x 140 cm makes the whole of it. Pretty nice but if you aren't bust size 92 cm you can just lay all those pattern pieces out.

Remember to add some length if you are taller or want deeper hems. If your pattern pieces don't have seam allowances on them yet lay them out as if they do.

Use a space 1/2 the width your fabric would most likely be. I just lay two tape measures on the floor, one in each direction. Lay out your pattern pieces on grain (it's imaginary) and measure for the length or number of yards of fabric you will have to buy.

It's not hard to lay the pattern pieces out and see just remember you will need the fabric doubled that is why I had you lay the patterns out only 1/2 the fabric width. If the fabric will be 50 wide you will lay your pattern pieces out for 25 inches wide. if you don't do this you will not buy enough fabric. Every pattern piece usually has a front and a back, hence doubled fabric.

There are two numbers on this pattern.

The MM number is for the contrasting edges on the outfits.

The MM number is length you will find the width written on the pattern for the dresses above it lists 3 cm so I need 230 cm x 3 cm.

So you have questions

I've have had some really good questions asked and now for the answers.

Question: What does Lutterloh think of our blog? Well yes they know about us and have been talking with us. We are working to comply with their copyrights but you can all help us by not coping the patterns we post. They are for education. The patterns are wonderful for us as an example of what you might see in your own sewing.

Question: Will we really get a supplement of vintage? I sure do hope so. The offer to plan one came to us from Lutterloh. There is an idea of a kit with a tape for the vintage and a supplement of vintage. It's only an idea. Lutterloh suggested we plan it. Time will tell. Another caution for those who haven't sewn from vintage.....They are designed for bodies of long ago. Lutterloh will NOT update them they will stay vintage. You will have to adjust them for today. Ann will have some helps on this as she has updated a few of these vintage patterns

Question: Can we share our mistakes so others can learn from them? Oh course we can. I'm sure the two of us have made plenty of supplies toward the mistake pile. One in point. There was a pattern where every dot was done on the wrong line. I didn't get the half lines yet. Now I get the half lines as oppose to the number line. Little things!

So as our blog gets going again consider us a resource. We will post links to others and maybe as you search you will find all that you need to enjoy your sewing.

Voting on fashions for a vintage supplement

Maybe you saw the voting off to the side of the blog.

It's exciting! We can decide what will go into a vintage supplement.

Once I get enough votes I will start with each group and put up pictures of the fashions and let you choose exactly what will be in our vintage supplement.

The Lutterloh family is busy, it's a world wide business and they are letting us decide our vintage choices. This is a great opportunity for us so get on and vote.

The groupings with the most votes get my attention first.

Did I leave out a category you'd like. Please send us a comment and we'll add another category.

NOW GO AND VOTE!

Common marking mistakes & how I fix them/shoulder adjustment for large bust

Here is a photo of a Lutterloh pattern I drew up last week. I thought I would explain where I went wrong and how I was able to salvage it.

I started marking my dots without checking to be sure the furthest dot would fit on the paper. You might think, so add some paper to the top. Well this was my last three feet of paper so I moved the pattern down and started over.

You’ll see some of my dots have a penciled X through them. These are the dots that I want to ignore. The three dots in a row are where I started marking the dots. The one slightly to the left is where I marked a dot on the 1/2cm mark when it should have been an even number. As you can see drawing the X through, with a different drawing instrument, alerts me to a mistake. We all make them so just fix it the best you can and move on.

Another common mistake is when you mark some dots on the wrong side of the tape. An X marked through your mistaken dot fixes this one too. Once you’ve drawn a few patterns using colored markers you’ll end up with tiny marks on your tape all on the same side so this is easier to avoid. Just look up and down the length of your tape before you mark to avoid this one.

One more marking mistake I have made stems from an alteration I commonly use. Most commercial patterns, including Lutterloh, are designed for the average B cup bust. Since I have a larger than B cup bust I like to use my high bust measurement for all the dots from the center of the armhole and above. This narrows the shoulders for a better fit for me. Then I use my full bust measurement for all the dots below this. When enlarging the pattern I use two different colored markers to make the dots for high bust and full bust measurements. If I had a different hip and full bust measurement I would use three different colors to mark the whole pattern.

For some folks this bust adjustment may not be enough. For anything more than a D cup you may also need to add length to the front pattern piece or do an additional traditional FBA. You can find an excellent explanation of this FBA at this link. http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/09/a-full-bust-adjustment/

Below is a close-up of a technique I’ve started using to avoid marking the dots with the pin in the wrong number on the tape.

Before I tape the miniature pattern to the paper I mark all the dots that are at the center of the armhole and above with the color I’m going to use on the pattern, in this case with pink. I do this on the front and back bodice and the sleeve pieces. This way I can decide which dots on the front, back and sleeve pieces will be affected by my high bust measurement. As you know some patterns have more dots that form the armscye and sleeve cap. You have to decide, before you start marking, which ones will give you the room you need for your bust and still avoid gaping at the shoulders. All the dots below the waist are marked with the color for the hip measurement but I don’t mark these on the miniature pattern since there’s already a waist line there to remind me. Just remember when you move the pin in your miniature pattern that you need to switch pen colors.

So there you have it. With a little practice and some careful forethought you’ll be breezing through your pattern drawing too, even if you make a few mistakes along the way.

Adding your own cuffs and following Lutterloh cuff directions

This is a very good question. Hems of a garment with a slant have to be treated so they fold up to the slant. What I do is tape a piece of paper wider by 5 inches than the pant at least 6 or 7 inches long onto the bottom area needing the hem.

Then all you do is fold that paper up just as if you were hemming the shorts for a cuff. Cut along the side seam following the shorts line. That will give you a perfect hem on a slanted seam. This will look very odd when you cut out your fabric but it turns out really. It helps to put in your seam allowance first. How long does it need to be?

If I'm not making a cuff I like a hem on shorts that will give some support to the area and keep them smooth on my leg. A 2 to 2 1/2 inch length on a short is perfect for me. So then you need a 1/2" fold over so I would Add a Three inch length to this short.

For a cuff you must take into account the extra needed to fold forward on the outside. I hope the page I put above will help you. It's from my favorite sewing book. Nice clear drawings and plenty of choices on how to do a project.

It is The Readers Digest Complete Guide to Sewing

Yes we welcome questions and Ann will always look them over and add anything I've missed and visa Versa.

If you send your e-mail in a comment we can send you a lot more to work with. We will not post any comments with e-mails as we pre-screen the comments

P.S I don't have the pattern you have referred to but does it have some cm markings on the side of the cuff on the pattern? It should so you know how deep it should be. If not make it about 2.5 to 3 inches

Ya know Sally, the more I look at that pattern the more I think Fonnell is closer to your answer. Below is a photo of a pattern with a similar cuff treatment to yours:

Your pattern has three rows of hatch lines all indicating a facing is called for. The odd zig zagging at the bottom of your pattern is because they have already added the extra length for turning that Fonnell described above. You add the desired hem allowance that Fonnell mentioned and the folds form the facing. These Lutterloh patterns sure do make you think, huh?

F. The dotted lines are fold lines, there are three. Could the angle of the hatching be to help you fold it inward, rather than outward. As I look I can see the cuff apear. I've checked all the guides and seperate made facings are marked with hatch marks and ST. On the knit garments the hatches show a folding in for self fabric facing and there are no St (facing) markings

All those many letters and symbols what do they mean

Click to enlarge and do print one for your use
For the most recent Lutterloh symbols chart see this post here.

I know you wonder about this system.

Well wonder no more.

This is a place to really get the answers when everyone else is too busy!

We'll post hints, answer questions, have contests

& other fun things to make your sewing enjoyable

Do invite others to look in and join us.

So let's start sewing and stop the worry over this pattern system!
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So first off let me say we are not part of the Lutterloh company, family etc.
They are still in business and I will link you to the many things they offer, including their full pattern kits. They are a family run business and they stay very busy.

I am someone who loves to sew and is round & hard to fit patterns on.
I found Lutterloh many years ago and learned a great deal about sewing for myself from using these patterns. I'd like to be able to encourage and help those trying to get to know the system.
All that I offer here is my own judgement and experience.

I spent 20 years sewing wedding gowns an prom dresses and before that

had my own business making dolls and bears. I delight in making beautiful fitting clothes.

I found someone who loves Lutterloh patterns as much as I do. Together we tackle the unknowns. I'm happy to have her to add to this blog. Meet her below.......

************************

Hi, some of you may already know me as Ann in Calif. or maybe even tucci4me. I stumbled on the Lutterloh system a few years ago while I was researching pattern making software. Somehow the thought of taking dozens of measurements for software didn't sound nearly as appealing as only working from two for the Lutterloh patterns. I picked up an older copy of the system at a garage sale and have been hooked ever since. Although I still need to make some minor adjustments to my Lutterloh patterns for height and bust I just think it's so much easier to start with a pattern that's closest to my size to begin with. I hope we can all learn from what we present here. We welcome your questions and suggestions too. Please join us in our Lutterloh adventure!

Making a pattern

I am making the PJ's on the right. I'm going for the pants and top
Taken from a 1989 pattern book

You can click on all the photo's to enlarge
I have listed over to the right some great places to view video showing you just how to make a Lutterloh pattern but here is a photo run through my P.j pattern.
(Finished P.j photos pending. :-)

First I take a peek at the picture of the outfit. What does it tell me? I see a ruffled collar, button's down the front. Looks like the front shoulder is dropped and the dart has been moved to the shoulder for some slight gathering. That's nice. Looks like a pattern for neck facing in the back You can't see that in the picture. I will also need to look at the pattern to really see what is going on with the pants. It's good to be able to check back to the pattern picture so I can think through how this will sew together. I scan both pattern and picture from my Lutterloh book and print so I can write on it and use it fully.

Now I look at the pattern. The pants look loose and they have an elastic waist that will sew up quickly! The top is marked for a facing, see the hatch marks? The PJ top back has a neck dart, that will keep it fitted nicely. The sleeve is straight cut so it will be comfortable. These are real laze around clothes I see. There are but very few pieces so I will have these made in no time. I should remember to trace over the facing while the patterns are still taped to my table.......

Here we go...........

I bought a wide fold up table perfect for any pattern and puts away easily. This is in my kitchen where I have lots of light!

Some of my tools include some foam for the tack (it is smaller than any I have been able to buy so I don't want to loose it) I have a couple of pieces of scrap wood. One to tape under the pattern cross and one in case I loose the first.

I have a collection of Lutterloh tape measures. Some are very old

The best ones have the marking hole clearly marked by the number. The old ones are a bit of a puzzle and if you have one let me know and I'll tell you more. The red and black numbers are only for making it easier to read and it does!

I use colored fine tip markers for making the dots and a pencil for outlining the pattern. I often make changes in the outside line for my body shape adjustments and pencil is best. I keep all the small stuff in this zippered pouch it is very handy!

You may have gotten a cardboard tailors curve with your kit.

You can buy plastic ones from Lutterloh and other locations. These can be very handy

OR you don't need anything but a good ruler. I'll show you how.

I use a light weight white pattern paper for making my patterns on. This lets me hold the pattern up and test if it is a good fit. Paper testing.

1st. once you have studied your pattern. Tape the little piece of wood to the center of your table. This protects your table from pin holes and holds the pin firmly while you pivot for marking the pattern parts.

2nd Pre-hole your pattern cross.

I scan my pattern to the exact size (I hold the scan and the real pattern up to a window and compare the outside lines) I never poke holes in my real patterns.

By putting a hole in the pattern before putting on the tape you will not end up missing the middle of the cross.

One of these tapes is old and it does not have arrows pointing to the hole for the numbers. This causes mistakes and I don't use this one.

The newer one on the left has little arrows pointing to the numbers so no worries with this one. If you have one without arrows go to the top number (140) see that the hole for 140 rests under the number, at the end of the line.

This means that every number will have it's hole below the number.

Watch carefully if using a tape like the one on the right.

Before I tape things down I like to test and see if the largest number on the pattern will fit where my papers goes. I stretch out the tape and test. If it doesn't I take the tack out and move that paper a bit. It isn't a big deal if I run out of space I just add some paper with some clear tape.

For the marks above the waist I use my bust measurement #128 . My measurement was 127 but these are Pj's so I went up to #128. I am careful to mark these numbers on my pattern in case I do make choices different than the norm.

See where the little block is under my paper and pattern

I push the tack into the wood and save my table!

I go to my first number #32 and I line up my tape with the line next to the number.
Then I smooth my tape down as I stay at the angle of the line until I get to #32 and I put a dot

The dark line under each number is the correct place to mark your dot

Here I am at 32.5 go to the dark line at 32 and move to the light line that is a 1/2 or .5

Now I am ready to make the two dots that are below my waist. I move the tack into my hip measurement and then I pull the tape to the last two marks and put my dots.

I leave the tack and tape in the pattern while I draw the outline. It helps if I can't figure out a dot I can recheck....just remember if you are above your hip or below you will need to change what number your tack is in. Most of my mistakes are above the waist so when doing my pattern I start below the waist for hip marks and then change to my bust measurements so that is what is sitting there as I draw the outline.

mark all the straight lines first, the bottoms the sides the shoulders then I move to the curves

I am using my tailors curve to make the armscye
Lutterloh suggests you always hit 3 dots that way you have the curve in the correct angle

As you can see one dot doesn't work out. Not a problem make that curve nicely
and it will all be fine.

The curve above I did by hand, no tools, just move from dot to dot with a swirl of the pencil. It's fun, do it several times trying to make it as good as possible. In the next step you will see that I darkened the path that looked best and that is where I will cut my pattern

Time to put in all the pattern markings normally I would make my pattern adjustments at this point but I'd like to cut these out first so you can see them. In another post I will show you how I shorten the length of the top and adjust the armscye and fix the pants for length

I add all the markings for the pattern, this is the gathered shoulder
And the neck, button band facing is marked and I can just trace a pattern off of this

As you can see I ran out of paper on the sleeve it was easy to grab a scrap and tape it there for the next dot.

If you look at the pattern the sleeve curves from the under arm scye. Not a lot and it straightens out quickly and goes down to the wrist. This takes pratice to get an eye for these little things that make fit much better.

Here it is all the pieces for the top
front, back, neck facing, ruffled collar, sleeve
They do not have seam allowances or hems on them. I prefer to add seams etc. when I lay the pattern on the fabric. It leaves the patterns free of allowances I'd have to cut out if I were changing things in the pattern.


Ann's note: I have been taking the copies of my patterns one step further by cutting them apart into the separate pieces such as front, back, sleeve, etc. This way when I tape each piece to the pattern paper I can leave it taped there in case there is a question of accuracy later. The miniature pattern is in exactly the same spot as when I drew the pattern and I can easily check my dot placement.