13 13. Front - shoulders and bust shaping
During pinning of the side seams, two horizontal folds of spare material will have formed on the Front across the bust. Smooth this spare material upwards and, with the model's arms
raised, pin the tops of the side seams right up into the armpits, snipping out the base of the armholes and trimming away the excess as needed.
Continue to smooth the spare material upwards and inwards on each side, re-pinning the Front to the Back when you reach the shoulders. The Front should fit smoothly and all the surplus material will come together to form a vertical dart at the Centre Front neck. If the Centre Front dart from the waist reaches over the bust, continue it into the neckline.
Trim away the top of the toile to form the Front neck curve, which is deeper than the Back neck curve. Mark the line of each armhole with pins, from the shoulder to the hollow in front of the arm.
14
Armholes, toile removal
Cut out the armholes on each side, starting horizontally from the side seams and curving up to meet the pins marking the upper shape, to the shoulder.
Check the fit once more, and check the length of the toile: it should cover the fullest part of the hips and reach the tops of the legs. Draw onto the toile the outlines of the two vertical Centre Front darts - remember to draw both sides. Now take the pins out of the two darts and cut carefully up the Centre Front line to remove the toile from the model.
28
15 NP
CB
From toile to Block, Fig 15
Transferring the toile to paper
CF You will need large sheets of pattern paper.
This is firm and semi-transparent, either plain
or marked with a grid, and can be found at a haberdasher, though brown paper can be used. A long ruler and set-square are also useful.
The intermediate pattern
Trace the trial outline of Back and Front (for women), or Back and Front, and Back and Front hip sections (for men), onto a fresh sheet of pattern paper. Add seam allowances and cut out the pieces in a new piece of calico or sheeting. Tack or machine these together and try it on the model, pinning it firmly closed down the Centre Front. If you prefer to cut out the paper pieces without seam allowances, you can add them on the fabric before cutting.
Look carefully at the fit. Is it smooth over the whole torso, with no significant wrinkles? Do the armholes follow the shape of the moving shoulder joint, without sagging or gaping, and do they come right under the armpit, without dragging under the arm? Does the neckline follow the base of the neck? Make any necessary adjustments.