With the huge number of free historical drafting manuals available online, it only makes sense to take advantage of the wide variety of styles that are just waiting to be custom fit to you! But it can be daunting- not only because drafting itself can seem complex, but because bodies are so unique and nuanced. So today we're going to take a look at how I go through the process of drafting out a coat to fit me. The catch is that it's a men's coat from 1919 and I don't have the standard body proportions that they expect!
It's all worth the effort, however. As you learn about typical expectations with patterning and drafting, each manual makes a little more sense. And these manuals were popular starting in the mid 19th century, so there's lots of options for time periods! Both men's tailoring and women's dressmaking were regularly published along with detailed instructions. Many books will also include sections on measuring, adjusting for specific body shapes, and on how to fit or even make up the garments!
Pattern: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433063053031&view=1up&seq=202&skin=2021
Favorite resources for tailoring manuals (and dressmaking!):
https://babel.hathitrust.org/
https://archive.org/
https://books.google.com/
✂️ Pattern paper: https://amzn.to/3hJ9hLw
✂️ Quilting ruler: https://amzn.to/3tTrGKI
00:00 Introduction
02:20 Measurements & Supplies
09:47 Basic Blocking
14:28 The Back
21:39 The Front
31:18 Final Shape
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🎶Music via Epidemic Sound (https://www.epidemicsound.com)