Suit Jacket/Blazer Pattern Revisited
Three years ago I started drafting a jacket pattern and got distracted. At the time, I needed shirts and pants more than a jacket so I put the project on hold. Rather than revive that old project, I decided to start completely from scratch and use a drafting system to create a new jacket, or “lounge coat” pattern.
There are several drafting systems available at the Cutter and Tailor forum. On a side note, I have to give a huge thanks to all who make that forum possible. It has been amazingly helpful for this project, and I am indebted to all of the members who help to maintain the forum as a valuable resource.
The drafting system I chose to work with is called Rundschau, and it is based off of four basic measurements, chest, waist, seat girth, and body height. These four measurements are then plugged into a bunch of calculations, and this set of measurements and calculated numbers form the basis of the pattern draft.
As Jeffery mentions on his blog, there is some debate as to whether this is a good way to draft or not, but I was so fascinated that such systems exist, I had to try one to see how it works. Somehow the system is based off of various body proportions, which is why the entire draft can be created from four measurements. It sort of seems like magic, and to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how this is going to turn out since I haven’t tested the fit in fabric yet.
The keys to being able to complete the draft are a good tailor’s square and a lot of patience. In some ways a fearless approach is necessary to learn things like this. After reading through the forums a bit, I got some blank paper out and decided to give it a try. It might not fit, and might not be the way a professional tailor would do things, but for me this is a starting point towards creating my first jacket.
Part of the reason that I haven’t kept the blog updated this summer is that I’m currently developing my first backpack pattern that I hope to offer for sale later this fall. I’m so excited I can barely stand it! There is still lots of work to do, and obviously I will be talking more about the pattern in the future. Stay tuned for more details.
Super excited about your upcoming backpack pattern – you did such a great job with your previous backpacks that I’d love to tackle this project when it comes out.
Interested to hear how this turns out! I must confess that drafting systems are a complete mystery to me- I don’t understand how they work at all! Looking forward to your jacket!
Thanks David! I’m looking forward to finishing the pattern, and will definitely be posting about it when the time comes.
They are a mystery to me too. I’m sure I will have to make lots of adjustments to this initial pattern, but I’m looking forward to the process.
A backpack pattern?! That would be perfect! My boyfriend wanted to sew me a backpack for my birthday, but until now, that hasn’t happened – mostly because I can’t seem to decide on dimensions, closures, shape etc. We both love the backpacks you have made and I’ll make sure to buy that pattern the second it’s available.
And I’m also excited about the coat 🙂
I would love to make a custom jacket/suit. I will be watching. Sounds great.
Armscye looks interesting. I will be curious to see how this turns out!
Hey, what did you plug the measurements into, was it a program of sorts
Not a computer program, but a set of calculations I did by hand.
Is that what they call a proportionate drafting system vs direct measure system? Ive seen tailor and cutter use both but its not clear exactly what the difference is. Cheers
To be completely honest, I’m not sure. It seems like it would be “proportionate” given that many numbers in the system are derived from just a few body measurements.