TheSloperLady
By Lauraline Grosenick, CADTERNS Custom Clothing Inc.
http://www.cadterns.com

How many measurements does it take to get a perfect sloper?

When the quantity of measurements needed can vary from 4 to 104 don't you really wonder - how many measurements DOES it take to get the best sloper possible? (Notice intentional avoidance of word "perfect".)

At this particular time in this part of the world there are two main ways from which you can choose to make a personal sloper. You can DRAFT it or you can DRAPE it. In the end, probably the easiest (and therefore the best) is actually a combination of both. The exacting precision that you seek, the method that you apply and the garments for which you will use a sloper all help to determine how many measurements you need. My personal bias is to start with drafting (letting a computer do the math) and to finish with draping.

Drafting a sloper generally requires many measurements, applied with some basic math and geometry. This can be done manually or digitally with a good set of measurements and a good set of instructions. There is usually some draping for personal fine-tuning needed at the final stage of the process.

Draping a sloper can be done with no measurements at all. It is best accomplished for or by another person and is more dependent upon the feel of the fabric and a discriminating eye for grainline irregularities. Draping involves folding, tucking and pinch-fitting a length of fabric with the stronger lengthwise grain following the length of the figure, and pinning the fabric into position.

Some patternmaking systems, both manual and digital, tell precisely which measurements to take, how to take them and what mathematical calculations and basic geometry to use with them. Usually, the simpler the math, the more measurements required to processes them.

Whether you use some simple math together with many measurements or sophisticated geometric algorithms with few measurements, the resulting shapes are usually based on some statistically average figures. Very few of us feel like we have statistically average figures and the range of our differences typically increases along with our age (even though our preoccupation with them usually decreases). The more complex our irregularities, the more sophisticated the measurements and math needed to deal with them.

Whether drafted, draped or digitally calculated, slopers are most easily finished with pinch-fitting. The purpose of this finishing step is to correct any grainline irregularities and is almost impossible to do alone. It is even better to do it with another set of eyes than with a mirror. Mirrors remind us to stand the way we know that we should, which may not be the way that we actually do. It is appropriate to fit the posture and figure that one actually has than the posture and figure that one wants.

The more measurements or more sophisticated the math you use successfully for calculating a sloper, the less pinch-fitting you should require at the end.

Remember
If it's worth sewing, it's worth sewing well;
and if it's worth sewing well, it's worth FITTING FIRST!

'Til next time then,
TSL (TheSloperLady)

Definitions:
Glossary of Terms

Articles:
Sloper Talk - Preamble
Slopers 101: "What is a sloper?"
Slopers 102: "Why would I want one?"
"Where can I get a sloper that will fit me?"
"How many measurements does it take to get a perfect sloper?"
"How CAN you tell when you’re done?"
"How can you use your fitted sloper to fit other patterns?"
"How can we make new patterns from our fitted slopers?"

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