Could this pattern be modified for a woman?

topic posted Tue, October 20, 2009 - 1:26 AM by  Frecklehead
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I have made minor adjustments to patterns, but could this pattern be altered to fit a woman? I got it for a dollar, and for that price I'll give it a try if you excellent people think it's possible. I am tall, but pretty curvy, which will cause problems.... Has anyone used this pattern?
posted by:
Frecklehead
Sacramento
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  • Re: Could this pattern be modified for a woman?

    Tue, October 20, 2009 - 8:01 AM
    No problem.
    Even though you are pretty curvy, your doublet shouldn't necessarily be as curvy.
    Wear stays, and that helps with the under the bust curve.
    The doublet should stop at your waist, so hip curves are not a factor.
    (I haven't used this pattern, as I find it easier to draft a new one for each person.)

    The big deal is the slope from bustline up to shoulder. It affects the shoulder line and the armscyes. Where on a man the center front line would go up to the neck, on you it will go up and away from you until the bustline, and then back toward your neck. The armscyes on the pattern will likely be not only way too big, but too far forward. (The bustier you are, the more of you is in front and the less of you is in back, percentage-wise, so the sillier it would be to put the arms midway between your centerback and centerfront, like on a man.)

    My recommendation is to cut the pattern in whatever size matches your chest measurement, but don't cut out the armholes, leave the fabric there. Leave most of the neckline there, too. Baste the sides and leave the shoulder seams open. Get a friend to pin the front over your stays and fiddle with the shoulders and draw in where the armholes should go. Resist the temptation to add darts for shaping, instead take in any extra at the seams.

    That oughtta do it.

    happy doubletting!
    • Re: Could this pattern be modified for a woman?

      Tue, October 20, 2009 - 11:22 AM
      Cool! I'll give it a go, and see what happens. Thanks so much for your advice. :D
      • Re: Could this pattern be modified for a woman?

        Tue, October 20, 2009 - 12:02 PM
        For a dollar, you have nothing to lose. Make a muslin, first, rather than starting with your actual fabric.
        • Re: Could this pattern be modified for a woman?

          Tue, October 20, 2009 - 12:27 PM
          If you have either available, cross-reference to that German woman's doublet which was in Kohler and, later in Arnold. Back in the 70s when I first made it from Kohler, it was thought to be a man's doublet, but later research seems to have moved it to a woman's doublet. I'm not saying draft from either, but just take a look. Michele's and Deena's advice is perfect; I'm just adding to it. I remember the Kohler pattern giving me fits because it was indeed designed for a woman, not that flat-chested 17 year old guy that I was.......

          books.google.com/books

          Page 223, Figure 277.
          • Re: Could this pattern be modified for a woman?

            Wed, October 21, 2009 - 4:50 PM
            I don't have it in front of me, but isn't that one in Patterns of Fashion?
            • Re: Could this pattern be modified for a woman?

              Wed, October 21, 2009 - 8:06 PM
              Kristin, absolutely. I have a love/hate relationship with that doublet as I made it in 1975 (the Dark Ages, prior to Arnold) when, as I mentioned, it was described in Kohler as a man's doublet. I was just reading Arnold's analysis of it last night and it is indeed the same bodice. It's well worth looking into as the analysis mentions the interior construction which will go a long way to removing the bulges any normally shaped woman would have. You would not wear this over a pair of bodies; the doublet has enough interior construction.
              • Re: Could this pattern be modified for a woman?

                Thu, October 22, 2009 - 7:18 AM
                In a fit of over-zealousness, I've scanned the pages regarding the doublet we've been discussing in Patterns of Fashion. Woman's Doublet 1585. Let me know via e-mail (ngieleghem@cwclaw.com and lapageria@aol.com) if you'd like the PDF.

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