Comments on: How to use the humble L-square or tailor’s ruler

By: Terri Dans

Terri Dans — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:36:10 +0000

Nice to see the tool I use every day!
I don’t know how many people use a square anymore or know about the old style drafting methods, but I do. It’s so much easier than trying to use a table of aliquot parts. If you are familiar with the old drafts, you will see that a book like Metric Pattern Cutting for Menswear has unfortunately discarded the tailor’s square as a tool, but the drafting formulas are mostly still based on the divisions of the square, like the older drafts it is derived from.
I think that you can buy a 1/2 scale square too, so you can just use it as you would a full size one, but the numbers still coincide to half chest or waist or whatever body measurement that you are using the square for.
I don’t know if patternmaking courses still use it? Do you?

By: Sandra B

Sandra B — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:03:04 +0000

I’m making a bunch of half-scale patterns as a teaching aid for my students, so I copied my tape measures and rulers at 50% on my scanner/printer. I wasn’t expecting them to turn out as accurately as they did. I then used a glue stick to attach the paper to firm recycled plastic packaging (from a toy – a doll who claims she loves the environment, but weighs 180g while the packaging weighs 235g. Grrr). I do have a tailors square – and know how to use it – but it’s too unwieldy for my small desk at home, where I do most of my prep work after the evening chores. And I wanted a flexible half-scale tape measure to go with the half-scale dummies I’ve made, so I covered one of the lengths of paper in clear contact paper. I can now draft exactly to the measurements and end up with a half scale pattern and no maths. I like to reduce the operations to the minimum to reduce opportunities for error. Well, that’s what I tell the students. I’m really just lazy about maths.

By: Gidget

Gidget — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 02:31:30 +0000

Another Duh moment. I went to the trouble a making and printing a lovely table of aliquot parts – color coded even – and it was on my ruler all along!!! Thanks for more great information.