Comments on: Old school grading method?

By: Shermane

Shermane — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:32:13 +0000

Thanks Georges, I really appreciate the explanation. In America, unless you go to a school where the instructors have worked within the industry you don’t learn anything that prepares you to work in the industry. Judging by your knowledge and comment, you are French or French Canadian and were taught in France. European Schools teach practical application. Unless you go to New York or Los Angeles, you go a University which gives you a four year bachelors degree in Fashion Design taught by educators with a Masters or a Doctorate in Design. One does not learn practical application from anyone with a Masters or Doctorate, because these folks have learned how to teach not worked within the industry. Hope that helps answer you question about how anyone gets through design school without knowing how to grade your own line.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:02:59 +0000

How do u people get thru design school without knowing how to grade ur own line?

How did you get through school and not know how to write?

By: Georges

Georges — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:15:04 +0000

ok..here’s the skinny on ur pattern holes….
ur guy tried t use a very old grading method based on apex’s..usually done in french couture houses..it is based on the finished lengths of each seam in the finished garment..u use a protractor and swing the pattern on the paper..& use a yardstick to mark the grading increments on each seam..if u don’t know this method inside out and what each grade seams finished measurements are to be..then the pattern doesn’t work…
u want grades done right?..u need to have in-house finished measurements for each size u supply to the patternamker.. and these measurements shouldco-incide with the retailer’s in-house de rigeour measurements for each size they buy..they usually have this available if u ask the buyer office
If u measure the space between each hole on a seam it should be symetrical to a base line down the middle of the pattern & a 30 degree to a 45 degree angle off the corners…& u try to grade more than 3 sizes off a base pattern and u end up with a sloppy,mishapen garment…
Best to grade with a ruler in 1/32″ to 2″ increments..How do u people get thru design school without knowing how to grade ur own line?
email me if u want…

By: Jean

Jean — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 08:08:27 +0000

Termites!

By: Abigail

Abigail — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 18:01:24 +0000

Ok, my guess sounds a little weird even to me. But it has not been brought up yet. Maybe the holes are some type of topstitching guide. I’ve seen in leather crafts holes made completely down a side for handstitching. Maybe this is some type of factory guide for machine topstitching but holes do not need to be made at every spot the needle will be inserted. I also notice there are not holes on every side, which would indicate only certain sides were topstitched.

By: Kerstin

Kerstin — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:41:55 +0000

Hello,
I read in some books and online boards that some people like to hang their pattern pieces on a clothes hanger. They use cardboad or similar for the pieces, so they would be sturdy enough, then pull a thread through all the holes and then hang them up. That way the pieces don´t need much space and they can´t get lost or mixed up. Maybe it´s just that?

By: Cennini Muse

Cennini Muse — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 00:03:52 +0000

Perhaps they are the old seam allowances after the pattern was altered?

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:03:21 +0000

Good questions/comments. I didn’t know the answer to all of them offhand so I had to check. I found your comments very interesting, giving me insight in the variety of ways a person can really louse something up that hadn’t occurred to me.

Could they be drill holes rather than grade points? I can’t imagine needing so many drill holes to match up seam lines… Do they align with corresponding pieces at all?
They could be drill holes but they’re kind of small for that. Too small to have been made by an awl, a smallish nail maybe? This is a leather pattern which you don’t drill (single ply) like you do fabric (multi ply). Not only do the holes not align in a discernable pattern with corresponding pieces, they don’t align with the graded pairs they match to either.

They literally nailed the pattern through the fabric so it wouldn’t slip while cutting. So the holes are to assist the cutter keep the fabric from moving, ergo, they don’t line up to anything.
That’s a good guess but again, this is leather.

maybe the holes aren’t for grading but to alter the fit of the pattern. Then again this could only work for smaller sizes, and why would you need them all around the pattern piece?!
The pattern is a graded set, 38-52 and it was manufactured rather than made custom to an individual. I wonder how it is that the holes could be used to alter the fit tho.

could they be for filing purposes?
Patterns are “filed” by hanging through a 3/4″ punch hole and cord and organized on a rack by number.

Might the guy from El Paso have tacked the pieces to the work surface in lieu of using tape or weights?
Who knows what that guy did. His table would have to have more holes in it than mine. I don’t know why he would have nailed it to the table tho, you need the piece to move freely from point to point when grading.

I believe this is to indicate Seam Allowance. Usually, the drills were used to indicate match marks in lieu of notches.
Where the Drills are at different hieghts along the hem, I bet this is a lining piece whereby the lining seam alowance varies from the front closure to the back.
This is just as likely as anything but the big argument against it is that the seam allowance on the hem portion, should be straight going across along the bottom of the piece of which I did the close up. I mean, if the hem sewing seam allowance is .5″ on the left, it should be the same on the right but it’s not (this is a back side panel portion). However, these are cruddy patterns. One should not assume the allowances are correct. ~sigh~. The other thing is, this company wasn’t known for precision or diligence. Notches are easier than marking all these little holes so why would they employ the more labor intensive marking method?

Do the holes line up when you walk the pattern? have put a pushpin through at corners that I couldn’t see to check myself many a time, to be sure the seams were crossing correctly.
Nah, these don’t line up (see above). I’ve also used push pins as you have but this is inordinate.

Do the holes line up if you put in the pattern piece the wrong direction, like put the bottom (waist/hip area) of that piece pictured toward the grading tool?
Hmm, hadn’t thought of that so I had to check (it’d be a weird way to grade but I guess it’s possible). Nope, don’t line up and we have lots of extra holes too.

I wish I had a set of grading calipers.
I wish I knew what they were. That’s a new one for me. Picture please?

that the holes are to help the cutter keep the fabric from moving around.
Possible but I don’t think so. Leather is pretty sticky, it’s grabby, particularly suede. While you do/should have to weight it down to mark around it, pattern pieces don’t slide around on it easily. Too toothy.

By: Darby Charvat

Darby Charvat — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:39:35 +0000

I vote with Ms. Barber…that the holes are to help the cutter keep the fabric from moving around. But since I’m not technical, I can’t say I’m voting with much confidence. Sounds logical, though, right?

By: J C Sprowls

J C Sprowls — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:08:20 +0000

I wish I had a set of grading calipers. It would be so much easier to demonstrate how they are used. I know they don’t make holes this size, though. I’m stumped.

Unless… the grader made holes at seam junctions because he added seam allowances after the new size was transferred. But, with holes that large, the accuracy would be lost.

I’ve seen drill holes used in lieu of notches. In fact, most shirts and knits I’ve worked with were marked that way because the notch would compromise the 1/4″ seam.