LESSON 108.
HOW TO GRADE A BLOUSE.—36 TO 38.
Before beginning to grade, prepare the pattern on a draft. It is proper and practical to draft a pattern directly for the grading purpose. When the draft is drawn complete cut out the front and back seperately and place on a separate sheet of paper for the back only, as the back should be the first part to be graded. Now draw a line from the back from 10 to 11 and shift the pattern in 1/8 inch from 10 to A and from 11 to D. This is the beginning for grading the width or the size of the pattern from 36 to 38. From 36 to 38 we should grade 1 inch, as the space between 36 to 38 is 2 inches, and we grade half of the amount for half of the patterns. Now increase up from A to 10 and from L to 9 and from M to H 1/8 inch lost to B; from 5 to B is 1/4 inch; from 4 to 12 is 1/8 inch. This completes the back grading for the blouse. Before we begin the front part we should know how much we have increased the width between 36 and 38. This width measurement should be decided on the breast lines only at T. We have allowed at the back 1/8 inch, and from 5 to B we have allowed 2/8 inch. This amounts to 3/8 inch graded on the width of the back. Now it means that we have 5/8 inch to increase for the width of the front We begin to increase the front, and from 6 to C all the way down is 3 to E, which is 1/8 inch. The proper way to begin to grade the front of the blouse is to draw a line from 1 to 2 and place the pattern there from X to Z ; make the curve according to the pattern of the neck from 2 to T. When this curve is made, shift the front pattern back from 1 to X and 2 to Z and from 7 to O. First divide between 7 and O, which makes S, and make the curve from S to 2, which is the middle curve from S to 2. Now allow for the height of shoulders, raising up from O to S and from U to 8, 1/8 inch. Now you can allow 1/8 inch all the way down on the side body from 6 to C and 3 to E, and finish up from E the waist curve as shown on the diagram. Look over again the increasing of the depth and also the height, which is the increase of the depth from the breast line up to the neck. For grading larger and smaller sizes increase or decrease the same amount; for grading two larger sizes at a time, increase twice the amount; or, by grading two smaller sizes, decrease twice the amount. Always be careful not to increase or decrease more than is needed.
