Bust, waist, hip, are the three measurements you need to make the Lutterloh system work for you and to scale out your patterns. These patterns include those for dresses, suits, and separates. There are clothes for women of all sizes, petite to plus, as well as clothes for men and children of all ages. This really is a book for the whole family . . . even community. Of course, to use the books and the patterns within, you need to know how they work. For the most part, it is the bust measurement that is used to scale out the patterns and to finalize the final fit, the waist and hip measurements. Before we look at one you should use. Let’s take a small look at how the system works.
Der Goldene Schnitt, or The Golden Rule (it’s translated title), assumes that the human body is exactly proportional and that by using one measurement to make your pattern, the pattern will scale out correctly. The main measurement that is used in the system is the BUST measurement. This is illustrated in the book itself. Why the BUST measurement though? This is one that I have wondered myself and have decided it is for three reasons:
- The bust can be the hardest to fit correctly. By scaling the pattern out to fit the bust, you have already fitted the hardest part of the body to fit.
- The bust is often the largest measurement. Now, this is not always true but is most common. By using the largest measurement, the pattern will scale out not too terribly small and in theory to the system fit the rest of the figure.
- The patterns were created with the bust measurement in mind to start and that is why they recommend using the bust measurement. This reason leads to another question too. How were these patterns created? I asked that myself and took that question to a Costuming Professor of mine. She figured that the patterns were draped on a dress form, removed and then a random point chosen (the cross hair as we see it on the pattern), and then with trial and error, a system to scale them out was created.
So, which measurement do you use? The BUST, the WAIST, or the HIP? Well, to start, I recommend taking all three of your measurements and record them on a piece of paper. To start, scale out a simple pattern using the BUST measurement. Once the pattern is scaled out make a mock- up of the garment and check how it fits. Remember, ADD SEAM ALLOWANCE. These patterns do not include a seams allowance so that has to be added by you.
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| Playing with circles. A page from Der Goldene Schnitt |
Look at how the fit feels around the neck line, arm holes, how does the garment close? Sometimes these fit issues are quite minor and need only a little fussing. If the fit issues are major, then try the WAIST, and then the HIP. Trial and error is really the best method. It may be time consuming but you will learn a lot about the system and your own body figure too. This is also good practice in scaling out the patterns.
A great way to find out how a garment SHOULD fit is to look at how they DO fit. Try on a well- fitting dress, top or jacket and really, really look at. How does it fit? Are there any unusual puckers? Folds? Wrinkles? For example, when I made my first Lutterloh suit, I noticed that it appeared to be fitting funny around the front of the armhole/ chest area. Why was it doing this I wondered? Was this normal? To find my answer, I tried on a period jacket that I knew fit well and I looked at how other jackets fit on other people. The answer? The puckers were a sign of poor fit. The solution, I took in the arm hole and sleeve a little bit, less than an inch and the pucker went away for the most part. The solution to my problem was found by studying finished and well fitted garments.
When making trousers or tap pants, I used my bust measurement for that too. Why did I use my bust measurement for pant though? I chose to use my bust measurement because all of my other patterns scaled out with that number seemed to fit well throughout my body so I figured what did I have to lose. When I made up the pattern, the fit was o.k. so I tried my hip measurement and there was little difference in the fit quality. Third, I tried a mix of the hip and waist measurement. For this one, I scaled out the pattern with the hip measurement and then tinkered with the pattern by adjusting it with the waist measurement. In the end, I was still unhappy with the pattern but it was a style I was not happy with to the begin with (I am sure that did not help in the first place). As a whole, I did not see a huge difference in the pattern scaled out with the bust and then hip. For me, that is because there is not much a difference in my measurements - that's why. If the measurements had a larger difference, then the fitting would have been much more different.
When making trousers or tap pants, I used my bust measurement for that too. Why did I use my bust measurement for pant though? I chose to use my bust measurement because all of my other patterns scaled out with that number seemed to fit well throughout my body so I figured what did I have to lose. When I made up the pattern, the fit was o.k. so I tried my hip measurement and there was little difference in the fit quality. Third, I tried a mix of the hip and waist measurement. For this one, I scaled out the pattern with the hip measurement and then tinkered with the pattern by adjusting it with the waist measurement. In the end, I was still unhappy with the pattern but it was a style I was not happy with to the begin with (I am sure that did not help in the first place). As a whole, I did not see a huge difference in the pattern scaled out with the bust and then hip. For me, that is because there is not much a difference in my measurements - that's why. If the measurements had a larger difference, then the fitting would have been much more different.
If you find that using one measurement is not working or you are still having issues, you CAN use two different measurements like the BUST and the HIP, or the BUST and the WAIST, or any combination you want/ need. For example, you can scale out the top of a dress using the BUST measurement and then the skirt portion using the HIP or WAIST measurement. Just remember that when you do this, the patterns may not true up well but that can be corrected with a little fussing. The best advice that I can offer for you in figuring out these patterns is TRIAL AND ERROR.
Now, I know what you are thinking . . . this advice is great but can you give me a straight forward formula for figuring out these pattens?? Please?? Is there a magic number, formula, system, spell?? Well, to be honest, the best method really is TRIAL AND ERROR.
You will become frustrated, angry, pissed off. You will use up a lot of paper, tape, pencils, ink pens. You may even snap your yard stick for longer lines in half. . . . You may threaten your cat (but make up for that with treats), lose sleep, and shed tears . . . Frustration is sometimes the key to success. But, keep trying. No reward was ever given without hard work and dedication . . .
Some last words . . .
Keep in mind that the measurements used in this system are in METRIC!!! That was the one thing that tripped me up when I first started using this system. So, when you take your BUST, WAIST, or HIP measurement, make sure it is in centimeters and NOT inches.
