Back Patterns for Men and Women

The shape of women's and men's backs are the same for the Upper Torso. For the Lower Torso the shape of women's and men's bodies are the same for the Hip Dart as seen from the Side photo. Some women need an additional dart at side back to accomodate the shape of the Upper Hip as seen in the Side Back photo.

Upper Torso
The Upper Back Dart is used to adjust the grain of the fabric at the shoulders so it is parallel to the floor. The Lower Back Dart adjusts the grain of the fabric so the side back is perpendicular to the floor.

Measurement #4 CB Waist to Shoulder is a measurement that adjusts the patterns for the forward rounding of the shoulder. If you take this measurement on the photo of the back then subtract this from measurement #4, this should be close to the size of the Upper Back Dart.

This video follows the 31 steps illustrated on pages 132 to 135 of Fashion & Costume Design in Quarter Scale. It uses the Full Back, Side, and Side with the Arm Raised photos. The photos of Alex used in this video can be found on pages 217 to 221 of the book.

Lower Torso
This video follows the steps illustrated on pages 136 to 137 of Fashion & Costume Design in Quarter Scale. It uses the Full Back, Side, and Side Back photos.