Shadowing Practice: How to Create a Women’s Bodice Block from Body Measurements [Pattern Making Tutorial] - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Bodice Vlog Pattern Making Hi, I'm Jin.
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Welcome to Pattern Studio 101.
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This channel is all about pattern making.
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If you enjoy my videos, be sure to join my email list.
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Every week, I send out tips and techniques for pattern making that you don't want to miss.
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You can sign up for my email list on my website patternstudio101.com.
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Okay, bodice block today.
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Dropping a bodice block may seem intimidating, but it's actually quite straightforward.
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However, before we dive into the tutorial, I want to clarify a common misconception about bodice blocks.
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Some people believe that having a bodice block is a magical solution that allows you to create any garment you want.
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But I want to say that's not true.
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While it's possible to use a bodice block to create garments with a similar fit to the bodice block,
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many designs deviate significantly from the bodice block.
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For instance, if you wanted to create shirts or jackets like these examples,
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you would have to modify the bodice block by adjusting the underarm point,
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shoulder width, neck width, armhole curve, and adding proper ease for each design.
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Even if you start with a bodice block that perfectly fits,
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you will still need to adjust it for each design and do multiple fittings to get the final fit you want.
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So instead of solely focusing on having a pattern block,
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it's essential to learn and understand the basics of bodice block making.
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This includes understanding how to determine dart width, how to apply measurement to patterns,
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how much ease is appropriate for each design,
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how to adjust patterns for different body shapes, postures, and fabrics.
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Once you comprehend these principles, you don't need bodice blocks to make design patterns.
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You will be able to make any patterns from scratch.
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With that said, I'll show you an easy method for creating a woman's body's block today.
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Let's get started.
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You need body measurement.
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Chest circumference, waist circumference, shoulder width,
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back length, apex length, and bust span.
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You can measure cross chest and cross back if you want, but you don't have to.
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We can calculate with the shoulder width later.
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If you need help taking body measurement, I have a how to measure guide.
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You can download it on my website, patternstudio101.com.
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It's free.
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Draw a rectangle.
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Vertical is the back length.
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Horizontal is half of your chest plus one inch or one inch and a half.
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The total ease will be 2 to 3 inches.
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From the center back, measure down chest divided by 4 minus half of an inch for the armhole depth
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and draw an underarm line.
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I don't calculate armhole depth with the chest circumference, but this can be a good starting point.
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I made an armhole depth chart by types of designs.
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Go to my website patternstudio101.com and download it.
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Find a midpoint on the horizontal line.
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If you draw a line here, then the front and back chest will be the same, right?
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But I will move the point 1 8th of an inch towards the back.
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So my front is a little bit bigger than the back.
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Depending on the cup size, you can make an even bigger front than this.
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Draw a side seam.
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Let's draw the back.
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From the center back neck point, measure chest divided by 12.
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And divide this by 3 and go up the same length. and draw a neckline.
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From the center back neck point, measure half of the shoulder width.
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Go down 3 eighths of an inch.
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Connect the high shoulder point.
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We're going to have a half of an inch width dart on the shoulder.
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So extend the line by half of an inch.
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So this is now the shoulder point.
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From the shoulder point, measure in half of an inch and draw on crossback guideline.
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You can draw an armhole curve.
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The armhole curve will touch the cross back line around halfway.
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To draw a shoulder dart,
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find a midpoint on the shoulder and find a midpoint on the underarm line, half of the cross back.
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Connect two points.
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The dart length is about 3 inches.
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Mark quarter of an inch on each side.
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Make a dart.
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The width is half of an inch, right?
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To true the shoulder seam, lengthen the dart legs by about 3 sixteenths of an inch.
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True the shoulder line.
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my video episode 20 i explained how to draw a dart properly the link will be in the description box
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determine how much you want to take out at the waist for example
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if the chest is 35 inches
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and the waist is 27 inches the difference is now 8
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inches then you're going to take out 4 inches here because it's a half body.
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You can take out the same amount throughout all the darts, back, front and side seam.
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But because it's a woman's body, you might want to take out a little bit bigger at the front like this.
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You can adjust the portion according to the cup size and when you do fitting.
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Once you determine the dart width,
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draw a straight line from this midpoint and draw a back dart.
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Lengthen the dart width about 1 1⁄8 or 3 16th of an inch and through the hemline and draw a side seam.
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You already know how much you want to take in.
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Right?
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The back body is done.
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Let's practice the front.
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Measure chest divided by 12 on both vertical and horizontal lines. And draw a neckline.
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From the center front, measure half of the shoulder width.
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Go down 1 1⁄2.
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When you compare the front and back shoulders, they can be the same angle or the front shoulder can be a little more slopped.
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Draw a shoulder line.
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Measure the back shoulder length without the darts and find the same on the front shoulder.
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For the cross front, from the shoulder point, go in 3 quarters of an inch.
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This is good for the cross front.
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You can revise when you do fitting.
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Draw an armhole curve.
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The armhole curve touches around a one-third point of this guideline.
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Let's find the apex.
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From the center front, half of the bust is spun.
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from the high shoulder point to the apex.
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So this is the apex.
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From the apex, throw a guideline to the side seam and the waist.
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At the side seam, half of an inch on each side.
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I'm making a one inch width dart.
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The bigger the cup size, the larger the dart width.
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You can make a bigger dart or smaller dart depending on your cup size.
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We're going to lengthen the front body at the hand by the same amount of the side dart, whatever your dart width.
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At the side seam, take out the same amount you took out at the back side seam.
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Connect to the dart.
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And we already calculated the front dart width, right?
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So make a dart.
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And lengthen the dart legs by 3 16ths of an inch and through the waist.
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Okay, front is in green and back is in pink.
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As I said in the beginning, fitting is a really important process to get the patterns with a great fit.
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Just drafting the bodice block is a small part.
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Keep learning all other fundamental things for your great success.
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And join my Facebook group, Pattern Making Professional.
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If you have any questions along your pattern making journey, I'm there to answer your questions.
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The link is in the description box.
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This channel is totally dedicated for young professionals to take their pattern making skills to the next level.
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Have an awesome week!
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See you next time!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 122 sentences and 1264 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:26. The speaker talks at a steady 110 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dart noun | /dɑɹt/ | A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin. |
| width noun | /ˈwɪtθ/ | The state of being wide. |
| curve noun | /kɚv/ | A bend, such as in a road. |
| waist noun | /weɪst/ | The part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach. |
| apex noun | /ˈeɪ.pɛks/ | The highest or the greatest part of something, especially forming a point. |
| divide verb | /dɪˈvaɪd/ | To split or separate (something) into two or more parts. |
| adjust verb | /əˈd͡ʒʌst/ | To modify. |
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| ease verb | /iz/ | To free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc. |
| measurement noun | /ˈmɛʒ.ə.mənt/ | The act of measuring. |
| horizontal adjective | /ˌhoɹəˈzɑn.təl/ | Perpendicular to the vertical; parallel to the plane of the horizon; level, flat. |
| calculate verb | /ˈkælkjʊleɪt/ | To determine the value of something or the solution to something by a mathematical process. |
| spin verb | /spɪn/ | To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| vertical adjective | /ˈvɝ.tɪ.kəl/ | Standing, pointing, or moving straight up or down; parallel to the local direction of gravity; along the direction of a plumb line; perpendicular to something… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| take out verb | To remove. |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. |
| go up verb | To move upwards. |
| send out verb | To issue, dispatch or transmit. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 11 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: width /ˈwɪtθ/, eighth /eɪtθ/, lengthen /ˈlɛŋθən/, sixteenth /ˌsɪksˈtiːnθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: measurement /ˈmɛʒ.ə.mənt/, misconception /ˌmɪs.kənˈsɛp.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: horizontal /ˌhoɹəˈzɑn.təl/, fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/, intimidate /ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪt/, misconception /ˌmɪs.kənˈsɛp.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like dart, width, curve.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.