Selective seam allowance application

[Ylva]

Is there a way to chose which edges of a pattern get a seam allowance addition?

For example, a square. If I only want to add seam allowance to 3 of the 4 sides, is there a way I can do this? Or should I just draft the whole pattern with seam allowance included?

[Pneumarian]

Yes, there is! Sorry I don’t have a screenshot for you, (a picture’s worth a thousand words,) but I will attempt to describe it to you.

• In the “Details” view, right-click the pattern piece you want to work with, click “Options.”
• Now that you have the options screen up, click on the “Seam Allowance” tab at the top. I assume you already have seam allowances on.
• Under “Nodes” use the drop-list to choose the first point of the side you want to have a different seam allowance, (you did select the points while making the detail, right?)
• change the measurement from CurrentSeamAllowance to what you prefer the seam allowance to be in the “After” section.
• Then choose the ending point of that side of the pattern piece, & in the “Before” section do the same thing.

That should do the trick!

Here’s a .val with the random experimental piece I gave a variable seam allowance: Xpattern.val (4.4 KB)

[Pneumarian]

Here’s a screenshot now, with the key points highlighted with a red circle:

ETA: & now I’ve made a page in the wiki regarding Seam Allowances. I probably ought to go back & delete a few of the less focused paragraphs, but I’d rather someone else make the judgement on what is unwanted.

I’m curious what that “Custom” section is. It wasn’t responding to my attempts to poke at it.

[Reinis]

Hi! changing seam allowance with nodes work great on points and curves, but does not work with arcs - am I doing something wrong? I have an arc between 2 points (nodes) and I set seam allowance to zero there - after 1st point, “during” arc (2nd point) and before 3rd point. But arc still remains with seam allowance… (I wanted set it to zero). Could you help me, please, with this issue?

Thank you so much!

[Reinis]

Just managed to solve the problem by redrawing pattern piece and replacing arc with curve and so I was able to eliminate the seam allowance on the necessary curve. Is it right that this is the way it should be done - using curves at places instead of arcs where no seam allowance should be seen?

[Grace]

Hi & welcome, @Reinis

I really have no idea. I have always used the curves for the outer lines of a pattern and the arc as a measuring tool. However, I think, if you used the arc to create the nodes on either side of it, then it should work:

Test Seam Allowance - Arc.val (2.2 KB)

You can see where I tested it, so it should work

[Reinis]

Thank you very much! I’ve got it - I was incorrectly making my detail - my arc was not properly connected to points and thus seam allowances was not possible - it was not a proper detail. Now I got that! Thank you again

[Grace]

You’re very welcome. I had to test it myself to give you the answer

[Vy87]

I am having a problem with selective Seam Allowance!

I set A5 to 0.5 allowance before and 0 after and it works but when I set A17 to 0 before and 0.5 after it makes a mess and it looks like this:

Not sure what I am doing wrong…

[Grace]

Hi @Vy87

Please send me your Pattern and Measurement files (.val & .vit) so that I can have a look. I don’t see, from your pictures, that you are doing anything wrong, so I would just like to check, please.

[Vy87]

Basic-Bodice-New.val (5.5 KB)

Here is the file. I tried checking other settings but still can’t figure it out.

[Grace]

For starters, I had to mover the armhole curve to between the armhole point and the shoulder point

And now the pattern looks like this:

Basic-Bodice-New 2.val (5.5 KB)

Here is your pattern back with the changes that I made.

[Vy87]

Thank you. I feel kinda dumb that’s literally the only thing I did not check XD.

[Grace]

LOL, you’re very welcome, @Vy87. As you can see by the reply, I was expecting more because of another issure and was totally surprised, myself.