Start from a bodice block with waist darts only and 10 to 12cm ease at bust circ, 10 to 12cm at waist circ, 8cm at hips.

*Our method for drafting perfectly made to measure basic blocks, choosing wearing ease and for fitting them is included in our basic blocks course/module 1.

Then:

• on front, draw a parallel line to center front, outwards, 1,5cm from it for button stand. Start from waist level and extend upwards to first button level (I suggest at bust level or a few cm above it)
• on both back and front widen neckline by 1,5 to 2cm from high shoulder point
• on front draw a straight line from new vertical line uppermost point to high shoulder point (we’ll shape the neckline in next step)
• on back, draw new neckline dropping 1 to 1,5cm in center back
• on front and back, take in 3 to 5cm from shoulder points and redraw armholes. Notice that front armhole is a quite close to original one in bottom section, while new back armhole is more curved and at a distance from original one.

Draw the neckline on front (marked in green): find midpoint in the neckline construction line and square down 1 to 1,5cm, then draw the actual neckline passing through this point to have a parenthesis-like shape.

Draw the hemline (marked in red):

• on back, draw a parallel to waistline 6 to 8cm below it
• stop the line 2 to 2,5cm before center back and draw a slanted line to waist level or 1cm below it
• on front, start from side seam at matching level to back side seam, then drop 1cm more at underbust
• stop front line 4cm before center front and draw a slanted line to outermost line bottom edge.

Trace back and front separate, grainline is parallel to original center front and center back.

Draw a rectangle for back waistband: it should be 1,5 to 2cm wide (depending on the buckle you’ll use) and 5 to 7cm longer than waistline on back pattern.

Draw the welt line on front: it is 9 to 12cm long, 7 to 9cm above hemline, roughly under bust area. Draw separately a rectangle matching in length and twice the width of your finished welt (I suggest 4cm for a 2cm welt).
You can cut one more piece of fabric from this pattern to be used as facing for a fake welted pocket, or you can prepare a lining pattern for a real pocket. We’ll see its construction in step 9.