5/15/2020 Flounce constructions revealed - The Shapes of Fabric

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TUTORIAL

Flounce constructions revealed

BY SHAPESOFFABRIC - 0 2 / 0 9 / 2 0 1 9

So last tutorial was all about ruf es. Now it’s time to talk about ounces!

While ruf es have to be gathered, ounces remain smooth at the seam line.

There are various ways to construct the ounce pattern and you’ll discover the how-to of
each by going through this tutorial. I also added a few projects so you can see how to add
the ounces in a garment pattern.

Circular ounce

Let’s see the circular ounce pattern rst. You can make a full circle or a half circle,
depending on the amount of are you’re looking for. The pattern is pretty much exactly
like that of the circle skirt.

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In the most simple case, the inner circle of the pattern is the ounce length.
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The calculation

So measure the target length for the ounce and divide it by 3,14. This gives you the radius
needed for a half circle. But for a full circle you have to divide the result by 2.

For example, if I my target length was 15cm, here’s how I would calculate the radius for a
full circle:

15/3,14 = 4,8/2 = 2,4cm

Use that radius to draw the rst circle (=the inner one) with a compass. Then measure the
ounce height and draw the outer circle. Finally, add both seam- and hem allowance by
drawing two more circles around.

Slash the circle open at one point. The opening will also be the direction of the grainline.

Here’s the half circle pattern.

Choosing your circle

But like I anticipated, there’s more to drafting a circular ounce pattern. The amount of
are of the ounce is affected by the size of the inner circle. The smaller the radius, the
more are you get.

I made some examples with 3 different ounce target lengths, each with both full- and
half circle pattern. The ounce height remains the same.

Full
circle
s

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Half
circle
s

The inner circle radius, and the choice between full- and half circle however are not the
only things affecting the amount of are. There’s also the height of the ounce: the bigger
the difference between the inner- and outer edge of the circle, the more pronounced the
are is. Then there’s of course the choice of fabric and the edge nish. Not to mention the
shape of the seam line the ounce will be attached to.

So as you can see, there are quite a few things to think about. You just have to make
samples if you want to be sure.

If you’re looking for a lot of are but the ounce has to be quite long, then you just need to
cut as many circles as you need and sew them together (French seam and at-fell seam
work the best).

For the vertical ounces placed at the neckline for example, you’ll probably be all set by
cutting just one circle.

But here, too, the result is slightly different for shorter and longer seams. BTW, here you
can also see the two options for the corner: either leave it or curve it.

I prepared a couple of variations on the normal circle ounce.

Double layer ounce

If you draft two ounces with different heights and attach them one on top of the other,
you get a richer result. Maybe even use two different fabrics.

High-low circle

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Just like with the circle skirt, you can make a high-low version of the ouce, too. This
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results in a ounce that starts wide and becomes narrower towards the end.

Square ounce

Instead of making a circle, you can make a square to get a pointy ounce. I’ve seen skirts
with rows of these sewn vertically to ll the whole skirt.

Spiral ounce

The spiral is another way of making a ounce. These give you the possibility to create
longer ounces. But the thing is, the amount of are diminishes the longer the ounce
gets. But that could be exactly what you’re looking for.

There are a few different ways you can draft the spiral.

Regular spiral ounce

This is the kind of spiral that results in a ounce that has the same height from start to
nish.

You’ll need a ruler and a compass to draft the pattern. I hope I’ll be able to explain the
procedure. It’s quite easy once you get the hang of it and then you could just go on
in nitely around the spiral!

First, decide the heigth of the ounce, seam- and hem allowance included. Then draw a
line and divide it by your chosen ounce heigth measurement.

Somewhere in the middle, sign point B, and then point A at half ounce height distance
from it. These are the only two points you’re going to be alternating as the centre points
of the circles you’ll draw next.

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For the rst circle, press the pointer of your compass at point A and use the distance
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between A and B as the radius. Actually, you’re only going to need to draw a half circle (see
in the picture below).

The next circle centre will be point B and the radius is that between B and 1. Draw a half
circle continuing the previous line.

Then we’re back to point A and the radius is A-2. Draw a half circle.

Go on like this, alternating between points A and B, drawing half circles that continue the
spiral as long as you need to complete the ounce length.

Here’s the resulting ounce. As you can see, it starts with more are and then becomes
rather at.

Irregular spiral ounce

This is another way of drafting the spiral. This time you do it freehand. The good news is,
you get to regulate the height of the ounce and the amount of are, too.

That is, the more curved your line is, the more are you’ll get.

Start by measuring the target length for your ounce and then draw a spiral (1.) that will
be the inner edge that has to match the target length. Leave space for the ounce heigth
of course. Then draft the ounce itself (2.)

I made two examples. This one starts wide and ends narrow, the amount of are
diminishes towards the end.

And in this case, the ounce starts narrow and gets wider, while the amount of are
remains quite similar throughout the ounce.

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How to hem ounces

How to nish the hemline then? We all know it’s not easy to hem a curved line and
ounces certainly aren’t easy. That’s why I’d say the best ways are using a serger directly
or lining the ounce.

Especially in the case of vertical ounces, where you can see the backside as well, these
are good choices.

Here you can see a self-lined ounce.

And in this case I used a different fabric for the backside as an accent for the vertical
ounce.

Projects

Just like with the ruf es, I prepared a few projects so that you can see how to add ounces
in a pattern.

Top with full circle ounces

Starting with this top. I chose full circle ounces to get a very rich neckline. The ounces
are added between seams, so to achieve this look, you simply need to divide the bodice
front into slices and decide the area that will be covered in ounces.

There will be 5 rows of vertical ounces. I measured 16cm / 6,3in from the neckline and
added tacks where the ounces end. Notice, that I made a little V-shape at the neckline,
too.

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As this was not a long distance, I went for full circle ounces. With only one circle I could
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cover the whole 16cm and get a nice amount of are.

The calculation for the inner circle radius: 16 / 3,14 = 5,1 /2= ca 2,5cm.

As a ounce height I chose 8cm / 3,1in.

To attach the ounces, clip the seamline evenly.

Here’s the top:

Peplum skirt

Another great example of the use of ounces is a peplum skirt. I used the pencil skirt
pattern as a base and measured the waistline to discover the target length for the ounce,
which was 26cm /10,2in. This time I chose the half circle, because I wanted only a
moderate amount of are.

The calculation: 26cm/3,14 = 8,3cm radius.

The height of the ounce: 16cm / 6,3in.

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It’s also true that my dressform is quite skinny, so the difference between the inner and
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outer edge of the circle will be bigger than in the case of a more normal body shape. So
you have to test, whether the half circle is enough. You could add more volume to the half
circle pattern with the slash- and spread method.

Here’s the result. You’ll probably want to draft a waistband, too.

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One-shoulder top
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Here’s the last example. You’ll be using the slash and spread -method for creating two
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layers of ounces at the neckline. That’s the only method you can use if you have
particular shapes, as in the case of ruf es.

First you must create the one shoulder top. This being an asymmetrical design, you need
to copy both front and back as whole pieces. Don’t worry if your basic pattern looks
slightly different.

Draft the neckline and the future ounces.

It’s a good idea to tighten the neckline a bit so that it won’t gape. I added two mini-darts
of 0,5cm / 0,2in each at both front and back. They are united to the existing darts so that
you can rotate the volume there. If you manage to get rid of the other dart from the back,
too, it’s great. Adjust the neckline after this.

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Then copy the two layers of ounces and add volume using the slash and spread -method.
You don’t need much volume at the underarm area. You’ll be limited by the fact that the
pattern will become overlapped if you add too much volume, so look out for that.

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If you managed to get rid of the left back dart earlier, now you can hide the right one
under the ounces by rotating it to the shoulder. This depends on the construction of
your basic bodice pattern and how long the original waist-darts are. Don’t worry if you
need to leave them where they are.

Here’s the one-shoulder top with ounces at the neckline:

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More on ruf es and ounces

Check out the Fabric Manipulation books I recommended here. And don’t forget my
Pinterest board. I’ve added even more pictures there for your inspiration.

So which ones do you prefer? Ruf es or ounces?

8.1K
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AUTHOR

shapesoffabric

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10 COMMENTS

Queen Ododo  R E P LY

6 MONTHS AGO

Thanks so much for this tutorial its very helpful. You mentioned adding 2 minidarts
of 0.5cm to avoid gaping on the neckline, how do you know the exact amount to add
that will prevent the gaping? Do you have any guidelines for contouring?

shapesoffabric Post Author  R E P LY

6 MONTHS AGO

You’re welcome. 🙂 The 0,5cm is just a starting point. It might be enough,

but you can adjust it when you t the toile. The same goes for contouring.
You can start by shaping a little bit your at pattern, following the curves of
the body, but ultimately you must make a toile and adjust the shape directly
on the person wearing the garment. Everybody has a different shape, so it’s
dif cult to guess and manage to draft a perfect at pattern without the
need for corrections. No stress! 🙂

Carsten Duchan  R E P LY

5 MONTHS AGO

Thank you so much dearest for this step by step tutorial, it’s well explained and
clear to understand by an intermediate level tailor, well illustrated with accurate
calculations, I personally the only part that I might have a hard time to grab with
will be the spiral but it’s all good, I’ll play my part, otherwise thank you so much and
still looking out for more great stuff, kind regards!

shapesoffabric Post Author  R E P LY

5 MONTHS AGO

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5/15/2020 Flounce constructions revealed - The Shapes of Fabric

It’s good to hear. 🙂 Thank you! Yes, the spiral is the most dif cult one to
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understand, but once you start drawing the circles, you’ll notice it’s quite
logical. 🙂

Boss  R E P LY

4 MONTHS AGO

This is awesome. You are a genius

shapesoffabric Post Author  R E P LY

4 MONTHS AGO

Thank you so much! Glad you found the tutorial helpful. 🙂

@1stitchforward  R E P LY

4 MONTHS AGO

This is pure gold!

I’ve been trying to draft decent ounces for ages and now this pure gem appears
out of nowhere. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Giorgia

shapesoffabric Post Author  R E P LY

4 MONTHS AGO

Wow! Thank you for your kind words! 🙂 And you’re welcome! Glad to help.

Susan Campbell
 R E P LY

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3 WEEKS AGO
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Nicely done, thanks

shapesoffabric Post Author  R E P LY

2 WEEKS AGO

You’re welcome! 🙂

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