I'd have a multitool
What's that? There's a small stone stuck in your horse's hoof, miss? I can help!

And you could set up a pretty simple Excel document where you put in a set of measurements and it works out your dimensions without too much trouble.

Actually drawing it, however, would take a fair bit more work.
(Miraclefish How appropriate, you fight like a cow, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 10:43, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

ooh that sounds like a good idea
the excel thing. The way it works is I have 6 pattern pieces for each side of the corset and most of them are roughly hourglass shape so I have to increase or decrease the top, middle and bottom according to the measurements and each one has to be altered by the same amount or it ends up wonky. It would be great to have a programme to figure out how much I shoud increase or decrease stuff by. If anyone's offering...!
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 10:44, Reply)

Would it be best to have 2 different parts to this?
An excel part that works out dimensions, and then some sort of 2D CAD layout that you can vary the dimensions of once excel's worked them out?
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 10:48, Reply)

yeah probably
I do have autocad for students but I can't work it yet, I haven't even looked at it. Is it easy to do that sort of thing in CAD?
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 10:51, Reply)

It should be reasonably easy to do in CAD
If you have the main outlines, you should be able to put a number of lines across in certain places according to the measurements, and when you changed those it would pull the main outlines to the correct size and shape.
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 10:56, Reply)

ooh that sounds good.
I'll learn me up some CAD then. What about the life-size printing bit? Would I have to make it bigger on screen for it to print out in actual size, or is there a way of printing it as it looks?
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:00, Reply)

Have you got a life size printer?
If not then it's fairly pointless.
(PsychoChomp, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:04, Reply)

No.
Wiggy mentioned a life size printer too. Can I not make the pattern piece bigger on screen and then just work out the scale from screen to page?
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:06, Reply)

Yes you can,
but it'll invole taping lots of A4 sheets together.
I think the spreadsheet that works out all the dimensions for you would help but it won't do it all for you.
(PsychoChomp, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:08, Reply)

Most pieces would probably fit inside A4
the width of most pieces is around 4" and the biggest piece lengthwise is the front centre which is 15" so it would only be maybe two pieces where I would need to tape A4 together, so I could to those two bit in two halves couldn't I?
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:13, Reply)

Or you could just get someone to print them on A3 for you

(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:17, Reply)

I wonder if I could do them half size and then get them photocopied onto A3
I don't know anyone with an A3 printer.
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:19, Reply)

You technically could, yes

(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:27, Reply)

^ This
You would probably need a printers with a barrel printer to get them to print as you needed,
(PenguinOfDeath is Scottish, and most likely angry, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 11:07, Reply)

Maybe gaz Chompy?
He loves his spreadsheets. I can see a simple equation thing (ie, if I input value X, then Y and Z update according to the defined ratio) being a doddle to do.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 10:48, Reply)

I always harass him for stuff like this,
he's probably sick of me by now
( Kitty v1.0 desperately naive, Thu 7 Oct 2010, 10:55, Reply)