LivingSoft Northwest Subscriber Newsletter | Volume 11
Q & A
Q.
Where can I get directions or
advice about sewing a neckline or closure type that I am unfamiliar
with?
A. While Dress Shop does not include directions for every option in the product (you would need a substantial book for that and there are many such available), those most often requested have had articles written and added to the program. To see what is there, run Dress Shop and select Help - Help Index. You'll see a number of drop list boxes. You should visit them all, but the one labeled "How To Assemble Garments" has the most articles. You need to first select a category, then choose the article you are interested in.
A. Yes, there is a rule of thumb. Here's a list of problem types and how you can best get help for each:
1.
You need
to adjust the fit. For example, you have a wrinkle, or your garment does
not hang right. You need to talk to somebody who sews. Sending in a
problem report will not help, although the programmer can forward such
reports to Kaaren. In this case it is best to post your concerns to the
discussion board.
2.
You are consistently getting a sloper that does not fit right. The
pattern drafts properly. Others are using it without problem. But, yours
does not fit. You need measuring advice. The discussion board could be
useful, but a problem report would send in your measurements and
anything that is obviously wrong can be spotted that way. Your best
first step, however, would be to print out a full chart using a standard
that is close to your size and see if any key measurement differs a lot
while most differ a little. The differ-a-lot one should be looked at
more. The most common issues are inseam and armhole depth (people tend
to use garment measures, not body measures), side length (just hard to
get right) and shoulder slopes (same).
3.
My custom pattern drafts badly, but drafting the same pattern with
standard measurements looks good. Now, here we have the perfect
candidate for a problem report. The problem only happens with your
measurements and does not happen with others. The problem report will
send in your measurements, so we might be able to find it using those.
This does not automatically mean that your measurements are wrong. That
is frequently the case, but there are other times that a design just
does not work with some body shape and the program could be changed to
make it work properly with that shape. That change would not be possible
without measurements that show the problem. When you send in a problem
report, the following are attached to it automatically:
A.
The measurement set you were using when you submitted the report. Be
sure to send it while the problem is visible on screen so we get the
right data.
B. The pattern you have selected, including all options you have chosen
on Mia. This is critical information. The problem may only occur, for
example, with the gathered halter neckline and raglan sleeves, so we
need to know you made those choices.
C. Every adjustment you have made with any tool. This is also critical
to know.
D. Which version of the program you are using. If you are not using the
latest revision, then updating is always going to be the first
suggestion. We attempt to correct any problems reported in the next
update. Sometimes we cannot, but usually we can. If you are not using
the latest, then you are using a version with known problems that have
been corrected.
E. System information and settings, such as printer margins and which
version of Windows, which might help us reproduce what you are seeing.
F. The activation codes you have entered. Again, this will help us
configure Dress Shop to what you are using. Some problems (user
interface issues mostly) have come up that only happen with some
particular mix of products.
Finally, please keep in mind that if you send in emails, describing something that others are not seeing, or even post pictures that others cannot duplicate, then you may be spending the time of hundreds of other sewers with every email you send. One problem report can often provide an answer within minutes that others may struggle for hours to track down. The forums are the ideal place for other sharing. Fit and measuring adjustments , fashion advice, information links and fabric sources are all ideally suited for discussion in the forums. Reports of your successes and difficulties overcome absolutely belong on the forums, as do procedural questions (e.g., how do you adjust something or other) .