Glossary

Block

A block is the master pattern a style is developed from — the same thing American drafting calls a sloper.

A workroom's blocks are its accumulated fit knowledge. They are the reason an experienced pattern maker can produce a shirt that fits on the first sample while someone drafting from a book takes three.

Blocks are specific to a body, a size chart and often a fabric weight. A jersey block and a woven block for the same measurements are not interchangeable, because the ease built into each assumes a different amount of stretch.