Journal · 103 guides

Unstitched suits

Reading packs and labels, buying, photographing and posting your suit for stitching.

4 min readHow much fabric for a maxi dress?How much fabric for a maxi dress? Typical metres and yards for column, A-line and tiered shapes on 44 and 58 inch fabric, plus what height and sleeves add.Read
4 min readHow much fabric for a farshi shalwar?How much fabric for a farshi shalwar? Typical metres and yards for a floor-length, wide shalwar by hem width, height and fabric width, and what to check first.Read
4 min readHow much fabric for an umbrella cut frock?How much fabric for an umbrella frock? Typical metres for half and full circle skirts at knee, calf and floor length, and why length and fabric width decide.Read
4 min readHow much fabric for a pair of sleeves?How much fabric for sleeves? Amounts for a pair of short, full or bell sleeves in a second fabric such as net or organza, by upper arm and fabric width.Read
4 min readHow much fabric for a kameez by height?How much fabric for a kameez by height: metres and yards for knee and calf-length kameez with full sleeves, in four height bands, on 44 to 45 inch fabric.Read
4 min readHow much 58 to 60 inch fabric for a shalwar kameez?How much 60 inch fabric for a kameez and trousers? Typical metres and yards for each piece on 58 to 60 inch (150 cm) cloth, and when wide fabric saves less.Read
4 min readPrinted front panel: can the size or length change?Panel print shirt size explained: how far the width and length of a printed front can change before the design is cut off, and what to measure before buying.Read
4 min readEmbroidered front too narrow or too wide for your size?Embroidered suit panel too small or too wide? How a fixed embroidered front or sleeve is sized up with side panels or cut down, and what to measure first.Read
4 min readHole, pull or stain in fabric: can it be cut around?Found a hole in fabric before stitching, or a pull or stain? Where a flaw can be cut around or hidden, where it cannot, and how to mark it for the cutter.Read
3 min readWhat an unstitched suit pack does not includeWhat do I need to stitch an unstitched suit? The extras a pack usually leaves out: lining, zip, buttons, elastic and the lace shown in the catalogue photo.Read
4 min readShirt, trouser or dupatta: which piece is which?How to identify the pieces in an unstitched suit with no label: tell the shirt, trouser and dupatta apart by print, weight, length and width, then tag them.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for straight trousers or cigarette pants?How much fabric for trousers: when 1.5 metres is enough for straight trousers or cigarette pants, when you need 2 or more, and how height, hips and width change it.Read
4 min readHow much velvet for a kameez? Allowing for the pileHow much velvet for a suit: typical metres for a velvet kameez and a shawl, why the pile means cutting every piece one way, and what adds to the total.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for a gharara?How much fabric for a gharara: the fitted upper legs, the flared lower panels and the knee band worked out separately, with typical metres for each fullness.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for an angrakha kameez?How much fabric for an angrakha: typical metres for a wrap kurta, a knee-length angrakha and a flared angrakha frock, and why the overlapping front adds to it.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for an inner slip (shameez)?How much fabric for a slip under a sheer kameez: typical metres for a separate inner (shameez) by length and shape, plus straps, sleeves and fabric choices.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for a dhoti shalwar?How much fabric for a dhoti salwar: typical metres for a soft or deep drape, why drape depth and fabric width change the amount, and what measurements to send.Read
4 min readWhat is cut-piece fabric, and can it be stitched?Cut-piece fabric is a short length from the end of a roll, sold on its own. What to check before buying, how to match a second piece, and what one piece can become.Read
4 min readDupatta with separate borders: how it is put togetherHow to attach border to dupatta pieces from a pack: the order pallus and side borders are joined in, how the corners are handled and what to do if a border is short.Read
4 min readHow much 36 inch wide fabric for a kameez?How much 36 inch (91 cm) wide fabric a kameez or kurti needs, why narrow cloth takes more metres, and which sizes and cuts a 36 inch width cannot take.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for a Patiala shalwar?How much fabric for a Patiala salwar: typical metres for a semi and a full Patiala on 36, 44 and 58 inch fabric, and how pleat depth and length change it.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for a women’s waistcoat (koti)?How much fabric for a women’s waistcoat or koti: metres for waist, hip and knee lengths on 44 and 58 inch cloth, plus lining and the details that add more.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for bell-bottom or flared trousers?How much fabric for bell bottom trousers and bootcut flares: metres on 44 and 58 inch cloth by hem width and height, and why a flare changes the cutting layout.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for a long jacket or front-open gown?How much fabric for a long shrug, front-open gown or long jacket, from knee to floor length, with sleeves, flare and lining, on 44 and 58 inch fabric.Read
3 min readHow much fabric for a long or flared skirt?How much fabric for a long skirt: metres for straight, A-line, gathered, panelled and circle maxi skirts by length and fabric width, in metres and yards.Read
3 min readWhat can be stitched from 5 metres of fabric?Is 5 metres of fabric enough for a suit? What a 5 metre length covers at 36, 44 and 58 inch widths: two-piece outfits, frocks and dresses, and what it cannot make.Read
4 min readHow much extra fabric do gathers and pleats need?How much fabric for gathers, frills, tiers and pleats: the usual fullness ratios, how fabric weight changes them, and a worked example for a tiered maxi skirt.Read
3 min readHow much extra fabric to allow for shrinkageHow much extra fabric for shrinkage: a simple wash test on a measured square, how to turn the result into extra length, and why lawn shrinks more in length.Read
3 min readHow much lining for a flared frock, maxi or sharara?How much lining for an anarkali, flared frock, maxi dress or sharara, why it is cut slimmer than the outer, and how to work out the metres and hem width.Read
4 min readFabric cut crooked at the shop: how much can be used?Fabric not cut straight? The usable length runs between lines squared to the selvedge at the innermost point of each crooked end. How to measure it and what to send.Read

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