Our written instructions are composed so that whether you are new to the profession, or has experience in cutting,

you could use

them. All our instructions on basic blocks are divided into two parts: An illustration of the completed instruction and a more in-depth
review of the instruction itself step by step. All the illustrations have a supplementary text instruction, which you can read as required.
Our vision is that you can lean on to the text instruction, the first few times you make the basic block, but you will quite quickly find
that you can completely do without the explanation and only need to take advantage of the illustration.

This compendium includes:

• Instruction on the basic dress block

• Step-by-step guide to instruction
• Guide to alignment (bust dart)
• Pattern overview

If you are a new beginner, you can benefit from practicing how to turn the basic block into 1/4 size. A printed version of a 1/4-scale
ruler can be found on our website at cutupstudio.com/how-to-print

To turn the basic block into a standard size, you will find all the values for the
Custom size: size 38 points that are being used in the instruction in our measurment table on our
website in the menu Measurements Guide > Measurement Table
Upper chest cir. UCC 84
However, if you will start to turn the basic block into individual measures, you
start by taking the measurements you need for the instruction. The measure-
Bust cir. BC 88 ments to be used in this instruction are listed at the bottom on this page with
an illustration of the most important measurements. Instructions for taking
Bust distance BD 19 measurements can be found on our website in the menu Measurements Guide

Waist cir. WC 70 We review this basic block in the following pages.

Hip cir. 1 HC1 87

Hip height 1 HH1 10.1

Hip cir. 2 HC2 98

Hip height 2 HH2 20.2

BH

UCC

Upper back width UBW 37

BC
SIH

Back length BL 40.5 SHL

SHH
SHL

H
SH

Bust height BH 33 WC
BL

HH1

Shoulder length SHL 51 UCC

HC1 BC
Shoulder height SHH 78
HH2

HC2
SKH

Side height SIH 19.5 WC

Shoulder width SHW 12.9

HC1

1/6 of 1/2 UCC 1/6 7

HC2

1/3 of (1/6-1) 1/3 2

Difference
(BC-UCC+4)/2 DIFF 4
*Cir = circumference

© CUT UP STUDIO 2017 Page 1 of 7

*All values are given in cm.

SHL
1/6-1
6

1/3
NAPE LINE 1.5 6
1/6-0.5 SHW
+1.5

1/6
1/6+1
Control measure: 8 8 W
Hip line 1 = 1/2 HC1 SH

FO
RA
If width is missing at the hip line 1,

BH
LIG
it must be added to at the side

BH
NM
seam.

EN
T
1/2 SHH

1/2 SHH
2
5
size 38
BL

DIFF
1/6-0,5
UCC 84 1/6

2
SIDE HEIGHT LINE 1/2 UBW-0.5 1/4 UCC 1/4 UCC DIFF
1/2 BD-1 1/2 BD
45 45
BC 88 BUST POINT

BD 19
BACK FRONT

WC 70
SIH

CB

CF
HC1 87

HH1 10.1
WC WAIST LINE 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1/2 1/2
HC2 98
1/4 WC+3

HH2 20.2
HH1

Sideseam is
UBW 37 mirrored from
front to back
HC1 HIP LINE 1

BL 40.5
HH2

BH 33

SHL 51 HC2 HIP LINE 2 1/2 1/2

SHH 78 1/4 HC2

SIH 19.5
SIDE SEAM FRONT

SIDE SEAM BACK

Dress length

SHW 12.9

1/6 7

1/3 2

DIFF 4

© CUT UP STUDIO 2017 Page 2 of 7

*All values are given in cm.

Instruction part 1
In this instruction, first draw a vertical
CB-line in the wanted length (dress
length) on the left side of the paper.
- Note that there must be some space at
the top of the paper, so there is room for

1/3
the green lines. NAPE LINE
The nape line, the side height line, the 1/6-0.5

waist line and the two hip lines should

be placed on the CB-line and they are
determined by inserting the values of
BL, SIH, HH1 and HH2, and then
horizontal lines from each point are
drawn.
- Note that SIH, HH1 and HH2 are
always measured from the waist line.

Point 1/6-0.5, and vertically up the point

BL

1/3, are marked horizontally on the nape

DIFF
line. 1/6-0.5
1/6
The points 1/2 UBW-0.5, 1/4 UCC (x2), SIDE HEIGHT LINE 1/2 UBW-0.5 1/4 UCC 1/4 UCC DIFF
DIFF and 1/2 BD are marked on the side 1/2 BD

height line. From every point draw

vertical lines as shown in the figure.
All the black lines should now be drawn
on the paper. BACK FRONT

The vertical line at the point DIFF is the

SIH

CB

CF
CF-line of the front. At the point DIFF,
and vertically up, DIFF is marked once
again and the point is connected with
1/4 UCC, as shown in the figure (green).
On this new line, from the point 1/4
WC WAIST LINE
UCC towards DIFF, the points 1/6 and
1/6-0.5 are marked and perpendicular
lines (green) are drawn from each point.
- Note that these lines will be used later
HH1

to define new points and therefore

allowed to be drawn plenty long.
HC1 HIP LINE 1

size 38
HH2

UCC 84

BD 19 HC2 HIP LINE 2

HH1 10.1

HH2 20.2
Dress length

UBW 37

BL 40.5

SIH 19.5

1/6 7

1/3 2

DIFF 4

© CUT UP STUDIO 2017 Page 3 of 7

*All values are given in cm.

SH L
1/6-1
1/3
NAPE LINE
1/6-0.5

1/6
1/6+1

BH
Instruction part 2

BH
From the waist line, the values of
1/2 SHH (red, x2) and SHL (red)

1/2 SHH

1/2 SHH
are placed up to the point where
they cuts the existing lines (green).
BL

- Note that new points are formed

DIFF
1/6-0.5
at the point where the lines meet. 1/6
SIDE HEIGHT LINE 1/2 UBW-0,5 1/4 UCC 1/4 UCC DIFF
1/2 BD
From the new point at SHL the BUST POINT
points 1/6-1 and 1/6 are marked
downwards on the green line. The
point 1/6+1 is marked from the
point 1/6 and perpendicular to the BACK FRONT
green line.
SIH

CB

From the same point (at SHL) the

CF
value of BH (blue) is placed to the
point where it cuts the line at both
1/2 BD and CF.
- Note that new points are formed
where the lines meet.
WC WAIST LINE

The bust point and the points that

determine the neckline and the
slope of your shoulder lines are
HH1

now defined. Draw guide lines to

both shoulder lines, as shown in
the figure. HC1 HIP LINE 1
HH2

size 38

BH 33
HC2 HIP LINE 2

SHL 51

SHH 78
Dress length

1/6 7

© CUT UP STUDIO 2017 Page 4 of 7

*All values are given in cm.

Instruction part 3
The guide lines for the armhole are Control measure:

SHL
drawn by marking the point 5 on the Hip line 1 = 1/2 HC1

1/6-1
green line. From here draw a line of 2
cm perpendicular on the green line.
From this new point draw a guide line 6

1/3
NAPE LINE 1.5 6
perpendicular to the side height line 1/6-0.5 SHW
+1.5
and the 'box' where the armhole is to be

1/6
1/6+1
drawn is now defined. In each corner a 8 8 W
line of 2 cm at an angle of 45 degrees is SH

FO
drawn, as shown in the figure.

RA

BH
LIG
On the side height line the point 1/2

BH
NM
BD-1 and point 6 are marked on both

EN
T
shoulder lines to be used for the

1/2 SHH

1/2 SHH
shoulder dart and alignment. Draw the
2
guide lines between points 6 and 1/2 5
BL

BD-1 on the back, and between point 6

DIFF
and the bust point on the front. Draw 1/6-0.5
the shoulder dart and the alignment line 1/6

2
SIDE HEIGHT LINE 1/2 UBW-0.5 1/4 UCC 1/4 UCC DIFF
as shown in the figure. 1/2 BD-1 1/2 BD
45 45
Smooth out the lines on both waist BUST POINT
darts and side seams as shown in the
figure.
BACK FRONT
Draw neckline, shoulder and armhole.
- On the back shoulder dart is added a
CB

CF
SIH

little extra, so that the shoulder line

appears straight when the dart is
closed.
Check the pathways of the lines by
placing the patterns side seam to side
seam and shoulder to shoulder. Smooth WC WAIST LINE 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1/2 1/2
out the lines at the neckline and
armholes, if necessary (there should be 1/4 WC+3

no places where the lines form peaks or

HH1

notches).
Sideseam is
mirrored from
Check the hip circumference by front to back
HC1 HIP LINE 1
measuring the hip line 1 at the pattern
from CB to side seam back and from
side seam front to CF, without darts,
and compare it with the control
HH2

measure.

If width is missing at the hip line 1, it HC2 HIP LINE 2 1/2 1/2
must be added to at the side seam.
1/4 HC2
Finally, the alignment is made as
reviewed in the next chapter.
SIDE SEAM FRONT
Dress length

SIDE SEAM BACK

size 38

BD 19

WC 70

HC1 87

HC2 98

SHW 12.9

© CUT UP STUDIO 2017 Page 5 of 7

*The illustrations are without scale

Instruction
To create the alignment and thus
define the bust dart, cut up the line for

FO
alignment from shoulder seam to bust

RA
point and from bust point out to the

LIG
CF-line, as shown in the figure. Then

NM
rotate the pattern part out around the

EN
bust point, so that the point at the

T
neck meets the CF-line.
Finally, remove the part of the pattern
that sticks out beyond the CF-line.
The basic block is now ready to be
sewn up.
- Note that the pattern part that is "cut
out" can be copied out onto a new
piece of pattern paper and transferred
back on to the basic block, after it is
rotated so that the pattern paper is BP
intact.

If one already knows how the bust

dart should be (from armholes, side
seams or waist line), alternative
alignments are shown at the bottom
of the page. FRONT

CF
Example of alignment

Alignment from armhole Alignment from side seam Alignment from waist line

FO
RA
LIG
NM
EN
T BP BP BP
T
MEN
L IGN
RA
FO
FOR ALIGNMENT
CF

CF

CF

FRONT FRONT FRONT

© CUT UP STUDIO 2017 Page 6 of 7

 SIH SIH

BP

BACK FRONT
CB

CF
WC WC

HC1 HC1

HC2 HC2

© CUT UP STUDIO 2017 - Page 7 of 7