242 lines
9.8 KiB
Text
242 lines
9.8 KiB
Text
---
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title: "Brian: FreeSewing's Brian Body Block"
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sidebar_label: Brian Body Block
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---
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<DesignInfo design="brian" />
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## Designer Notes {#notes}
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Brian is FreeSewing's foundational body block for menswear. It underpins many
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of our designs and has done so for many years.
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It is inspired by the teachings of Gareth Kershaw, but has a number of
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improvements such as handling shoulder slope, the ability to shift the shoulder
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seam backward and forward on both collar and shoulder side, as well as a highly
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configurable sleevecap.
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Perhaps just as important as what it does, is what it does not do: It does not
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fit the body. It's just straight down from the chest. No fitting of the waist
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whatsoever.
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This is intentional to make it easier to extend this design in a variety of
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styles.
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joost
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## What You Need {#needs}
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To make Brian, you will need the following:
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- [Basic sewing supplies](/docs/sewing/basic-sewing-supplies)
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- About 1.25 - 1.5 metres (1.4 - 1.7 yards) of a suitable fabric ([see Fabric
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options](#fabric))
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This list is for a default Brian Block. If you have/are making changes to the
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block you may need to get additional items such as closures, binding etc.
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:::note
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###### Brian is a block, not a pattern
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A block is a basic shape on which other patterns are based. They are sometimes
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also called slopers, although purists will argue that a block and a sloper are
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different things.
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Blocks are typically not made as-is but rather serve as a basis for other
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patterns.
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:::
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## Fabric Options {#fabric}
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If you are making a default Brian to see how it fits we recommend a fabric such
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as **Calico (Muslin)** or a cheaper fabric that matches the drape and stretch
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of the fabric you intend to make a finalised version of Brian with.
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You can use scraps of fabrics from your stash so don't worry about buying
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fabric specifically for Brian.
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## Cutting Instructions {#cutting}
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- Cut **1 Front** part on the fold.
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- Cut **1 Back** part on the fold.
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- Cut **2 Sleeve** parts.
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:::note
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These cutting instructions are just for the default Brian block. Adjust your
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cutting accordingly if you have/are making changes to the block.
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:::
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:::tip
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If you do not have someone to help pin you into Brian then you may find it
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easier to Cut 2 Front parts with seam allowance and sew the backs up when
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constructing so you can pin in the front.
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:::
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## Understanding the sleevecap
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In version 2 of FreeSewing, the sleevecap of Brian was redesigned to be more
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adaptable to different types of sleeves and garments. As a result, the
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sleevecap alone now has 20 options to control its shape. Whereas that may seem
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a bit overwhelming at first, understanding how the sleevecap is drafted makes
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it easy to understand what all the individual options do.
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### The bounding box
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The _bounding box_ of the sleevecap is a rectangle that is as wide as the
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sleeve, and as high as the sleevecap. Inside this box, we will construct our
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sleevecap later.
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The image above shows a sleevecap, starting at point 1, then going up until
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point 4, and then down again to point 2.
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:::note
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###### Finding out which is the front of the sleeve(cap)
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In our example, the front of the sleevecap is on the right hand side. But how
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would you know?
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While patterns typically have an indication that shows which side is which (a
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single notch means the front, whereas a double notch means the back), you can
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also recognize the front side of a sleevecap because it is more curved. The
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backside of the sleevecap will also be curved, but it's a flatter curve. That's
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because the human shoulder is more pronounced and curved on the front of the
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body, thus the sleevecap is more curved there to fit the shoulder.
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:::
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The width of the sleevecap (and thus the width of the sleeve at the bottom of
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the armhole) is equal to the distance between points 1 and 2. That distance
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depends on the measurements used, the amount of ease, the cut of the garment
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and so on. For our sleevecap, all we need to know is that we start with a given
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width. And while that width can be influenced by other factors, we can not
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influence it by any of the sleevecap options.
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The height of the sleevecap is equal to the distance between points 3 and 4.
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The exact height is a trade-off between the measurements used, options, ease,
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sleevecap ease, and the fact that the sleeve ultimately has to fit the armhole.
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So the height may vary, and we don't control the exact value. But there are two
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options that control the shape of our sleevecap:
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- [Sleevecap top X](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecaptopfactorx/) :
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Controls the horizontal placement of point 3 and 4
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- [Sleevecap top Y](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecaptopfactory/) :
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Controls the vertical placement of point 4
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In other words, point 4 can be made higher and lower and, perhaps less
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intuitively, it can also be changed to lie more to the right or the left,
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rather than smack in the middle as in our example.
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### The inflection points
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With points 1, 2, 3, and 4 in place, we have a box to draw our sleevecap in.
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Now it's time to map out our _inflection points_. These are points 5 and 6 on
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our drawing, and their placement is determined by the following 4 options:
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- [Sleevecap back X](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapbackfactorx) :
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Controls the horizontal placement of point 5
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- [Sleevecap back Y](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapbackfactory) :
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Controls the vertical placement of point 5
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- [Sleevecap front X](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapbackfactorx) :
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Controls the horizontal placement of point 6
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- [Sleevecap front Y](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapbackfactory) :
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Controls the vertical placement of point 6
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:::note
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As you see in our example, these points do not always lie on our sleevecap line. Instead, they
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are instrumental in creating the points that always lie on the sleevecap: the anchor points.
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:::
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### The anchor points
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Ultimately, our sleevecap will be the combination of 5 curves. In addition to
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points 1 and 2, the four _anchor points_ that are marked in orange in our
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example will be the start/finish of those curves.
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The points are _offset_ perpendicular from the middle of a line between the two
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anchor points surrounding them. The offset for each point is controlled by
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these 4 options:
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- [Sleevecap Q1 offset](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq1offset) :
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Controls the offset perpendicular to the line from points 2 to 6
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- [Sleevecap Q2 offset](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq2offset) :
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Controls the offset perpendicular to the line from points 6 to 4
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- [Sleevecap Q3 offset](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq3offset) :
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Controls the offset perpendicular to the line from points 4 to 5
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- [Sleevecap Q4 offset](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq3offset) :
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Controls the offset perpendicular to the line from points 5 to 1
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:::note
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We've divided our sleevecap into 4 quarters. We start at the front (the right
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in our example) with quarter 1, and make our way to the back to end with
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quarter 4.
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Like the offset option, the last options to determine the shape of our
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sleevecap will just repeat so you can control each quarter individually.
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:::
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### The spread
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We now have all the start and end points to draw the 5 curves that will make up
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our sleevecaps. What we're missing are the control points (see [our info on
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Bézier curves](https://freesewing.dev/guides/prerequisites/bezier-curves) to
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learn more about how curves are constructed). These are determined by the
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so-called _spread_.
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For each of the anchor points (the ones marked in orange, not points 1 and 2)
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there is an option to control the spread upwards, and downwards:
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- [Sleevecap Q1 downward
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spread](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq1spread1) : Controls the
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downward spread in the first quarter
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- [Sleevecap Q1 upward spread](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq1spread2)
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: Controls the upward spread in the first quarter
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- [Sleevecap Q2 downward
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spread](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq2spread1) : Controls the
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downward spread in the second quarter
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- [Sleevecap Q2 upward spread](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq2spread2)
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: Controls the upward spread in the second quarter
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- [Sleevecap Q3 upward spread](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq3spread1)
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: Controls the upward spread in the third quarter
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- [Sleevecap Q3 downward
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spread](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq3spread2) : Controls the
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downward spread in the third quarter
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- [Sleevecap Q4 upward spread](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq4spread1)
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: Controls the upward spread in the fourth quarter
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- [Sleevecap Q4 downward
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spread](/docs/designs/brian/options/sleevecapq4spread2) : Controls the
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downward spread in the fourth quarter
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:::note
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Attentive readers will have noticed that point 4 is not an anchor point. In
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other words, there is no guarantee that it will lie on the sleevecap line.
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Which also means that the upwards spread in quarters 2 and 3 will influence the
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height of the sleevecap. Reduce the upwards spread, and the curve will dip
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below point 4. Increase it and the curve will rise above it.
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:::
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### Takeaways
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While the sleevecap in Brian (and all patterns that extend Brian) have a lot of
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options, understanding how the sleevecap is constructed can help you design the
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exact sleevecap shape you want. To do so:
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- Start with placing the top of your sleevecap
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- Then determine the inflection points
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- Next, use the offset to control the steepness of the curve
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- Finally, use the spread to smooth things out
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What's important to remember is that you're only ever controlling the shape of
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the sleevecap. Whatever shape you design, it will be fitted to the armhole,
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meaning that its size can and will be adapted to make sure the sleeve fits the
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armscye. However, the shape you design will always be respected.
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