I really appreciate the explanation of the more traditional style - I know very little about Chinese culture, have so far I think only or mainly come across the more more modern cut, and it's left me puzzled because it's pretty obvious how modern it is. The more traditional cut definitely makes more sense.
Thank you Rosella, you explained this very well. I have always wanted to wear one and then make one. I am 60 now and thinking of giving it a go with a cotton or cotton lawn fabric. I like your version and yes its looks so relaxed in design and fit
Great. THank you very much. loved to have learned the starch glueing of material. I have a container handy in my desk and use it for paper glueing and patternpieces in need of adding or cutting and sticking, You tought me something new. Very inspiring!
This was so interesting ! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge about cheongsam, I loved seeing the more traditional version drafted directed on the fabric ! And thanks so much for sharing your drafting info in the pdf. 😮 so generous !!!
OMG YES! I've revisited the topic, my cheongsam kinda lays dormant because I'm hesitant to cut the fabric xD I'm glad you made another video and omg, the cutting guide. It makes things less daunting
I made my first cheongsam early this year for lunar new year and your first video helped me so much! I am happy to see this video pop up because after seeing your first one I really wanted to try the drafting method :) so excited! Your final cheongsam looks super comfy and cute! Does this method still work with a fish dart in the waist if I wanted a more fitted look?
Thank you so much for these videos! May I ask if there are any rules about how the buttons go? Should the buttons be on the top or the bottom piece? And do all cheongams open on the left side?
Thanks for liking! I'm not sure if there is a rule about the buttons, but I've always placed my buttons on the top and loops on the bottom, this seems more common. For the second question, most Cheongsams open on the wearer's right side. Hope this helps!
Beautiful garment and wonderful explanation!!! It would be great if you could consider making a Tai Chi Robe (I don't know if it is the right term, for those midi length robes with two side slits worn in Kung fu training)
Thank god for your diagram! My son brought me a present from his first schooltrip abroad (ever) 4 meters of beautiful batik for a dress. But I mostly knit stuff? And being kind of obsessed with minimum cut designs I settled on a cheongsam... long story short, yours is the only cheongsam diagram not in chinese (without darts!) I have found. so thankyou thankyou thankyou. I have made two mockups (one with breast darts and one without) only problem is that I get a lot of folds in the upper chest/armpit area (the area between J and K) and, not being a tailor, I dont know how to deal with this. is it the shoulderlength, armroot or upperchestwith?
Hello, cuddlefish! I haven't seen the mockups so my opinion might not be entirely correct, but it sounds like the armroot(or armscye) is a bit large. However, the armpit folds are completely normal even when the cheongsam is drafted and fitted perfectly, because the cheongsam is T-shaped, without the slope on the sleeve block like on many modern garments, so there will be excess fabrics under the arm, but the plus side of it is that it actually allows more movements to your arms because the folds could unfold when you raise your arms. Usually I use soft and thin materials to make dart-less cheongsams so the folds wouldn't be very bulky and they wouldn't bother me. However, if the fabric you use is rather thick and the folds become bulky and uncomfortable, I would recommend either drafting the sleeves with a slope, adding a dart or a seam on the sleeve, therefore changing the T shape of the cheongsam to kind of an arrow shape (hope this makes sense, difficult to explain without a picture) or choosing pattern with a seperate sleeve block entirely. Drafting the sleeves and armpit area as fitted as possible would also help because folds are essentially excess fabric. Hope this helps :)
@@rosellachen8001 Thank you for the very detailed answer. My cheongsam journey has taken me to the same conclutions, namely that the armfolds are an intrinsic part of the pattern. My first pattern featured short sleeves, and when i elongated the sleeves to 3/4 length and shortened the upper-body part, it fitted my body waay better. A more graduated underarm slope and looser armscye kind of moved the folds towards the shoulder. The folds are actually okay, because i have a shoulder handicap that demands excessive fabric, and the folds somewhat disguise this. My mockups were made in old bedsheets so they are more stiff that the final fabric (the sheets was destined for the cleaning rag bin anyway). 😄 ill be cutting a final (possibly wearable) mock soon.
Is there a rule with regards to which side should the front opening be? I read somewhere that it's not proper to have it on the left side. Is that true and why?
I've heard the same, too. I'm not very sure of the exact reason, as I've never done any serious research into it, and there is so little written documents about Chinese historical clothing. But one version of the reason I've heard is that, left-opening garments are usually worn by the deceased at funerals, so the living should not wear them, to avoid bad luck or ghosts. I don't know how true the reason is, but yes, most cheongsams open on the right side!
Hi SupremeTuna! Usually i just use a piece of paper, put it over the cut cheongsam, determine how long I want the opening to be, and simply copy the shape and draw the whole thing by hand. I usually make my cheongsams' openings all the way down to my thighs and make the placket 5-7cm wide. I usually draft net patterns and add seam allowance when cutting. The goal of the placket is to give some extra fabric to cover the skin, so your skin won't show through even when the cheongsam is pulled or under tension because of your movements, you can't see it from the outside, so the shape, width are completely up to you. Hope this helps :)
@@supremetuna The placket needs two be two layers thick, you first stitch the three outer edges together, and then sandwich the seam allowance on the opening, just like how we usually attach shirt collars. Think of the opening as one looonngg neckline and think of the placket as the collar, should be easier to understand. Hope this helps!
