Hello,
I have just got my computer working again and want to make a Casual Shell with a Scoop neckline. I want to lower the Neckline but I’m having real difficulties.

If I put minus 5 into the ‘Added Front Neck Depth’ box the line moves right down to the bust level, but that is two low. If I put in minus one or two, it doesn’t move. Minus three and four do the same as minus 5 – the line goes right down to the bust.

When I try move the back neckline that works fine.

Am I right in thinking you need to put minus into the front neckline to lower it but don’t use minus on the back neckline? In fact minus will make the neckline at the back higher.

I have searched the message board but the only similar questions are from a few years ago and people are using older software. I am using Dress Shop Pro, Version 8.2 so that probably wouldn’t work.

Best wishes and thanks for your help.

Hi if you go to options>neck you are Adding the value to increase the depth.

A negative number will raise the neckline position.

The neck depth which you can see when you display front with reference lines and values on will give you an exact depth - if you also have the grid on you can count the boxes down from the current neck stitch line to either the cross chest/high bust or even bust line.

Lets say you want the neck depth half way between across chest and high bust reference lines. In my case that total distance is 3 inches. So I would want to add 1.5 inches.

On the right hand column of the neckline option tool I would enter 1.5 in the added front neck depth tool and then click show it to see just how close I came to my desired depth.

As you lower the neck you may also desire to widen the neck. Lets say the number display for the width is 5.5 and you really want a little more with this deeper neck to balance the look.

You may want to add 0.5 inches so you enter 6 as this is not an "added" number but a total number -enter 6 and show it. When satisfied click done.

Kaaren

That sounds like the problem I had with the V necklines. I made a problem report and Bob said it would be fixed in the next update.
Anya

quote:

I have just got my computer working again and want to make a Casual Shell with a Scoop neckline. I want to lower the Neckline but I’m having real difficulties.

If I put minus 5 into the ‘Added Front Neck Depth’ box the line moves right down to the bust level, but that is two low. If I put in minus one or two, it doesn’t move. Minus three and four do the same as minus 5 – the line goes right down to the bust.

When I try move the back neckline that works fine.

Am I right in thinking you need to put minus into the front neckline to lower it but don’t use minus on the back neckline? In fact minus will make the neckline at the back higher.

The "Added Front Neck Depth" setting is expecting a positive number. Enter 2 to lower the neckline 2 more inches. You cannot enter a negative number to raise the neck. Negative numbers are used for fixed body locations. We use these in custom designs, mostly and the neckline dialog should prompt about that, but does not.

Negative one will place the neck depth at bust level. Negative 2 is under bust. Negative 3 is waist. There are others. Some of these fixed-level settings were originally intended for swimsuit backs. Others were used in some custom patterns where the designer wanted a specific neck depth that did not match any of the stadard neck styles.

If you want a higher neck level, start with a higher neckline type. Instead of a scoop, start with a jewel neck and add inches to take it down to what you really want.

Sorry the prompting on this was so unclear in the neck dialog...

Thank you everyone for your help.

I would have expected the lines to move in exactly the way Kaaren explained. That is how I’ve altered necklines before. The problem is I can only get the Scoop Neckline to move by putting in minus 5. Nothing happens when I put in numbers without a negative.

I am doing it with all the measurements and gridlines showing. Maybe it’s a bug but the same thing happens on several similar patterns I’ve tried.

Thanks again for all your help.
Kirsteen.

quote:

I would have expected the lines to move in exactly the way Kaaren explained. That is how I’ve altered necklines before. The problem is I can only get the Scoop Neckline to move by putting in minus 5. Nothing happens when I put in numbers without a negative.

I'm sorry I forgot to ask, but which version of the program are you using? I was testing with version 8.02, the most recent current update. Looking into the "Help - What's New" page for that build, I do see that there was a bug relating to neck depth adjustment that was corrected in that build. I am sorry I had forgotten the timing of that change and did not check which version you have. I do have a bad habit, I guess. When a bug gets reported that I can confirm on the spot, I fix it then and there, document the change, then forget about it. The ones that take hours or days of work are quite memorable, but I sometimes forget about the quick fixes. Very sorry....

[
I am using Dress Shop Pro 8.02.
I’ve just looked at the Help - What’s New page and see - 6. In the neckline dialog, the neck width and added front depth settings could not be set.

That is exactly the problem I have, but if I read your email correctly it should be sorted out in the version I have.

I’m a bit stuck about what I can do now. Maybe I need to re-instal it or something?
Thanks for your patience.
Kirsteen.

V 8.02 casual shell, scoop neck
to lower neckline 1 inch open options
neckline
far right column added front neck depth enter 1
neckline will drop in this version

that is NOT a negative number simply 1
Kaaren

Hi Kaaren,
That is what I have been doing but nothing happens.

The only reason I mentioned negative numbers is out of desperation I played around with putting minus in and -5 drops the neckline down to the bust.

I’m beginning to think that there is maybe something wrong with my computer if I am the only person who can’t do it.

I’m sorry if I have been bothering you with something that is peculiar to me.
Best wishes and thanks for all your help.
Kirsteen.

I'm using DS8 ver 8:00 and I'm not able to lower the front neckline on any of the patterns I've tried so far - including the shell, the fitted shirt, the fitted blazer, etc. I can increase the width, and I can lower the back neck, but the front neck will not lower. The only pattern it will work on is the fitted shirt that is on the opening screen, but none of the patterns that I load. I have filed a problem report, but the answer only told me how it should work, did not address the fact that it did not work. I will send another problem report and try to make it clearer.
Kate

Sorry everyone. Regarding the problem lowering the neckline on some Dress Shop tops, I finally found that the fix had been done in the upcoming build 8.03. Unfortunately, when I ran my earlier build 8.02, the Windows registry got my new and old versions intermingled, so I was getting a draft from the upcoming version while I thought I was running the older version. I am sorry.

That problem has been fixed in the in the upcoming build 8.03, which we intend to release next month with a summer collection. I am very sorry that my testing got those two build intermingled.

ditto- I got the fix a while back and its also in my test build..
K

Thanks for that, I thought I was going mad! And that I was going to drive poor Kaaren nuts.

Is the a ‘patch’ I can download that would sort the problem or do we need to wait for 8.03 to come out?

Thanks again for all your help, this board is brilliant.
Kirsteen.

I thought I’d take Kate’s tip and make the Fitted Shirt with a lowered scoop neckline. Kate is right you can manipulate the neckline when the Fitted Shirt comes on screen as you open the programme. Unfortunately you can’t print the full pattern from there or save it. When I try to print I get the message -

“When printing unknown patterns, only ‘Fit to Screen’ scaling is allowed”.

When I load the Fitted Shirt pattern in the normal way, you can’t manipulate the neckline. It will only work on the opening screen which you can’t print from.

I guess we are all going to have to wait for the upgrade. I’m only writing this in case it helps whoever does the upgrade to know what the problems are.

Best wishes,
Kirsteen.

quote:

Is the a ‘patch’ I can download that would sort the problem or do we need to wait for 8.03 to come out?

We can post a patch. I generally hesitate to do that with work-in-progress that has not been past the testers yet. But, this one is mostly minor fixes and new patterns, rather than new tools or features, so it should be safe.

The patch location appears below. This is a self-extracting WinZip file. We have had occasianal difficulties using WinZip with systems running Vista, so this MAY not work for Vista users, depending on security settings that I have never quite figured out. To install the patch, click on the link and select either "Run" or "Save" from the download dialog. If you Save it, be sure to run it when it has finished saving.

When the patch is run, it should install the changes to the default Dress Shop folder location. If you have Dress Shop installed elsewhere, be sure to correct the "Unzip To Folder" accordingly.

The patch location is:

http://www.livingsoftnw.com/builds/DS8_03patch2.exe

The changes in this patch include:

1. Some jackets did not get all of the jacket shaping options in the Shaping and Finish dialog.

2. Yoke adjustment settings were added for owners of Doll Shop Deluxe.

3. Some patterns (princess pants, for instance) that had been included in Doll Shop Deluxe 5 were not being activated properly in Doll Shop Deluxe 8.

4. The neck depth setting was not working for some tops.

5. Jackets drafted to the default hip length, regardless of length selected.

6. Using the manual activation feature, you can now activate all owned patterns independently of entering activation codes.

7. Entering manual activation codes would sometimes not save the user account number being entered. In that case, the program would hang up then and any time it was re-run until the offending activation codes file was manually deleted.

8. Illustrations for shorts made using the Pants Customizer were missing.

9. The Camisole pattern length was incorrect.

10. The Empire Nightgown was illustrating improperly.

11. With some fitted patterns, there was no option to completely remove the side bust dart. That should now be available for any pattern using a side bust dart.

12. Some closure options available with prior versions of Dress Shop Standard were only activated with Dress Shop 8 Pro. They should now be available in both Pro and Standard.