After cutting out the bottom panels from muslin, I started to work on the pattern for the top. I can’t imagine how one would be able to draw the pattern out so I decided on the draping method with the help of Draping for Fashion Design by Hilde Jaffe & Nurie Relis. In order to determine the length of muslin I would need, I draped the fabric true to design and cut around it leaving at least 2 inches extra for movement and seam allowance (to be determined).

Once I had the muslin cut and draped for the top, I decided to baste stitch the bottom panels to test out the pattern. I’m very pleased with the skirt panels and didn’t feel the need to make any changes to the original pattern. I then draped both of the panels together to determine overall look and possible changes. The hem was also pinned up to see how the dress would fall. It turned out to be an exact replica of the original sketch. I’m loving it!

My ultimate goal is to somehow combine the top and bottom pattern into one. The design calls for an overall smooth, clean-line look. If I keep the dress in two panels, it comes off as too bridesmaid-y. After the top pattern is completed, I am going to try to combine the panels on paper. We shall see how that goes!

I finished attaching the waistbands and am pleased with the overall look. There are a few adjustments needed so I decided to make the following changes for the original pattern draft:

- add 1” length to the hem

- fix the seam allowance for the lower back panels

- add a 5/8 seam allowance on the edges that connect the front decorative waistband to the back decorative waistband

- add a little width to decorative waistband (to create a higher waistband)

After making all of these changes, the pattern is finished and ready for the final fabric. I tried the skirt on and it fits like a glove. Very excited to wear it! My next stop will be the fabric store which is one of my favorite parts of the design process. I’m looking for an ivory-colored fabric with a little bit of stretch and a medium thickness (in between tweed and a stretchy cotton). Most likely I will change my mind about the fabric color or texture once I am at the store. We shall see!

After tweaking the darts a bit, I finally got them into place. Continuing on from yesterday, I stay-stitched the skirt panels and darts into place and removed the pins so I could try it on (pins = OUCH). LOVE the fit. Working with an adjustable dress form definitely helps when tailoring a garment to your own measurements.

Next task – drafting the waistband. After some consideration, I decided on a thin standard-looking waistband below the decorative ruffle waistband, which steps away from the original design a little but helps to streamline the look and add functionality.

Drafting the waistbands was fairly easy since both required a rectangular shape. I took the waist measurement and added a 5/8 seam allowance with enough width to fold for the standard waistband. The decorative waistband required more length in order to create the “ruffle”. It also needed a greater width for a more dramatic effect.

After cutting the patterns from Muslin, I started to stay-stitch the bands into place. Small folds were added to the fabric at certain points on the decorative band to create the ruffles. Once the bands are attached, I will be able to determine if any alterations needed to be made to the patterns.

Today, I started to draft the pattern for a skirt designed based upon my inspirational trip to Venice, Italy. I have designed an entire line around this recent trip so, you will see that most of my current projects will contain details representative of Venice and it’s culture, architecture and rich lavish colors. The original design for the skirt (mainly the waistband) was based upon ruffle details seen mostly in Carnival costumes. Walking through Venice, you pass many a shop with decorative masks and costumes designed specifically for the annual Carnevale di Venezia.

I found a basic skirt pattern tutorial in one of my recently purchased books, How to Make Sewing Patterns by Donald H. McCunn. I followed the instructions for the basic straight skirt pattern. However, my design calls for a pencil skirt and a decorative waistband, so some tweaks were made to the initial pattern draft.

After taking my measurements and adjusting my dress form (amazing bday gift!), I created the first pattern draft for the skirt panels.  The only adjustment I made to this first pattern draft, is the cut of the skirt. My design calls for a more pencil skirt look rather than a straight skirt look. So, I used a hip curve ruler to round out the fit. It looks good minus a mistake on the seam allowance on the lower back skirt panels. Not only am I impressed with this book; but I am also impressed with my ability to get this down on paper and make necessary tweaks as I go along. I transferred the pattern draft to Muslin (cheap fabric) and will attempt to stay-stich the pieces together. This will help determine where the darts will be placed and if any changes need to be made to the first pattern draft.

After pinning the garment pieces (inside out) around the dress form and locate the darts, I was thoroughly impressed with the overall look and fit of the main skirt panels. My only concerns are the length of the skirt and the dart placement. The design calls for a “right below the knee” fit. The pattern is falling mid-knee and this is before hemming. So, I decided to add another inch to the length of the pattern draft. I also want to play around with the dart placement a bit.