Happy Monday everyone!
I started sewing in March 2021. I bought an online Groupon course for $7 and made a pillowcase. Then, I bought an “easy” rated McCall’s pattern. It was McCall’s 8066. I remember I had done a bunch of research of fabrics to use for the skirt and settled on a green gingham cotton fabric. I also bought interfacing and elastic. The skirt turned out horribly, but over time my skills improved. I also took a patternmaking class in Fall 2021 at FIT. Fast forward to my last make, Butterick 6556 and I’m adjusting patterns for a better fit. It was only natural that over time, I would start to make my own patterns. Don’t get me wrong – I love a Big 4 pattern, especially my Vogue patterns, but I wanted to use the skills I learned in class.
In any case, I told myself that I’d start slowly drafting patterns. The idea was to start with simple tops and skirts, but it didn’t turn out like that. I ended up going for a dress I mean go big or go home. I’m not the best at sketching, but I love to pull inspiration from the runways and from movies and tv shows. I wanted a dress with a square neckline, puffy sleeves, a tier, and a waistband. It was a pretty aggressive goal, but I knew I could do it.
Pattern Construction of Dress
The first step was to adjust my bodice sloper. I made my bodice sloper earlier this year and by using Helen Joseph Armstrong’s book as a guide, I created a square neckline for the front and the back. I also removed the darts from the back for a more seamless fit. Then, I moved on to the skirt. I created an A-line pattern and removed the darts. Then, I made sure to make sure the front and back slopers were the same measurements as the front and back skirt slopers. To make my sleeves, I used the dartless sleeve sloper and used the slash and spread method. At this point in the make, I realized that I didn’t have a waistband. After a few Youtube tutorials, I decided to slash the front and back bodice slopers by 1.5 inches and use that as my waistband. I also had to get my tiers. I slashed the front and back skirts and got an asymmetrical tier because of the shape of the A-line skirts. It’s not what I was initially going for, but it looked like it would be cute. Then I added seam allowances and got to sewing.
Dress Construction
To be completely honest, I love drafting because of a) the time it saves me from reading someone else’s directions and b) the fit. I went with a fun and funky cotton poplin that I bought from Blackbird Fabrics, that’s no longer in stock. However, it’s available on Fabric.com . I loved the colors of the fabric and I really wanted something that screamed summer. The dress came together quite nicely and quickly. The dress is also self lined. I think it turned out really well and I’m quite proud of the make. It’s so special that I was able to make my own pattern in a dress that I absolutely adore and hope to get a lot of wear out of this summer.
Thanks so much for reading. Happy sewing!
