Tuesday 21 December 2010

Pattern drafting for dressmaking



I have just received this amazing book by Pamela Stringer on how to draft a pattern based on your own measurements. I had a quick read through it and the whole process sounds pretty straightforward. Has anyone ever tried?
It really covers everything you need to know (I think) and it has loads of images to help you understand the various steps. I will start my own pattern drafting after the Christmas holidays (no point taking my measurements now...I'll have to wait after the turkey and puddings of all sorts!) so I will be posting step by step instructions on how to make your own pattern... hopefully it will work. If you have any advice before I start, please let me know!

my new jacket






I have been following some of the tutorial that I have posted previously and I managed to almost finish my first jacket! ok, the buttons are still missing but I will put them on soon...I promise! The jacket is loosely bades on the coat 1 of the 7263 simplicity pattern that I bought on ebay. Then I've added a few extra bits around the shoulder and the back. I can't believe how easy it was to make, it didn't take as long as I thought and although there are a few mistakes here and there, everything went quite smooth! I love the fabric I found for the lining (and it was a bargain too!), I have some left and I am already thing of what to make with it.
If you are thinking of making a jacket yourself, check out the tutorials I posted previously!

Summer dress in winter





I don't like the snow. I get annoyed when people get excited about the snow. Snow is cold, wet, slippery... how can anyone like it? Maybe it's because I come from a country where it snows every year and it's no surprise when it happens. Having said that, I had loads of fun today taking photos of my latest creations in the snow! I was thinking of a new way of showing the dresses and then I found one just in my backyard! This dress was made following the wenlan blouse pattern on burdastyle.com and I must say that it's one of the best patterns I've ever used. It's very simple to make although I didn't follow the instructions provided as I found them a little confusing...Instead I just did it my way and it worked really well. I'll be posting a tutorial soon as I am planning on making another dress from this pattern. The pattern itself is a little expensive (or more expensive than the patterns I normally buy), but you can buy the book from which the pattern is taken and you get lots more for you money!