I just finished this dress for winter. I really loved the fabric and bought it without having a specific dress pattern in mind. Then I came across an old dress in my closet that really needed to go because it was so badly faded and the fabric was getting holes - I bought it 5 years ago and wore it all the time, and it was used when I got it. So I decided to copy the dress - the pattern is self drafted but I measured the old dress and made an almost exact copy.
I’d never drafted a raglan sleeve before, or a neckline like this, so it took me a while to figure it out but I’ve gotten a bit better at pattern drafting now.
It doesn’t look great in pictures, unfortunately I don’t have dress form (it’s on my wishlist but they cost €€€! ). But when I wear it, it fits perfectly, the top is fitted, not tight or oversized, and the high waist and A-line skirt are very flattering.
I love that fabric…and am super impressed that you were able to recreate a favourite item like this! I bet you’ll get tons of wear out of this one, too.
Wow! The print is so cute, and the dress looks professionally made. I wish I could take favorite items and make drafts from them. I didn’t get the seamstress gene from my family, unfortunately.
What a good use for the fabric! And a wonderful way to improve your pattern drafting skills. Plus, with it being such a good fit and based on a well loved pattern, it sounds like you’ll get a lot of use out of this, which is always nice when you’ve put a lot of time and effort into a project!
It’s a cotton jersey fabric, so it’s stretchy, I just pull it over my head. I’m not really a fan of working with knit fabric but it was a good choice for this type of dress.
I’ve found that there are a few basic styles of clothing that I’m always drawn to, regardless of current fashion. So I’ve slowly drafted good “basics” for them and my plan is to make this one again in the future. Drafting a whole dress takes me almost as long as sewing one, but the pattern can be re-used and it’s easy to change details like sleeves, necklines and skirt length. A completely different fabric changes the look as well. It doesn’t usually matter if your weight fluctuates a bit because your body size doesn’t typically change, it’s easy to adapt the pattern. Your waist circumference might change but things like the length of your back don’t.
Another good basic I’ve drafted is the one I posted about in this thread: What’s your sewing method? I’m currently on the hunt for fabric to make it for the third time - I’ve got one with long sleeves and one with elbow-length sleeves, now I want a short sleeved version from a nice punta di roma (a classic little black dress).
@Tapestry Pattern drafting is fun! There are many different methods, they do all require some math. It’s quite technical, but you do learn so much about garment construction. It’s fairly easy to learn how to draft a skirt, bodices and sleeves are more complicated.
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AIMR
(Linda -2024 Choose Projects that You Want to Do :us:)
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I really love this dress. A classic black dress in this pattern would be lovely! There are so many ways to accessorize a black dress!
