Posts Tagged ‘patternmaking’
The experimental shorts: the crushing verdict
In the world of patternmaking, I like to persist with things and Get It Right. It’s not often I give up easily on a project. Last week I experimented with a short/trousers draft, which I found in one of my old sketchbooks. Unfortunately I hadn’t dated it or noted the source, but I might have…
Read MoreExperimental shorts
Last week’s Built by Wendy, Sewn by Lizzy dress is progressing…slowly. Meanwhile, I came across an interesting idea for cutting trousers (or shorts) and thought I’d give it a whirl. Here’s the concept: It’s closely related to these zero waste pajama pants, except that the triangular/diamond gusset is cut from the tummy rather than…
Read MoreOn going digital
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? I wondered that two years ago when I decided to learn computerized patternmaking. In 1990-91 when I did my patternmaking training, patternmaking software was rare and expensive (it’s still expensive). I learnt to make patterns Old School, and since I never worked anywhere that used computers, I…
Read MoreI wanna be a cowl girl
Last week’s festive season batik cowl neck dress has been an absolute winner! I’ve worn it twice already. Did you like the cowl neck? It’s a shallow cowl, the sort where you don’t have to press your hand to your chest when bending over to avoid displaying everything. It’s an easy bit of patternmaking if…
Read MoreLutterloh from the op shop
Arriving home from an op shop visit, my husband presented me with someone’s Lutterloh books. Lutterloh is a pattern making system from Germany. It was developed in 1935 and is still available today. Lutterloh is a pattern drafting system only. There are no instructions for cutting or making the…
Read MoreFree pattern: wraparound skirt
Hello All, Here’s a pattern for a 6-gore wraparound skirt. It has a generous wrap and is very suitable for one-way prints. It would also look good in a plain fabric with topstitched seams. If you’ve never drafted a pattern before, this is a good one to start with because it’s straight forward and easy-fitting. …
Read MoreThe Mystery Skirt part 3: Revealed
Hi All, The Mystery Skirt got finished. You can read how I started it in Part 1 and Part 2. The skirt is from Sato Watanabe’s Stylish Skirts. Mine has emerged slightly different, but I’m very happy with how it turned out, and the fabric was a dream to sew (although difficult to photograph for…
Read MoreThe Mystery Skirt -part 1
I have been reading Stylish Skirts by Sato Wantanbe. Sewbusylizzie reviewed it here I’m rather partial to Japanese pattern books, with their clear visual instructions, occasional quirky designs and forlorn looking models. Stylish Skirts (which uses dressmakers models instead of the forlorn models) is a little different to other Japanese pattern books in that there’s…
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