Playing with paper

Pattern Magic - Tying a Bow

I have finally got the bodice blocks drafted and adjusted.  This morning, with the damp and dreary conditions outside, I decided would be the day – the Magic day!  I have adapted bodice blocks drafted from Winnifred Aldrich to the style of the block in Pattern Magic.  Now I am having a brilliant an interesting time playing with the adaptations.  I really want to get the toile finished by school pick up time!!  Here are some pics of the patternwork in progress today.

Front bodice adaptations - tying a knot

Front is marked up with the pleat and the slash lines, just needs the skirt for the dress.

Slashing the front open

Skirt added, lines slashed and armhole dart closed.  There is an 8cm gap between all the slash points.

Dress front complete

Just look at the size of that monster!  I recon this is going to take quite a bit of calico.

Back bodice adaptation - tying a knot

The back is much simpler.

On the subject, I notice Amazon UK have another book by Nakamichi Tomoko, Pattern Magic:  Cut and Sewn.  I wonder how long it will be until this is available in English??

So now I just need to figure out how it all goes together.  Hopefully the toile plays ball  and there will be more photos later.

***   UPDATE   ***

Toile - Knot Dress

Toile complete!  I altered the pattern slightly, leaving off the pleat in the front, and adding a 6cm flare instead.  I think I might just leave this off too, as the front is wide enough!

Toile - Knot Dress

Daughter no 2 likes the style, but wants it more fitted in this weight fabric.  So I was thinking of making it in linen…  I will have to make it more fitted to the waist if I do it in linen, but apparently it won’t “be so bad” if I use a floaty fabric. I just may have something in my stash.

Toile - Knot Dress

I guess I am off to source some suitable fabric now!

Back on Track – the Skirt

Despite finding that lovely Liberty fabric last week and wanting to make the dress, I have stuck it out and made a skirt.  I used Winnie’s Tailored Skirt block.  When I drafted the block I was aware that the hip curve might be a little poofy – something that Winnie’s skirts tend to do on some people.  I made a note to check this when I did the fitting.

Tailored Skirt Block

The block actually fits well, apart from the poofy bit on the side.  The side seams hang perpendicular to the floor, there is no pulling and no baggy bit at the back.  All I needed to do was to adjust the hipline curve where I pinned on the toile.

Tailored Skirt Toile

Tailored Skirt Toile

Hip Adjustment

Once the adjustment was marked on the pattern I started the adaptation for a 12 gore skirt.  I had decided to make a skater skirt without a gathered waist.  I wanted something fitted to the hip and flaring out gently.  I divided the front and back along the hipline into 3 and moved the darts on the back to line up with the panel lines, the darts were made a little bigger and to compensate for this I moved the side seam out from the hip to the waist by 1cm.  I did the same on the front and added a 2nd dart to go onto the 2nd panel.  I marked the grainlines on the centre of each piece, labeled them and cut them up.  I added 4cm flare to the hemline of each piece, on each side, tapering to a point 14cm below the waist on the panel seam.  I am not going to have a separate waistband, but will draft a facing.  The zip will go in the centre back seam.

Skirt Pattern With Style Lines Marked

Skater Skirt – Pattern Pieces

The toile of the skirt fits really well, I love the line of the flare.  I have 2 different fabrics to make this in, one a lightweight beige linen with a white pinstripe, and the other a retro print cotton sateen.  It will be interesting to see how different the skirt looks with these two different fabrics.

Skater Skirt – Toile

Skater Skirt – Toile