I started drafting flat pattern blocks so I wouldn’t have to fiddle with the fit on commercial garments. With this, I have truly been challenged and had the opportunity to make one garment, including muslins, up to seven times before I got the fitting right. I have learned even more about my body shape and dimensions than I ever could have using commercial patterns.

This is a dress I’ve made eight times trying to get the back to lay flat. Tip. If you have a wide hip-to-waist ratio, darts in the back are a must, and if you have a petite torso length, you need to shorten the back of the bodice also. You may very well need a longer zipper, too.

Every once in a while, I do not make a muslin and I always end up paying for that decision horribly. I drafted this pattern and went straight to cutting out a movie dress replica.

While it looks great in the picture, here is the reality of this garment.

This was an easy strap fix; I was lucky. The problem is, I couldn’t remember if I took that shoulder alteration and made it onto the actual paper pattern. This is where I decided to revisit this pattern, making a muslin, then a second muslin, and…

When I had it right, I still messed it up by changing it again. I made it button up the front. I thought I would get away with not lining it. I made cute facings and lined the straps. I forgot that the underarms needed to be finished halfway through the bodice.

I could have left it with the insides Frankenstein-ed, but I cut this same pattern out a fourth time instead. I had just enough fabric! I knew I would not be happy with an unclean bodice after all of the work.

Adding a different skirt design to this bodice changed the silhouette and gave it an entirely new look. With the aliens lining up in a pattern, it was easy to knife pleat the skirt of the dress. I railroad seamed the back and the front, matching the print, and left the front half open to button down.

Like many other challenges, this will be forever treasured.

 

There are no failures with determination.

 

Behind the scenes ~

This is one of my Spoonflower art prints that I designed from a trip to Roswell, NM. Check out my other fabric designs here.

Thank you for reading!

Dream It! Sew It!

Tracy McElfresh
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