Like a Red Thread

The saying “like a red thread”, is sometimes used as a metaphor to describe the logical continuation and relationship between a sequence of events, and so the project that I undertook over the last couple of days fittingly is of a red dress.

I found a picture of an Alannah Hill dress ages ago and pasted it into my scrapbook, this red dress with a blue neck tie and sash became my inspiration. I sketched a similar looking dress with a dropped waist line seam. A flared bias cut sleeve and a v-neck with a bias cut neck tie. The result is a soft feminine retro style dress, reminds me of the movie The Notebook.

Sketchbook & Drawing

I started with flat pattern making, drafting a dress block for a size 10 and plotting the design lines. Then it was about tracing the pieces and slashing and spreading for the flare in the skirts and sleeve. I kept the neck tie simple and decided it was easier to take the neck measurements and construct it from a elongated rectangle. 

Paper Pattern - Proving the Waist Dart

Luckily I had a lovely red floral crepe to toile it up in. I’m always fascinated at how the pattern may be perfect to the millimetre but the fabric has a mind of its own and unless necklines are stay stitched and sleeved eased in at the right places a seam can grow quite unexpectedly. It’s a good idea not to wind your bobbin thread at a high speed either as this can cause the thread to tighten. And where do you think it relaxes? Yes, right in the middle of your seam, which no amount of iron will remove the puckering! So back to unpicking!

Layout, Pin, Cut - Traditional Dressmaking

 I also learnt to make sure the side seams on the bodice meet at 90 degrees or else they make a V shape when sewn together. Also, I found out to test the length of my finished sleeve length in relation to the underarm, armhole and sleeve seam, from a design perspective it would have been better just a 5mm longer  where the sleeve hem flares.

Before the Sleeve is Fitted in

Sleeve in...

Zip in!

The Grafis Moment

With red thread clinging to the carpet, I went onto digitize this pattern using Grafis. I used Bodice Block 10 and moved the shoulder dart into the side seam. Tolerances and ease  where put into the bust, across back, waist and hip area. I also moved the shoulder seam forward by 10mm. It also needed to be lengthened and the skirt side seam flared.

Basic Block and Development

After inserting a new part, I continued to work on the development piece, using curves to draw in the front neck line. Also I dropped the waistline on the front and back. I then traced off the Bodice pieces and moved the back shoulder dart into the neck line, I also shortened it so that it would not be seen from under the neck tie on the back. I found that I was more aware of measurements and how the pieces where relating to each other, I double check often and kept a notepad for referencing back to. I used the dart hood 10 tool in dart menu and parallel to create seam allowances.

Front Bodice & Back Bodice with Facing

To create the soft flare in the front and back skirt, I closed out the remainder of the dart into the hem, with the function transformations – turn from point to point. In order to add a little more flare I spread with line, in the spread menu. I found a discrepancy in the final hem length when I had finished linking the hem and instead of fixing it by going back to the Block I mistakenly used the curve tool to redraw a new hem line, this I believe would be suitable if I was doing a one-off pattern, but in order to use this pattern with a hem line of variable length I would wisely have used the X value, (which I was shown in last evenings lecture and was very excited about). More about  the construction parameter X value in the coming weeks.

Front & Back Skirt Pieces

The sleeve admittedly needs more refining of the curve on the sleeve head as it looks a little bumpy after being spread. I would need to go back to the curve tool to smooth out the sleeve head, but for this exercise I will push my perfectionism aside, as there are other patterns I want to have a crack at!

Sleeve 

The neck tie was very straightforward and I used the circles and rectangle menu to enter the dimensions that I needed and adjusted the lines with a gentle curve around the neck according to the neckline measurements.

Neck Tie

This has been my first experience of taking a paper pattern and finished garment and recreating the pattern in Grafis. It has been a real eye opener. I can imagine that there is a need for all archived paper patterns to at be digitized (without a GTCO CalComp or Summagraphics digitizer) , it's great practice for someone like myself, without the pressure to get the garment into production.

This software feels unlimited, and the more you use it the deeper you can become involved with the industrialized realization of this program. So many clever additions have been made, like the x value for example that it makes Patternmaker Designers better at their jobs. 

Lined in 100% Viscose

Finished Dress Sample - with French Seams of course!