I’ve been using all my free time between jobs over the last month to work on pattern drafting. Check out my earlier post on my sloper here. I bought a ton of drafting paper and unbleached cotton muslin so I had plenty of material on hand to work with. I’ve worked with all of Suzy Furrer’s Craftsy courses now and just love them. I bought her book, Building Patterns, which is a wonderful resource, especially when I just want to check something quickly while drafting. Last week I finished up her Drafting the Tailored Jacket or Coat class and redid the Creative Necklines and Creative Darts and Seam Lines courses. I had watched them all before but hadn’t made samples. I feel like I now have a great variety of templates to make just about anything I want.
Bodices/Tops:
The top shown above is a simple blouse with a French Dart that buttons up the front. A very simple comfy top with just a bit of added ease for summer.
The Bodices above were all drafted using my sloper and Craftsy’s Suzy Furrer Class: Patternmaking and Design: Creative Necklines. They all have some corrections on the muslins that were fixed in the draft. Please ignore all the wrinkles as this mannequin is not very accurate and I didn’t bother pressing them. The stitching lines are shown at the neck edges/armhole for seam allowance.
Blouses/Jackets
The Blouse above is one I self drafted. My ASG group is working our way through making a full outfit this year and our first project was a blouse. We had all been using the same pattern, Butterick 6085. I modified mine for my muslin but was never thrilled with the fit/style. So I completely redrafted it using my sloper as well using another Suzy Furrer Class Patternmaking + Design: Collars and Closures. I drafted a V-Neck Blouse with a Shawl Collar, fisheye darts at Front and Back and a gathered full sleeve.
I’m planning on making this in a very lightweight white semi-sheer swiss dot cotton. I moved all my darts to the shoulder to add some gathers (or darts) and may or may not use the collar on the final version. I drafted another sleeve that is a bit cropped but with the same fullness that I thought would look pretty with a tie closure. I’m going to wait and see how I like it. It has a bit of ease but not too much so I can wear it tucked in.
The Jacket above was drafted using Suzy Furrer’s Craftsy Class: Designing Your Wardrobe: Drafting the Tailored Coat or Jacket. This was my first go at the pattern which I drafted pretty much exactly like the one she shows in the class. I’m currently working on a slightly different version similar to this coat on Pinterest. I don’t have any coats at this point living in Florida so one lighter weight one would be a nice addition.
“That is the key of this collection, being yourself. Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live.”
Gianni Versace
Faux Jumpsuits
I’m really into the idea right now of some faux jumpsuits for Spring! I don’t much like the functionality of real jumpsuits so I’m planning on drafting these as separates, made up in the same fabric, that can then be worn together or mixed and matched. I drafted the slightly wide leg capri pant with seams to match the v neck top. The Square neck top has no waist darts so that one’s really easy to match. In the images above you can see where it’s cut that I needed to adjust the leg of the pattern. It was angling inward ( I’m a bit knock kneed).
Dresses
I wanted to show how after you’ve drafted a few of these muslins you can mix and match to make new looks. The dress above is my square neck bodice with my skirt sloper. This last dress (BELOW) is one of my favorites. The Surplice Striped Dress from the Creative Necklines class. Specifically designed for a stripe print with the front crossover on the bias and the back. When cut on the fold to match the stripes form a v up the back. The skirt has 4″ gathered extensions and it wraps in the front with a faced overlap with a tie closure. Super simple and oh so perfect for summer. I love the darts and it’s really pretty on.
Right now the kids and I are all at home social distancing…which is basically my normal life. Other than the kids being home it hasn’t changed too much yet. I’m still working from home and even if work does slow a bit I’ll be paid a base rate. My husband is still working in Ft. Lauderdale though that may change at any point. He can work from home if needed and is salaried so we should be fine. I know others aren’t so lucky.
Schools across the state are closed until at least April 15th with online learning starting March 30th. Next week was supposed to be spring break so we won’t be traveling to visit family like we normally do but other than that life is pretty normal. Right now I’m treating it like a staycation. I’m really glad I got my in-home yoga studio all setup so I can exercise at home- and with the kiddos! I stream Yoga with Adrienne on youtube daily.
I cleaned and prepped weeks ago, I’m a bit of an over planner in general. I’m an introvert so it doesn’t bother me a bit being at home- I have plenty to do! I can see through our zoom talks with the fam it’s much harder on my extroverted family members. I love that we’re planning a daily chat with my whole family every night to keep in touch. I’ve probably heard from my family more in the past week then we normally ever do. We’re also planning some Netflix parties and game nights. And I’m really looking forward to Emma releasing early so I can see all those gorgeous costumes!
Back soon with my fabulous Flamingo PJ’s! I did a little sneak peak on my insta if you want to check it out. I’m going to try and keep up with posting more for those reading the blog. Thanks for following me!
Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!