I have a bunch of extra cloth from the quilt I made, and I want to make a patchwork halter dress.. only problem is, i've never made clothes without a pattern. Anyone have any tips on how to make it the right shape (whatever that is..) and such? I can handle the halter part.. but the skirt has me confused.
Do you want a tiered skirt? I made a post about one in another thread... http://hipforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2628142&postcount=7
Take an outfit you like, and lay it on some newspaper (depends on how fancy it is, you might have to rip out a few seams to get it to lay flat). Trace out the pieces, leaving a seam allowance (make it bigger if in doubt, you can always cut some fabric away but you can't add more to it). Make it first out of some cheap cotton muslin or scrap fabric, try it on, and adjust the seams as necessary. for a tiered skirt, take one you have that fits you right. Measure the length of fabric in the top tier and then measure the length of the bottom tier, split the difference for the middle one.
You really can get some great styles in the sewing patterns at the sewing stores. Some of the instructions may seem hard to understand, but you can learn a LOT from using them. Once you get the hang of it, you can develop your own styles and patterns. I really think this is fundamental in good work(wo)manship. It's one thing to sew nicely, it's another to design well.
(You really can get some great styles in the sewing patterns at the sewing stores. Some of the instructions may seem hard to understand, but you can learn a LOT from using them. Once you get the hang of it, you can develop your own styles and patterns.) QFT sister! I've been sewing for more years than most of you have been alive! I never took a class (ok 1 semester of home ec in the 7th grade)...everthing I learned was from patterns. They have general information on them too...like definitions of terms, that kind of stuff and they are easy to tweek. I can't even look at a pattern now without thinking about how I would change it! If I find one I really like and have tweeked it to my liking, I tape it on cardboard (I save cereal boxes for this) and cut it out. Write any instructions you might need on the cardboard patterns. They last for ages!
