Friday, July 23, 2010

Tie-Front Dress steps, with the help of Syndrome.



Here are the steps I went through to make my tie-front dress pattern, in case anyone is interested. It's pretty much the same as Anna Allen's instructions. There are heaps of technical difficulties to iron out. Does anyone have some ideas on how the tie could be attached better? I'm not totally happy with the finish on mine.

You'll need a basic bodice pattern to begin- I'm using an old See & Sew pattern here. I used my own bodice block before.

1. Trace around your basic bodice pattern - front & back.



2. Extend the shoulder lines on the bodice front to make a slight cap sleeve (is that what it's called?). I extended mine by 1.5cm to the left, and 4cm to the right.


3. Draw a diagonal line between the two circled asterisks. Cross out the front dart (its excess will be taken up by the tie).


4. My pattern sits at the natural waist, but I want it to sit just under the bust so I shortened it.


5. Match the bodice front and bodice back pieces at the shoulder seams. Extend the bodice back shoulder lines to match the front. My pattern has a scooped back, which I eliminated.


6. Necktie: Measure around the pattern's neckline. I added about 60cm extra for the tie, but this is totally up to you. My tie is 7" wide.

7. Skirt: My skirt is just two large rectangles, gathered and sewn to the finished bodice. In Anna's notes, she made the front skirt panel a bit higher at the center front, which I'll probably do next time round.

8. I sewed the shoulder seams then stitched the tie around the neckline, right sides together. Fold the tie in half, turning the seam allowance in and topstitch down.

2 comments:

  1. I have added you to my list of favorites. I live in America. I am 57, I sew, but you are a 1000 times better than me. You are very advanced to me. I am going to make the dress with (the mociun) following your directions, they were very clear. Keep up the great work, and I will continue reading.

    Linda Vasquez-Allen

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  2. Thank you Linda!

    I hope my instructions work for you. I gradually teaching myself how to alter patterns, and it's taken a fair few disasters to get a wearable dress made :) Please let me know if anything needs further clarification, and good luck with your dress!

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