How To Design A Dress Pattern – In our last post I gave you an overview of our new design, the Austin dress. Today I’m going to cover the details that make this dress a summer piece you’ll want to wear again and again. From the gracefully angled shoulder, to the buttoned side band detail, to the two skirt views, this pattern is full of interesting elements, so let’s dive in!
Austin’s bodice is split between views A and B. The bodice is set at the shoulders to tighten the silhouette to the body, then falls over the bust in a looser silhouette that won’t cling in the summer heat.
How To Design A Dress Pattern
We’ve paired the high jewel neckline with a keyhole opening at the front which, in addition to allowing the dress to fit over the head, can be worn open or closed, giving you neckline options depending on your comfort level. We also have a tutorial planned on how to move the keyhole opening to the back if you want.
Wrap Dress Pattern
As mentioned above, the armhole is gracefully sloped to create a frame that accentuates the shoulder. Although the straps are narrow, we’ve kept them wide enough to easily cover a racerback or I-bra, and depending on the style, a regular bra can work too. The neckline and armhole are finished with bias tape.
On either side of the dress you will find a series of buttons and buttonholes that create side seams and add interest to the dress. We’ve seen this detail quite a bit in vintage styles, but we think it looks pretty modern applied to an updated silhouette. It’s also a great way to show off a set of cute buttons!
The View A skirt is knee-length and A-line, creating the perfect summer sundress. You can easily lengthen or shorten the skirt based on your height and personal preference. We hemmed this version with a turned and stitched hem due to the curve of the skirt.
The View B features a mid-length skirt with flares and roomy pockets, perfect for taking out for a spin during the warmer months. We’ve paired this version with a plunging hemline that adds sparkle and makes me feel darling when I wear it.
1950s Charming Little Girls Jumper Dress And Sweet Blouse Pattern Simplicity 1251 Lovely Design Size 2 Childrens Vintage Sewing Pattern
There is extensive quilting throughout the dress, although this can be omitted if desired without adversely affecting the design or function of the dress. We loved how it looked!
Next, I’ll be talking about fabric choices for Austin, so stay tuned and if you have any questions, let me know on Instagram or in the comments below.
And thanks for spending time with me this week as I publish a series of blog posts focusing on the new version of my gorgeous new Clara Dress PDF sewing pattern.
I am the designer of the biannual Vintage Made Magazine published by Art Wear Publications. I design clothes based on the theme of the magazine for that issue and do a lot of research for the best style of clothes.
I Made Myself The Coolest Dress Pt. 1
I like to browse online references or Pinterest boards for inspiration and can usually stumble upon an idea that translates well into a design and sewing pattern. Hence Clara’s beautiful dress.
The dress originally emulated the beautiful women of the flapper era with its luscious ruffled dresses and princess seams across the body. Add some cap sleeves and this dress is simply stunning.
Here we have our beautiful Kate from KateWillKnit who has created an original prom dress.
After a 12-month period, all designs I develop for ArtVear publications come “home” to Designer Stitch.
1960s Elegant Evening Coat And Slim Slip Dress Pattern Vogue Special Design 7226 Full Or Regular Length Party Dress And Coat Bust 32 Vintage Sewing
Since the design of the dress was already gorgeous, I didn’t want to change the base at all – I just added a few more elements to make it completely versatile and could be worn by anyone for any occasion.
Working with the basic shape, I added a few different body lengths, another neckline, and 2 more hole options: a flutter sleeve and a sleeveless option. And what a WONDERFUL model she has become!
This was long before the advent of computer technology: designs were drawn by hand and the fabric was printed from screens attached to the fabric. No modern technology and certainly no digital printing on fabric…lol….
Sometimes my fingers itch to get back to the basic “bones” of fabric design that was my first love.
Book Review: Make Your Own Dress Patterns
So when I’m developing a design for a new garment, I like to play with colors and my “dolls” so I can fully imagine what the final product will be.
I found this beautiful fabric story from Art Gallery Fabrics called Wild Bloom by BariJ – and these patterns are featured in the “dollie” fashion illustration above.
The whole range is stunning and I love the way the artist – BariJ – (see his full work here) – made his designs floral. He is very talented and his work can also be seen on Instagram here. Beautiful floral prints and beautiful combinations of fresh colors. Simply gorgeous!!!
As you all know, I’m a crazy Pinterester. When I looked for shapes like Clara, it was surprising how many I found, and what was even more surprising was the variation and kaleidoscope of design elements and fabric choices centered around the shape and style of Clara.
Crochet Convertible Dress Styled In Many Ways!
Clara’s style can be seen in all its glory on my Pinterest board (click on the image above to view).
There are countless prints in simply spectacular fabrics, colors and accessories – from lace, denim and cotton to incredible Ankara prints.
And to finish off my post today, here are some photos of my AMAZING testers showing the fabrics they used for their Clara – and giving you an idea of the amazing combinations you can choose for your Clara dress.
So why not make Clara thigh-length for some SASS and FLIRT, knee-length for some SOPHISTICATED POLISH or ankle-length for STUNNING IMPACT – complete with a FUN and FLIP cap, a SOFT flutter sleeve and a DELICATE or SEXY sleeveless option.
Design Custom Dress Online
The Clara is a stunning dress suitable for most occasions: lunch with friends, an elegant afternoon tea or a really special evening date.
Thank you friends for letting me share my Clara Dress Inspiration and Influences posts with you – and I’m sure you’ll love making the Clara Dress PDF Pattern. It has been my goal for a long time to learn how to design clothes that I love. A lot of the patterns are quite expensive, and since I don’t really need (or read) the instructions and usually end up making a lot of alterations, I feel like I’m paying extra for all the stuff I don’t use. If I could make a basic set of slippers for myself, I would also lose a lot of the fit problems that come with commercial models. So, I decided to design some sewing patterns and see what I could make!
This book was very helpful when I was making my first slippers: V. Aldrich: Cutting metric patterns for women’s clothing.
This book contains instructions on how to draw all the basic blocks for women and how to size and modify them. I have no experience with pattern cutting, but I still managed to understand the instructions which mostly covered basic geometry.
Diy Sleeveless A-line Dress With Square Neckline
I have previously drawn some templates with paper and pencil, but they are difficult to edit, save and share. Most pattern design programs are very expensive, but luckily I heard of two that were completely free. YES. FREE!
These two were actually originally one project that split into two different branches because the developers had different ideas. The first is called Seamli2D, and the second is Valentina. Both are practically identical, so if you learn how to use one, you’ll know how to use the other. Valentina seems to have some additional useful tools that Seamly doesn’t. Last time I checked I was able to open all my Seamli projects with Valentina, but I can’t open Valentina files with Seamly.
If you want to start using one of the two programs, I recommend this guide that works for both. Without
I couldn’t even figure out how to start making the pattern, but after completing the panty pattern with the help of the tutorial, I knew all the basics and could figure out the rest.
The Sorrel Dress
I started to create a pattern for a classic women’s slipper with a built-in bodice. In the end it turned out like this:
Then I added waist shaping, but that’s where my little changes started. I drew the front darts so they met at the bust point:
Shoulder center. This means I had to turn the top dart towards the front of the tower and then turn the darts into princess stitches:
I then printed my design at size 36 and
Cassie Stephens: How To Design Your Own Fabric!
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