Clothes Design Tutorial - sort of

I started with this beautiful piece of vintage fabric given to me by a dear friend.

Then I saw another friend wearing a lovely blouse. I tried to take notice of the details (while being a good friend, of course, and carrying on a conversation) then sketched a picture when I had a spare moment.

When I had an evening to myself to work on my clothes design project, I took a few of my own shirts out of the closet. I chose each of them for a different aspect. One had the curved shape I wanted in the back. Another had the measurement I would need across the back and chest so I could slip it over my head. Still another one had the sleeve shape and the flair below the waist.

I laid the clothing,  one at a time, over  the a piece of butcher paper (I usually use muslin for this) sketching the desired shapes the best I could. Next I cut them out. It was nice to have a large piece of fabric for this. I didn't have to worry about making mistakes. I knew I had plenty of room to work with for this clothes design project.

I put in all the pleats and gathering, then sewed it all together, trying it on several times to check the fit. The sleeves were definately the toughest shape to figure out. I had to give them a second try. Wherever I was unsure, I set my stitching length to a basting stitch just in case I needed to make changes. This makes using the seam ripper easier. After trying it on again to make sure the fit was right, I re-stitched seams with a regular stitch length set on my machine.

I also added a vintage button to a belt and large ric rac to set off the ruffle.

So there it is.

My clothes design tutorial. Sort of.

All in all, it was pretty simple.

So. Find some lovely fabric. Now. Go into your closet and find your favorite shirt or dress. Or go raid your friend's closet. Tell her you will return it unharmed in a day or two. (I plan on raiding my daughter's closet soon.) Look for designs without zippers and complicated collars. Simple is best.

Now. Give it a try. And when you do, put a comment with your blog link. I would love to check it out.