Drafting a Pattern from a Vintage Garment
New Year; New Goals
Some of you may remember when I first posted about the Regency era velvet dress I found in an antique store for $5. It was a couple of years ago. So, this project has been a LONG time in the making. Not because it actually takes that long…but because there are so many other fun things to do that distract me when the pattern making process gets tedious.
But this is a new year with new goals.
I don’t want the pattern I am creating from this dress to be jailed by authenticity. The spirit of this dress longs to be free. You can feel it when you touch the soft velvet fabric with it’s silky drape. You can see it in the sloppy hand stitching with different threads. Being able to work directly from an original gown, though, has enabled me to create a pattern that a purist will love, as well as the free spirited costumer.
After all, I started by photocopying the dress! Can’t get anymore authentic than that!
And I measured every seam more times than I can count and mapped out the pieces.
Serious Pattern Drafting Skills
I’ve been sewing for just about my whole life. Some of my earliest memories are of creating art with needle and thread. I learned from my mother to follow the rules, follow the pattern, and that there was a right way to do everything. Then I grew up and never sewed a pattern that I didn’t hack somehow. Broke plenty of rules. And discovered all kinds of right ways to do things. A couple of years ago, I started studying pattern drafting and came full circle back to following the rules. Ha! Because I want you to be able to sew this pattern too. This history deserves to be shared.
Pattern Workshop Course
To turn my sketches into a legitimate pattern, I searched the internet and found Lauren Dahl’s Pattern Workshop course. And voila! Her instruction is very thorough and covers everything from scanning your pattern drawings and tracing them in Illustrator to creating instructions and packaging for sale.
If you’re not getting the Sew Vintagely newsletter yet, sign up if you want to follow along and get updates on the progress! I’m close to the finish line, and I’ll be looking for pattern testers soon.
If you’re interested in this exquisite fabric, check out the Swiss fairy batiste.
I would love to learn how !!!
I’d really like to know how, I find super nice old/vintage pieces with disintegrating fabrics, really wish I would have the knowledge to make a pattern from them if it’s possible