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Frustrated with pattern drafting

ARGH!!! I have my torso sloper. It fits like I'd want a dress to fit, with the exact amount of ease I'd like in a sheath dress. So I go and adjust it by adding princess seams. All of a sudden, the dress gained an extra 5 inches or so all the way around. How is it that adding a few seams can add that many inches to a perfectly fitting sloper??? I don't know what's more frustrating...buying a pattern that doesn't fit (but finding that out after I've already made it up) or spending hours and hours on developing a perfect sloper and then more hours using the sloper to make a pattern that doesn't fit properly anyway. I've had success with pants, skirts, and tops, but for some reason doing dresses just doesn't work. I am very VERY frustrated!!! :(

Reply to
Lisa
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The Wild Ginger software is the best product to come along in a long time......I love it!!!

Val

Reply to
Valkyrie

Were you careful to use the exact amount of seam allowances called for? Or did you add too much seam allowance to begin with? Princess seams each add an additional 1 1/4" to the circumference, so if you added four seams (two in front, two in back), that's 5".

Mysterious! Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

Reply to
SewStorm

How did you do the princess seaming? Typically, it's done by cutting the armscye or shoulder and waist fisheye darts, then adding seam allowance.

Did you sew the seams accurately? Or add the seam allowance twice?

If the seam is correctly located on bust and waist, you can simply take them in. Remeasure and re-mark your pattern for revision.

Kay Lancaster snipped-for-privacy@fern.com

Reply to
Kay Lancaster

That's how I did the princess seaming. I traced my torso sloper onto a separate sheet of paper and made the marks, then cut the pieces.

I then took the pieces that I cut and taped them onto another sheet of paper to add the seam allowance. I use 1/2" seams on all the patterns I draft and I haven't sewn anything from a store bought pattern in about a year, so there was no confusion about that.

It just boggles me how all that extra space came about. I always make everything up in muslin before using my nice fabric, so at least it was just a time consuming mishap, not an expensive one. I think I just need a little sewing break then I'll get back to it later. I originally wanted this dress for Sunday, but I'm sick of it right now. :P Thanks for your input guys!

Reply to
Lisa

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