Designing anything from scratch is fraught with problems. It's disheartening when your great idea turns out to be near-impossible to achieve. At least not the way you THOUGHT it could be done. Nine times out of ten, it's much more complicated than you anticipated.
And so it is with clothing design. Many years ago, I took a European pattern making course. It was my first experience with templates and I was so excited when I created a pattern for "hip huggers" that actually fit me. With a full time job and a full load of domestic chores, I didn't have time to use the course often, but the confidence stayed with me.
Now, I'm designing costumes for art dolls, those dolls that are somewhere between Barbie and American Girl; and I'm grateful for those years of drafting at CDI Marine as well as the pattern making course. Ships' curves work just fine for doll clothes.
Case in point is the aforementioned Opera Cape. After the first pattern and first revision, I made a "muslin" and revised it before I could finish pinning the thing together. The pattern now is two inches shorter, and almost two inches wider at the shoulders in back. That extra space will be taken up with a deep pleat on each side which will (I hope) add volume to what will be a "bubble" created by a gathered hem. Finished, the hem should reach about mid-thigh. I'm sure there will be more about this cape. The fabric I've chosen for it is terrifying just to contemplate.
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