I Almost Made A Pattern

Vintage Sheath Dress Pattern (to start with)

From Starlet on Etsy.com

Ok, so all I did was add the ruffle and widen the neck. It is actually made with vintage fabric, also. I got the fabric on ebay and was sad to see when it arrived, there were some age spots

I tried to cut around them, but they were still pretty obvious on the finished dress. So I took to some Rit to even out the color.

I hadn't dyed anything since taking Surface Design at the UW and I was a little worried because I remembered how nothing ever turned out the way you wanted it.

And it didn't

What was a bright, shiny greet turned into a sort of dark, army green. I was a little upset at first, but the new color has grown on me. It was more the texture of the fabric that I was attracted to in the first place, anyway. Vintage fabric always seems to have interesting texture.

Color aside, this dress was made for that ruffle! It's not a big feat, but it's a start on patternmaking. The pattern piece was an interesting shape. Here it is:

How the hell does that become a ruffle?, you ask. Well, here is what I did (excuse the illustrations):

Take your front skirt pattern piece and cut out along the line of where you want your ruffle. If you think you want to use the original pattern again, make a copy of the original piece first...duh.

***

Start cutting the piece from where the ruffle is to go just to the other end BUT NOT ALL THE WAY THROUGH. The more cuts you make, the more ruffly it will be

***

Spread those slices out nice and evenly and tape/glue the pattern piece onto a piece of paper. Then, place another piece of blank patternmaking paper (aka tracing paper) on top of that.

***

Trace along the edge on the pattern piece, *remember to add seam allowance along the line that attaches to the top of the skirt. You now have the shape you want to cut out of the fabric (this would be the pattern piece pictured above the instructions)

***

Cut the piece out of your fabric, baste through the ruffle part and pull the threads in to ruffle it.

***

Attach it back to your skirt piece and it will be ruffled and ready!