Adventures In Shaped Hems

Here's what I've been working on recently--a custom dress for one of the most adorable eighth graders I've had the pleasure of meeting. This is a dress we designed together pretty quickly, she really knows what she wants.


These are shots of the muslin sample I just finished. It's a completely lined sample, which I don't normally do. The design itself has a fairly simple, classic silhouette that I adore. I also love the shaped hemline.

Yes, I know the hem is slightly off at the sideseam. See, I usually take skirts for granted. Most of the time I save it for last and freehand it without too much thought. That was the plan UNTIL, after I had already cut the fabric of course, I realized what I had scribbled for the marker was all wrong. See the following:

That's what I get for having too much confidence. YAY for mockups, though! So, I rearranged it, changed the skirt lining to a straight hem, and spent the entire day doing something I haven't done since school: actually patterndraft a skirt. And it turned out alright if I do say so myself.

I am so excited for my littlest client to try it on!

The Falcon

This may look like the Millennium Falcon, but it is in fact a raglan sleeve for a custom dress I just finished making. I hate sewing set-in sleeves, but am always scared of the extra steps in drafting a raglan. Really, the extra time evens out for both.

What I am happy about is that even with this super complicated pattern, I was able to keep my cool long enough to sew it perfectly! I don't know if I'm going to completely switch my preference from set-ins, but this raglan was an exemplary model to help me get over my fear of sleeves.