well-suited blog - Creative Design and Pattern Making.

Pattern Puzzle - CJ Drape Skirt

Tuesday, June 09, 2015

This weeks #PatternPuzzle is not an exact copy of the Charles James Skirt but a very do-able pattern for a 101 approach to understanding darts to drape in flat pattern making. No really, that's what I used to call the workshop; so formal and so academic. :] This Charles James skirt has so many complex panels that it started to send me a little crazy, so the decision was made to modify and simplify.

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Pattern Insights - Loose Fit Shirt

Monday, May 04, 2015

This week I've showcased #PatternInsights, where I share the light bulb moments in my pattern making career. In this shirt pattern development I'm sharing two pattern making moves that early in my career caused me some anxiety. Anxiety caused by a lack of information and training. Thank heaven for my hero Natalie Bray! I am sharing the pattern moves needed to turn my basic fitted (dress) block into a loose-fit block and a basic set of moves to draft a gauntlet placket for a classic shirt sleeve.
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Pattern Puzzle - Cowl Tee

Monday, April 06, 2015

It never ceases to amaze me how often I am drawn to this particular style of cowl drape. You will find many examples in the #PatternPuzzles that have been presented here over the past few years. This puzzle starts with the simplest of shapes and becomes an elegant tunic top.

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Pattern Insights - Twist Tee

Monday, March 30, 2015

The #PatternPuzzle was quite a hit with our Facebook fans on Saturday. In many ways a straightforward pattern that yields fab results. Use any loose-fit tee shirt pattern or alter my knit block to make this fashion-forward Twist Tee. If you'd like to learn my method for creating Twist Drape Patterns I have a detailed worksheet for making Jersey Twist Patterns. For just a few dollars you'll get the same training you'd get if you came to the workshop in my studio.
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Pattern Puzzle - Gil Brandao, Conjunto Pratico

Monday, February 16, 2015

Gil Brandao's patterns have a seductive quality in their simplicity and clarity. Often with pattern making instructions, simplicity is no more than an absence of information that can be finally very frustrating. Not so for Gil. His diagrams have all the required information. So much so that my inability to read Portuguese does not present a problem.

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Pattern Puzzle - Handkerchief Fold Dress

Monday, February 02, 2015

At last the detail for the Saturday #PatternPuzzle is here! My apologies for the delay to our usual posting but I had a little trouble with my graphics. It was a wonderful round of creative answers and clever solutions that finally solved this puzzle. Our Handkerchief Fold Dress is so named because it struck me that the construction of this dress is much like a handkerchief with the corners folded into the centre.

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Pattern Puzzle - Cowl Back Tee

Monday, December 15, 2014

We have had a good run lately with Cowl Drape styles and this week is no exception with the Cowl Back Tee. Last week was the Vivienne Drape Dress featuring a Cowl Drape on the neckline and in the skirt. And Two weeks ago a reworking of The Drape Shift in a woven fabric for The Drape Shift - Woven. You might say we are coming at the #CowlDrape thing from all directions.

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Pattern Puzzle - The Cowl Tube Top

Monday, November 10, 2014

It's a mean thing to present the fans with a rectangle as a #PatternPuzzle and expect them to describe the garment. In my defence I did include a couple of very small notches as a clue. In the end Mioara was able to produce an almost exact image of the idea in knit fabric. I think we may have been reading the same pattern making books. :) I found this image on pinterest but have had no luck finding the original source material. If anyone knows the origin of this piece I would love to be able to include the correct information here.

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Pattern Fundamentals - Gape Darts

Monday, November 03, 2014

Last Saturday we swapped our regular #PatternPuzzle for some #PatternFundamentals. The focus of the conversation was GAPE DARTS and how to use them in your pattern making to get a better result in your first toile of new designs. You may know them as contouring darts as suggested by Alexandria of In-House Patterns.

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Pattern Puzzles - Balenciaga Blouse

Monday, October 27, 2014

The inspiration behind this weeks #PatternPuzzle post is this divinely simple vintage blouse by Balenciaga (circa. 1958-60) found in the MetMuseum online collections. It has been sitting in my stash of great ideas for #PatternPuzzles for over a year.