Self-draft

The Patent Blouse has become a favourite top for me after the first set of samples were very wearable.  It has become such a favourite that I managed to wear out my first red sample very quickly.  Unfortunately rayon is not made to last and very soon the surface of the knit was a little shabby with pilling.  I have promised myself that the next red patent blouse will be made in merino.  July 2019:  This pattern has now been added to the website as a PDF download - The Patent Blouse Sizes XS-XXL

Saturday's #PatternPuzzle had a large number of pattern pieces, all used to make five different skirt patterns, that all make the same style of skirt - The Morticia Skirt.  Many of the drafting methods used in these patterns are self-drafted with full instructions (no block required).  If you don't fancy drafting this skirt pattern I've just added the eight-panelMorticia Skirt Pattern to the website. :)

The Japan Skirt - Self-drafted Pattern.  Rectangle skirts are nothing new.  What maybe new is the way you work your rectangle.  This particular pattern has been hanging on my pattern rail for at least 8 years.  Originally developed for merino ponti, grading up and down in sizes allows you to cut this pattern in a variety of knit and woven fabrics.

Last weekend's #PatternPuzzle was a little different from our usual pattern shapes.  From the conversation you can see that some pattern pieces are obvious and some not so much.  The self-drafted image below is one of the most effective examples I have come across of zero-waste pattern making, typical of a lot of folk costume construction.

Here is the anonymous shape that was posted on our Facebook Page.  A self-drafted rectangle with three notches - that's all they got!  And they were very creative with the information.  Have a look at the comments!  And this is the Vintage Pattern (now reissued as Simplicity 8452) that started me off on a quest to make and understand how a simple, self-drafted rectangle shape becomes this elegant top?!?

Vintage Curiosity to Self-Drafted Pattern Puzzle - Wandering around in Pinterest I re-pinned the images below to my #cuttthatfrock album.  I was fascinated with the strange little pattern diagram on the back of the envelope.  The images claim that this simple shape would make that wrap top and that you can wear it wrapped from the front or the back.  Mmmm... big claims for a simple shape and such sophisticated drawings!  Convinced I could scale this up to make sense of it, I imported the image in to illustrator.
error: This content is protected !!