Pattern drafting - week 2

Thanks for the comments about my proposed design. The good news is I'll be making it with one adjustment. I needed to add an additional seam line down the front and under the bust. Not surprisingly this is one of the more complicated designs within the class but I've been reassured that we will succeed! 

The main focus of this session was to map the pattern out and then trace the pattern pieces from that map. From our sketch we mapped out the different seams we will need onto a diagram of the bodice block which had been extended to the knees. 

The lower line of piece 1 is the additional seam

Mapping the front design took longer than the back. I'll have five unique pattern pieces for the front and two unique pieces for the back. I'll be adding godets to the front and back of the skirt, probably  six in total. On the front I took in the sleeve line by 2 cm (and remembered to make the same change to the back). With the help of a tape measure I settled on a 7cm strap across the from of my shoulders. From there I drew a curve from the inside line to a little above the waistline. The next seam was drawn from the lower part of the arm scythe to my under bust point. I had to eliminate the side dart at this point using a pivot technique similar to the one to move a dart. The side panel was next. I drew a curve from mid way on the outside line of the front dart to the hip line. I then graded the curve out to the inside line of the dart, thus eliminating it. The last pieces drawn in on the front was for the bustier and we eyeballed this! 

The back in comparison was a breeze. I lowered the neckline and drew in the side panel from the arm scythe to the hip line eliminating the dart as I went. Hopefully you can see the details in the photos, the paper is a little shiny and the pencil marks are hard to see when photographed. 

From here I lengthened the block by 65cm so it hit my knee which is where the skirt will sit when completed. 

After a break for a cup of tea I got to work on creating my pattern pieces. This involves tracing each individual piece from the main map. You can make your life easier by tracing over the seam lines in different coloured pens. This took a while as every time I lined up the dots and crosses on the paper it moved making tracing accurate pieces rather difficult! 

Anyway, I managed to trace all seven pieces before the end of the class. We were encouraged to name each piece but I couldn't work out what to call some of them so went with numbers, unoriginal but effective! My homework was to add the 1.5cm seam allowance (because I would forgot to include this when I cut the fabric) and to cut out the pieces. 

I can't wait to see how this works out. I'll be making a toile of the bodice in the next class to check the fit is ok. This means I'll be watching my classmates move ahead with cutting and sewing but I feel this is important - I would rather end up with a dress that I can wear at the end so patience will be required.