The Core Slopers Accelerator provides focused, in-depth instruction on creating fundamental bodice and skirt “slopers”: the essential base patterns used in garment design. This course guides you through the professional techniques of draping directly onto a dress form and accurately transferring those drapes into precise paper patterns. You will learn to create versatile foundation pieces that can be adapted into a multitude of garment styles.

What You Will Learn:

Dress Form Preparation:

• Accurately measure and apply essential reference tapes (center front, center back, bust, waist, hip, side seams, neckline, armhole, shoulder) to your dress form

Bodice Draping & Patternmaking:

• Drape a basic bodice with a single waist dart, achieving a foundational fit.
• Drape a basic bodice with two darts (waist and bust/side seam) for more complex shaping and fit, particularly for fuller bust areas.
• Transfer your draped muslin bodice pieces to paper, mark dart placements, and establish grainlines.
• True your bodice patterns, including closing and perfecting darts, and ensuring seam lines (shoulders, side seams) align correctly with corresponding back pieces.
• Add appropriate seam allowances to your finished bodice slopers.

Skirt Draping & Patternmaking:

• Drape a basic straight skirt, establishing dart placements for a smooth fit over the hips.
• Adapt the straight skirt drape to create an A-line skirt by adding flare from the waist or hip.
• Modify the straight skirt drape to create a tapered skirt by reducing width towards the hem.
• Transfer your draped muslin skirt pieces to paper, ensuring correct dart capture and grainlines.
• True your skirt patterns, perfecting dart shapes and waistline curves.
• Learn techniques to adjust skirt length and match side seams for various styles.
• Add appropriate seam allowances to your finished skirt slopers.

Integration and Fit:

• Understand how to align and attach bodice and skirt slopers at the waistline, ensuring darts and seams correspond for a cohesive dress foundation.
• Learn to make minor ease adjustments on the dress form and translate them to your patterns for improved comfort and fit.

Course Content & Structure:

The course is delivered through a series of detailed video lessons, demonstrating each step of the draping and patternmaking process.

Module 1: Preparing Your Dress Form

• Taping essential guidelines: Center lines, bust, waist, hip, side seams, neckline, shoulder, armhole, and optional princess lines.
• Understanding necessary tools: Scissors, pins, measuring tape, marking pencils/markers, muslin.
• Measuring the dress form for initial muslin block preparation.

Module 2: Basic Bodice with 1 Dart (Waist)

• Preparing muslin: Pressing, marking bust line reference.
• Draping the front bodice: Aligning, pinning, smoothing, slashing for neck/shoulder fit, creating the waist dart.
• Draping the back bodice: Aligning, shoulder/neck fit, creating back shoulder and waist darts.
• Marking draped pieces: Apex, seam lines, dart legs, end points.
• Transferring to paper: Using a tracing wheel, establishing grainlines.
• Truing the pattern: Closing darts, correcting seam lines, ensuring continuity.
• Adding seam allowances.

Module 3: Basic Bodice with 2 Darts (Waist & Bust/Side Seam)

• Draping the front bodice: Similar initial steps, creating a waist dart and an additional dart at the bust line/side seam for enhanced shaping.
• Marking and transferring the 2-dart bodice.
• Truing the 2-dart bodice pattern.

Module 4: Skirt Slopers

• Preparing muslin for skirts: Measuring for length and width.
• Straight Skirt: Draping front and back, establishing hip line reference, creating waist darts for fit.
• Tapered Skirt: Modifying the straight skirt drape by taking in fabric from the hip line to the hem.
• A-Line Skirt: Modifying the straight skirt drape by adding fabric/flare from the waist or hip line outwards.
• Marking draped skirt pieces: Waistline, darts, side seams, hemline references.
• Transferring skirt drapes to paper.
• Truing skirt patterns: Perfecting darts, waistline, and side seam curves, adjusting for different styles (straight, A-line, tapered).
• Adding seam allowances.

Module 5: Attaching Bodice and Skirt

• Demonstrating how drafted bodice and skirt slopers are pinned together on the dress form at the waistline.
• Ensuring alignment of darts and side seams between the bodice and skirt for a balanced dress foundation.
• Final checks for fit and proportion.

Key Features:

• Step-by-Step Video Demonstrations: Clear, close-up visuals of all draping and patternmaking techniques.
• Detailed Explanations: Instructor commentary guiding you through each decision and action.
• Focus on Foundational Skills: Mastering the core slopers provides a strong basis for future design explorations.
• Practical Application: Learn by doing, creating tangible patterns you can use immediately.
• Professional Techniques: Acquire industry-standard methods for draping and pattern creation.

Who Is This Course For?

• Individuals with some basic sewing experience looking to advance to custom patternmaking.
• Aspiring or student fashion designers seeking to build a strong foundation in pattern creation.
• Home sewers who want to achieve a better fit than commercial patterns offer.
• Anyone interested in learning the art of draping and creating personalized garment blocks.

Materials & Prerequisites:

• A dress form (demonstrations use a size 6, but techniques are adaptable).
• Muslin fabric.
• Essential Draping Tools: Fabric scissors, paper scissors, pins (dressmaker and pattern), draping tape (e.g., 1/4″ or 1/8″ twill tape or narrow ribbon), measuring tape (inches & cm).
• Marking Tools: Pencils (graphite, red, blue), tracing wheel (pointy), chalk or fabric marker (optional, for muslin).
• Patternmaking Tools: Pattern paper (dot paper recommended), rulers (straight, clear gridded, French curves), awl/punch (for dart points), paper tape.
• Basic familiarity with sewing terms and garment construction is beneficial but not strictly required to follow the draping and patternmaking steps.