Dress Project: Barbara

5 hrs 28 mins

Difficulty:

Welcome to the Barbara Dress Project!

The Barbara dress is a simple, effortless chic dress that is perfect for brunch parties, luncheons or rehearsal dinner. And if you decide to make this dress in a different color, it can turn into a perfect ‘Little Black Dress’ that can be styled up or down with your accessories.

Dress description:

Sleeveless
Tailored look with waist seam
Waist and armhole dart bodice, 4 darts front and back skirt
Fully lined with closed hem
Above the knee length
crew neckline, with concealed zipper

In this project you’ll learn:

How to drape a 2 dart bodice and fitted skirt,
How to turn your draped muslin moulage into a sewable pattern
You’ll learn to cut and sew the top fabric and the lining
Fully hand finishing the dress

Fabric and Notions:

Cotton brocade top fabric
Ivory color, mid-weight polyester satin
Invisible zipper 23” (The zipper length should cover from the neck to the hipline or 1” below HL)
Small size hook and eye

Other fabrics can be used are:

You can use any mid weight fabric of your liking but this dress will look best in:

Brocades, Jacquard, Twill, Wool suiting, mid-weight Satin, Tweed, Gabardine, Taffeta, Dupioni

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Dress Project: Barbara

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LESSONS

Introduction

Welcome to 'Barbara', our Country Club Tea Party Dress project!

Essential tools needed for draping and patternmaking. We discussed the importance of having the right equipment, such as a sewing machine, dress form, muslin fabric, pattern paper, pins, measuring tools, and other accessories.

Muslin Preparation

Muslin Fundamentals

Muslin Fundamentals

I explain the importance of using lightweight muslin fabric for draping, especially for beginners. I also discuss the different grain lines in fabrics and their properties.

Muslin Preparation for Bodice

Muslin Preparation for Bodice

We learn how to prepare the muslin fabric for draping the basic bodice. We measure the required lengths and widths, cut the fabric pieces, and pressed the seam allowances.

Muslin Preparation for Skirt

Muslin Preparation for Skirt

How to prepare the muslin fabric for draping a basic skirt. We determined the appropriate length and width measurements needed for the front and back skirt pieces based on the dress form's size.

Draping

Draping the Basic Bodice (Front)

Draping the Basic Bodice (Front)

How to drape the front bodice on the dress form. We pinned the fabric along the bust line, apex, neckline, and shoulder points. Then smoothed out excess fabric and created darts at the waist and armhole areas to achieve the proper fit.

Draping the Basic Bodice (Back)

Draping the Basic Bodice (Back)

How to properly drape the back muslin piece, aligning the shoulder blade line and pinning it down. I create darts at the waist and shoulder to achieve the desired fit, slashing the fabric as needed for a smooth drape around the curves.

Draping the Basic Skirt (Front)

Draping the Basic Skirt (Front)

We learn how to drape the front portion of a basic skirt pattern. I demonstrate the steps on a dress form, starting with marking the hip line and preparing the muslin fabric.

Draping the Basic Skirt (Back)

Draping the Basic Skirt (Back)

I show the process of draping the back skirt piece, locating and pinning the darts, closing the darts, marking the side seams, and adjusting the fit around the hip area. The goal is to achieve a clean silhouette while allowing room for movement.

Patternmaking

Transferring Bodice to Pattern - Part 1

Transferring Bodice to Pattern - Part 1

How to transfer the draped basic bodice muslin to dotted paper to create a pattern. I started by pinning the muslin front piece to the paper, aligning the center front and smoothing out the bust line, shoulders, and side seams. Then I traced over the muslin lines using a tracing wheel to transfer the shape onto the paper.

Transferring Bodice to Pattern - Part 2

Transferring Bodice to Pattern - Part 2

How to transfer the draped muslin back bodice pattern onto dotted paper to create a clean, final pattern. We trace all the lines carefully, marking important points like darts, shoulder blades, and bust lines.

Transferring Bodice to Pattern - Part 3

Transferring Bodice to Pattern - Part 3

How to finalize the pattern pieces for the bodice by matching the side seams, armholes, and shoulders. I emphasize the importance of precision and share tips for achieving a well-fitted armhole and neckline.

Transferring Skirt to Pattern - Part 1

Transferring Skirt to Pattern - Part 1

I demonstrate tracing the front skirt panel from the muslin drape onto the dotted paper, including marking darts, adding seam allowances, and adjusting the hemline length. I explain my preference for two darts over one for a more fitted look on a basic skirt.

Transferring Skirt to Pattern - Part 2

Transferring Skirt to Pattern - Part 2

I transfer the draped skirt onto a paper pattern, making necessary adjustments and adding seam allowances. I ensure the darts are positioned correctly, match the hip and waistlines, and adjust the length.

Transferring Skirt to Pattern - Part 3

Transferring Skirt to Pattern - Part 3

How to match the darts and seamlines of the skirt and bodice patterns to create a cohesive dress design. I emphasize the importance of having continuous, aligned lines for a high-end look.

Cutting

Cutting the Fabric

Cutting the Fabric

After finalizing the pattern pieces, the next step is cutting the fashion fabric and lining. I demonstrate laying out the bodice and skirt patterns, pinning them to the fabrics, and precisely cutting them out while marking notches for darts, seams, and construction points.

Cutting the Lining

Cutting the Lining

In this lesson, I explain how I would be cutting the lining fabric using the same pattern pieces as the outer fabric, without making a separate lining pattern. I chose to use the same mid-weight satin fabric for both the outer shell and lining for simplicity.

Sewing

Sewing the Bodice (Darts and Outline)

Sewing the Bodice (Darts and Outline)

How to sew the darts and outline of the bodice for the Barbara dress project. I provide guidance on handling fabrics that are more challenging to sew, such as lame, and emphasize the importance of not stretching the fabric while sewing.

Sewing the Skirt (Darts and Outline)

Sewing the Skirt (Darts and Outline)

How to sew the darts and outline for the skirt portion of the dress project. We work on closing the darts neatly and marking the outlines to prepare for sewing the skirt pieces together.

Sewing the Lining

Sewing the Lining

In this session, I taught how to sew the lining for the dress bodice. We followed the same process as sewing the darts on the outer fabric, changing the thread and carefully stitching the darts on the lining pieces.

Finishing

Lining the Dress

Lining the Dress

How to line a dress after draping and constructing the bodice and skirt pieces. I summarize the steps taken so far - draping, transferring patterns, cutting fabric and lining, assembling bodice and skirt pieces.

Attaching the Zipper - Part 1

Attaching the Zipper - Part 1

I demonstrate how to attach an invisible zipper to the dress. I show the proper technique for aligning the zipper with the dress seams and pinning it in place before sewing.

Attaching the Zipper - Part 2

Attaching the Zipper - Part 2

I demonstrate how to finish attaching the zipper to the dress. I pin the back of the dress closed, ensuring there is no excess bulk around the zipper area. This step is crucial to allow for easy zipping and a smooth fit.

Wrapping Up

A comprehensive review of the dress project we completed. I walk through the entire process, from draping the muslin to cutting and sewing the final garment.

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