Create it for Pennies by fabulousfit

Create it for Pennies…

Jill Ralston for Fabulous Fit®

Index Saturday Afternoon withâ&#x20AC;¦

Loving the Bias

Inspire Your Self...

same pattern, recreated!

(SEE THE POWER OF PLAY)

not magic...

Duplicate the curves on your dress form; matching the points where your fabric will fall over the curves of the body. When the pressure points of your pattern (where the fabric meets curve) have ease to flow freely over the curves...EVERY DESIGN CHANGE WORKS. It all strats with that first perfect pattern. This is the pattern that takes us from season to season.

not draping...

Our sundress is the same pattern that we used and perfected in The Power of Play. (Pictures above.) The original anchor was the shoulder. The fabric was carefully darted or seamed to fall absolutely straight over the curves of your body on the dress form; cut spoton diagonal to the grain lines.

just changing.

add a dart...and a front seam... Now that you have the perfect bias slant falling from the shoulders, and the fabric falling gracefully over the curves of your body on the dress form, fold the pattern front in half and add a 1/2 inch front seam. (As above.) â&#x20AC;˘ Always cut single layers in diagonal and opposite directions to the selvage, or

strong grain line called warp.

lengthen the hem on blouse... • STRAIGHTEN THE GRAIN LINE BY ADDING THE DARTS... • CUT THE TOP OF THE BLOUSE, CREATING A NEW ANCHOR • LENGTHEN THE HEM. • NEW PATTERN!

change the anchor...cut off the top..

ADJUST THE GRAIN LINES. HERE’S WHY. The straight grain of the fabric is strong, and will cause slight wrinkles or twisting, without the slightest ease at the pressure point. You will see this on your dress form. Pin the sides together and see if one side might need a 1/4 inch ease to eliminate the pull which causes the slight wrinkles. (THAT’S WHY THE DART POSITION WAS RAISED (BROWN DRESS). JUST FOLLOW THE GRAIN LINES...

take a few tucks... We made this dress easy for you! Even if you are a very beginner! The tucks at the bottom of the dress will flatter many curves!

and add the ruffle...

just play...

The bias strip is placed flat at the inside circle, with a strip of elastic in encased between the strip and the ruffle.

The circle allows the fabric to flow over the curves. The strip of elastic in between the bias strip and the edge of the bodice will allow you to adjust the gathers on the ruffle.

The front and back are then scrunched with tucks to give the dress fullness at the hem. Each circle is finished with a bias one inch bias strip...folded in half and then edge stitched to the raw edge of the circle.

SAME BASIC PATTERN; FRONT SEAM, BACK SEAM AND SIDE SEAMS DON’T WORRY...THE PATTERN WONT LOOK ANYTHING LIKE THE DRESS YOU ARE ABOUT TO CREATE! What makes this dress work... is how the fabic falls over the curves of the body. OKAY...I confess...my model has no curves. That’s okay. This dress works for busts as well. It is a basic “50’s house dress” pattern, turned on! If your model has a very straight chest, the ruffle falls and flows with her curves. If your model, however has a bust line...The ruffle also falls gracefully over the curves. It’s cut on the bias. It’s all in how you play!

A PINCH ON ONE SIDE CHANGES THE GRAINLINE... JUST PINCH THE OTHER SIDE UNTIL THE GRAINLINE IS STRAIGHT. • Shape the dress form to match the body you are wokring on. • Use the Upper Chest of the dress form as the anchor. Pin the fabric to the dress

form; center front, center back and side seams. • Pin and check the front seams, back seams and side seams.

• Create the dart at the bust. • Match the side seams front and back, folllowing the line of your

body. • Front seams are straight. The straight seams are where the

adjusting and playing starts. You can slightly gather the front center seam or leave it straight. Simple shape, many dresses!

DETAIL MEETS FIT!

ANCHORS...it’s all about anchors. Even if you are a beginner in creating clothes for your own real life fantasy...The rules are all the same, and YOUR results can be as exciting as the most seasoned, professional designer. Anchor your piece from where the fabric will fall. If it is a jacket, blouse or dress...start with the shoulders. If it is a skirt or pants, the anchor is your waist band point. Measure the waist at your most comfortable waist line point, at the vertical and horizontal position. You may never use your smallest waist point as your most comfortable waist position...ever. Just know where it is, as a starting point to where your best waist position might be. Maybe your pants are most comfortable two inches below the actual indentation of your waist. Start where you want the finished waist band to be; that is your anchor.

BIAS CUT FABRIC AND CURVES Each piece starts from its anchor and follows the Fitting Sequence. Always back to the basics, where we started. Anchors. Once you have the balance in just one dress or blouse or suit, you can have hundreds of favorites, without ever trying them on with stressful fittings; and every piece will mean your comfortable easy fit. Seamlines can be re-drawn for ease at any area, without ever changing the fit at the side seams, shoulder slant or critical fitting points of the piece; carefully fitted to your shape on the dress form. I am always excited to see how many ways I can change the design that I love...And So... When I create a pattern that works, I chop and change whatever I can without ever changing the shape of the basic piece.

thank you, kate moore! model photographs KATE MOORE PHOTOGRAPHY

next...more on the bias! As always, Thank you for joining us with questions and challenges! We are here here...send us yours! info@fabulousfit.com Jill

No season could possibly exist without bias skirts and dresses! Here are a few simple rules that make the bias work... • Shape your dress form, matching every curve where your fabric will fall. • Choose a natural woven medium or lightweight fabric with obvious grainlines,

like linen; until you get the hang of it. • Cut single layers only. • Follow grain lines to meet in opposite directions when laying out the pattern,

(SEE BELOW) (Bias intersects the cross and vertical grainlines). • Sew seams with a slight zig zag for movement • Use a light hand in pressing • Stay stitch each edge of the seams at 1/8” before sewing; for stability. • Hang overnight before finishing.

That being said, it really is NOT difficult to create the most elegant dress to show off the curves. Just plan, and you will love it. Before you start...All the boring parts must work...get your pattern right once...really get that “I could clean the house in this” kind of comfortable and you will have clothes that you will wear into rags...I know.

How many times will I change this pattern?

lengthen the hem, extending the tails...

or scoop out the neckline...and add a few tucks?

cut the top and add the circles?

one pattern...the beauty of the bias! CHOOSE A BASIC PATTERN WITH A FRONT AND BACK The bias is all about the grainlines. Perfecting the first pattern is easy and necessary. Starting with the shoulder slant, or upper bust anchor, if your blouse/ dress stops above the bust. Follow the fitting sequence to keep the grainline straight while falling over the curves. HERE’S HOW...

FITTING SEQUENCE REVIEW Using your dress form as your body, • carefully pin the shoulder slant, (or upper bust anchor), so that the grainlines fall

straight; front and back; always matching your shoulder line. • Check the armhole/ across back position and sleeve placement. • Add a front dart to accommodate the bust line. Then straighten the side seams. • Ease the curve of the bust with a dart or with a princess seam; or even just a 5/8

inch ease, in the front pattern, at the side seam front. • Follow the curve of the blouse to the lowest upper hip line accommodating

the curve and width of the upper hip and stomach. From here, or course, you can extend the fabric right into the hem line of a dress, in whatever length you choose. • Re-Check every curve on your blouse, front and back. • You can extend the blouse tails for a short dress, a tunic, a long dress, or gowns;

shaping side seams to your curves. Just as easy as the three pictures above. Create the blouse, extend the blouse (dress), cut the top at the armhole (strapless) cut the top at the waist (skirt)...add a ruffle, add a pinwheel...the possibilities are endless!

A full circle skirt is all about the bias... •

Cut the circle to match the width of gathers that you will want on your skirt, (it: 2 to 1, etc)

•

Finish and gather the hole

• Put the unfinished skirt on your dress form and

let it fall overnight • Add two inch elastic at the waist and cover the

elastic with fabric • Use a light hand in pressing • Finish the hems with a beautiful stitch, or rolled

over baby hem. Creating a circle skirt is a huge lesson in seeing how the bias will fall over the curves of the body on the dress form. From here you can pinch fabric into seams, remove fabric,

understanding grainlines...

RED REPRESENTS THE STRAIGHT GRAIN, CALLED WARP. THE STRAIGHT GRAIN IS PARALLEL TO THE SELVAGE. The straight grain is the strong weave (red lines above) as in the vertical threads of a loom.

BLUE MATCHES THE CROSSGRAIN CALLED WEFT (or weaker threads, as they weave in and out of the straight, warp, threads.) The WEFT threads are perpendicular To the selvage.

THE WHITE LINES REPRESENT THE BIAS WHICH INTERSECTS THE STRAIGHT AND CROSS GAINLINES AT 45 DEGREES.

cutting the bias... When the front and back pieces are side by side, the straight grain looks like this; with pattern pieces facing opposite directions. Since the bias is neither as strong nor as stable as the vertical and cross grains of the fabric, the bias will naturally fall closely to your body. The simple straight dress that you cut on the vertical grain may seem way too small when cut on the delicate bias. An easy way to start is with one size larger and then shape the fabric as it falls over the curves of your body on the dress form. Cutting single layers is the only way...if your pattern is designed to cut on the fold, flip it over, making one single layer.

Cutting the bias through â&#x20AC;&#x153;1 to 5â&#x20AC;? marking paper is a sure way to get your very straight cuts. When the side seams are matched side by side, the straight grain lines will meet at the diagonal. You will be able to see this easily when choosing a light to medium weight woven fabric, where grain lines are visible. Keep it simple until you own the techniques and understand the fabric. Cutting the bias at opposite directions will give you equal stability on both sides of the body. If your pattern was drafted to cut on the fold, flip it over and cut one single layer. Even with best laid plans, when cutting on the true bias, you still might see a pull or a pucker somewhere. If, for example, the curves of the body cause one side seam to pull, or ripple...GO TO THE PROBLEM. If the pucker is on the side bust or upper hip, ease the fabric at the point of the pull, ever so slightly, until the pull, which is causing the ripple, disappears. With only slight alterations, you can change your basic pattern from the straight grain to the bias. Be sure to check the fabric! Silk, for example, will fall much closer to the body, and therefore fall smaller in size, (cut bias), than linen. The bust position can be higher or lower according to the dart, or ease on the side seam. By releasing the fabric of ANY pull, the fabric will fall naturally over the curves of the body on the dress form. EASY FITTINGS!

Thank you!!! Valerie Mayen for this beautiful dress with detail that fuels my passion, and makes me smile. Here’s how she did it!

Congratulations, Valerie! Go Project Runway!

VALERIE MAYÈN This garment was made using a black geometric burnout lace, neoprene and of course, my trusty Fabulous Fit dress form. I’ve had my form since 2007, when I first started my company, Yellowcake where I specialize in women’s custom clothing and ready-to-wear outerwear. It was the first professional grade dress form I ever purchased and I wouldn’t stand to buy any other because I knew the quality of Fabulous Fit was second to none. Below I’ve detailed a how-to guide on the process I used to create this garment. When I begin a new piece, I prefer draping over flat pattern making. It’s more accurate and efficient for me. Once a year I debut an exclusive collection for my companies signature fashion event showcasing anywhere from 35 – 50 looks

(approximately 65-95 total pieces/garments). Because I have to create such a large collection in a few short months, speed and accuracy are paramount. Most designers will create a mock up in muslin or comparable fabric before beginning the final product. The nature of this event and collection donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow me that luxury.

Step 1) For this piece I started with the bodice and draped the garment in my final fabric (the geometric lace) as carefully as possible so as not to waste precious textiles or time. Once draped, pinned and marked, I remove the fabric and lay flat to â&#x20AC;&#x153;true upâ&#x20AC;? the sides, neck edge, arm holes, darts and waistline. I reinforced the neck edge, arm holes and waist with black seam tape to prevent stretching and for more stability with the lace.

Step 2) To create the skirt of the dress, I measured the length I desired on the bias of my textile as well as the waist measurement needed and doubled that for the front of the skirt so I had ample room to incorporate pleating details to give fullness and flair to the skirt. Once cut flat, I draped the front skirt piece on the front of my form starting with the center front and working my way to the sides of the waist. I then began to let the fabric fall where it lay best to place and shape my pleats. I repeated this step for the back of the skirt as well, leaving a center back seam for an invisible zipper closure. I also cut classic side seam pockets to sew into the dress as my clients (and myself) love a dress with pockets.

Step 3) I then moved on to the sleeves of the dress, which are slightly off the shoulder to create a cutout effect and attached at the underarms and shoulder with a thread chain. The sleeves were draped on the sleeve form that came with my Fabulous Fit simply by pinning at the center of the bicep where I wanted the sleeve cap to start and working my way around to the underarm. This is a bloused sleeve so I added fullness to the hem of the sleeve by draping it slightly and adding an extra few inches for a bloused return. The sleeve is finished off with a stretch neoprene cuff and gathered hem to exaggerate the blouson effect.

Step 4) Finally, the underpinnings. The bralette was constructed from neoprene. Due to it’s stretch yield I was able to drape the bra cups quickly, only incorporating a horizontal center seam at the apex for simplicity. There are two narrow straps attached to the back which clasps together with 4 sew on snaps and two hook and eye closures for stability. The hot pants are a basic full coverage high –waisted panty design with two side seams and a crotch seam. They are finished off with an elasticized waistband and a bit of elastic cupping the backside of the panty for better fit and coverage.

Step 5) The garment is finished off with a detachable collar affixed with small sew on snaps and a 4.5 inch self faced hem made from neoprene to give it a bit more weight and substance. The neckline, sleeve cap and armhole edges are bias bound with neoprene as well. This garment is easily one of my favorite top 5 looks that I have made in the 8 years that I have had my company, among the 5 collections I have created for this event each year, within the nearly 300+ custom pieces I’ve designed and sewn. Having quality tools like my Fabulous Fit dress form help me to create the highest quality garments I could ever dream imaginable.

THANK YOU, VALERIE, and yellowcakeshop.com! Inspire your self... This is a story about creativity…from Jill.

In my family there are eleven adults, four children and way too many pets. We spend every holiday, every extra “trip time”, and basically see each other almost every third month, even though we live in many different places…San Francisco, New York, Austin, Los Angeles and Grand Cayman. It’s crazy. I, of course, have always been the “go to girl” for clothes. That would mean every wedding, every Christening, tiny cashmere coats for a 3 year old (what to do with left over fabric…), and too many “first date outfits” to count. Something to do with my obsession. I love to sew. Creativity has taken me through times in life I thought I would never have to face. It has been my partner through challenges, joys, and twists of fate beyond my imagination. Last month, the “new normal”, once again, came around. My nephew was life-changing hurt in an accident. It shook my soul. As fate would turn, and in the midst of my temporary move from New York to Austin, a designer needed help in fitting a jacket…like right now…it was Fashion Week. Still in shock, with floor to ceiling boxes in my loft filled with chaos that looked like absolute junk…there it was, creativity on demand. Knowing that I would never be able to speak at that moment, we pulled out a dress form, unpacked the music, turned up the volume, and for the next two hours slowly went through the steps of fitting her jacket, without talking. “Sometimes from our deepest depression, come our most inspiring moments.” This one was beautiful. My message, with this story, is that for all of you who are vying for Project Runway, pining over your collection, looking for new clothes to fill your closet, or creating a Halloween costume for a toddler who will never know how long it took you…just keep on sewing. Creativity is a rock.

“We hope you enjoy! Our business is built on happy people - Thank you for your reviews! Wishing you fabulous clothes!” The Fabulous Fit Team