Professional Patterns & Blocks – Online Courses
It’s that time of the month again where I release my free pattern and making guide to accompany my magazine article in the DSM, this month it’s the wide headband project.
Download your free pattern and detailed making guide here!
Wide Wrap Head Band-Pattern and Instructions
As always if you have any questions or comments then please get in touch.
Happy sewing,
Nicola
P.S.
Next month I will show you how to make this gorgeous Japanese bag and also where to buy beautiful Japanese fabrics.
As some of you may know I live in France in the beautiful region of Deux Sevres, and this is the first of my contributions to the regions English language magazine, the Deux Sevres Monthly.
I will be writing a creative article for the magazine each month and I wanted my first contribution to be simple, colourful and fun! Each of the articles will also be here on my blog along with any free patterns and downloads.
This is a great project for teaching young people to sew, I started sewing as a very young child and my favourite thing to make was a tiny mouse. I used any scraps of fabric I could find to make them and the mice were all called ‘Grub Street’ . They lived in a match box! Sewing is a fantastic skill to have and how wonderful it is to teach a child to sew! These pillows are very popular in the USA now and children leave them out for the tooth fairy.
All you need to gather together is…
And you will need access to…
Here is a detailed PDF download that contains the pattern and all the making instructions!
monster pillow learn to sew instructions and pattern
I would love to see your creations so please e-mail them to me and I will publish them!
If you have any questions at all then please just ask, I am always happy to help!
I hope to see you next month for another ‘creative’ project and if you have any requests then please let me know what you would like to see.
Happy Sewing,
Nicola
Darts can be moved to anywhere around the perimeter of the front bodice block, as long as you follow a few simple rules.
The Slash method of dart manipulation is the easiest for beginners to use –
Why not have a practice with the examples 1 to 6 above and let me know if you need any help at all.
I have a dedicated workbook for beginners that shows the basics of bodice pattern cutting, specially designed to help beginners make the most of their bodice blocks, you can find this as a PDF download on my web site www.modeliste-creative.com
The link to the workbook is here
Happy Pattern Cutting,
Nicola
Thanks to all my blog subscribers that took the time to subscribed to my YouTube channel! I am now well over my target 100 subscribers – as a Thank You – I have uploaded a free half scale dress block and it’s in the subscribers bonus contents page for you! Plus some more exciting news below about my upcoming pattern cutting course in France.
When you are practising your pattern cutting, or even developing a style, it’s sometimes useful to do your initial experimentation with half or quarter scale blocks!
This can save paper, however I do recommend using full scale blocks as much as you can – why you may ask?
Working in full scale helps you develop an ‘eye’ for proportion and scale, its amazing, as you become more proficient in pattern drafting, you develop a second sense and can tell immediately when something doesn’t quite measure up. This is a difficult skill to master if you always work in quarter or half scale.
However scaled block do have their place and are perfect for sketch books and experimentation.
I am pleased to announce (dates to be confirmed) that I can now offer a weeks intensive pattern cutting course in France, during September. The course will be limited to 3 or 4 people and will be fully catered. Plus each course member will receive a full set of my Modeliste Creative Colour Blocks! More details and pictures of the accommodation will be available on my courses and professional development page very soon. If you are interested in the course please get in touch!
Thanks again!
Nicola
I have been on YouTube about 6 months now and it’s been hard work to get my subscriber numbers up. I need the magic 100 subscribers to get my name on the end of my URL link, rather than a long string of random numbers! As you can see I am currently on 70 subscribers.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfDAZ0PO96phtnK-rcyBiQw/videos?view_as=subscriber
If any of my lovely blog follower would like to subscribe to my YouTube channel too then I would be over the moon! Just click on the link above.
I am planning a number of short technique videos very shortly and subscribers will be automatically notified!
I already have a few useful videos so please take a look!
Happy Pattern Cutting & Sewing
Nicola
Here is a video sew along for the ‘wrap around head band’ Ideal for those long thin scraps that are often left over from our sewing projects.
Headband sew along 1 Click to watch the video and download your free PDF pattern from the members only area once you have subscribed!
Keep watching as I am working on a wider version for long hair today.
And if you get the time – please subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Happy sewing,
Nicola x
Download your free pattern by clicking the link below – simply print the pages on your regular printer and stick together to form the bag pattern!
Free pdf evening bag pattern 4 x A4
This is a lovely project, not as simple as it first appears, for the free PDF pattern please download the file from the link above.
The pattern piece can be cut as one whole piece as pictured here on the lining fabric, I chose to have a seam on the main bag piece as I wanted to place the print of the fabric in the best position I could. The main bag pattern piece can be cut in the same way as the lining if you are using a plain fabric.
We will start with the lining – place the right sides of the lining together and stitch the side seams taking 1 cm seam allowance.
Pop the lining to the side for now and we will work on the main bag.
The first step is to place your zipper foot on the machine.
The straps are very much up to you. You could use cord, or ribbon, or contrast fabric.
I chose to make straps in the bag fabric and pull some wadded filament through to pad the strap.
The bag opening needs to be completed before attaching the lining to the main bag
Now follow the same steps you took to sew the lining, sew the side seams and the base. You may not be able to sew right to the top of the bag as the straps are quite bulky if you padded them, but this can be completed by hand if you want to.
Now all that remains is to attach the lining to the bag at the zip seam allowance. Most of this can be done by machine, but you will need to leave a gap to turn the bag through and that can be finished by hand.
Firstly place the lining inside the bag as it would lie when finished, pop a couple of pins there to hold it in place.
My completed bag! – they are ideal as gifts or lovely as a wedding or special occasion bag.
Why not add some design details such as a lovely fabric flower, keep posted and I will show you how!
Make sure you subscribe for more free projects.
Any questions or comments then please let me know.
If you are inspired by making this bag then this is another lovely bag to make!
Click this link to go to the pattern on Etsy!
Nicola x
SEAM ALLOWANCE
Seam allowance must only be added to a pattern at the very final stage, once the pattern is complete and has been checked thoroughly and measured to make sure all seams match back and front and all parts match. If you add seam allowance before you are completely finished it will confuse things!
Other factors which effect the decision regarding the amount of seam allowance to be added to a pattern section are –
As a general rule confined or very curved areas, for example necklines and armholes and some very intricate style lines will need less seam allowance added than very long or fairly straight seams such as skirt hems, side seams, shoulder seams center back seams, inside and outside leg seams etc.
If an area is to be bagged out then less seam allowance is needed to reduce any bulk inside the bagged out section.
Facings may be classed as a bagged out area and should always be considered when deciding how to neaten an edge.
* Industry practice is to keep seam allowance to a minimum and rarely does a seam allowance go over 1 cm, however those making garments at home or for a couture market may allow additional seam allowance to enable more flexibility to alter the garments fit. An example of this can be sometimes viewed at the back waist of a trouser where a generous wedge of seam allowance is left to allow the garment to be altered in the future.
Happy Pattern Making!
Nicola x
If you have drafted the skirt block using my method in yesterdays post, or if you have used your own method, or you are using a ready drafted skirt block, the following information will be useful for you!
Let’s adopt good working practice here and do it properly! I have a few rules I always follow and they have served me well over time.
I never cut up a pattern draft, even if I think I won’t need it again, I always take the time to trace the size I need, particularly if there is more than one size on the pattern sheet.
It’s also a good idea to arrange your patterns on your paper in a logical way, usually this would be in the position they were originally drafted, so for the skirt, this would be with the hip level aligned and the side seams placed a short distance apart.
The next step is to create a basic pattern for a ‘toile’ so we can test and fit the block. A ‘toile’ is a common term in pattern cutting and just means a test garment.
Strictly speaking a toile does not need seam allowance on any hem lines, so we don’t need to pop seam allowance on the waist or hem. This means we can see exactly how the block sits and fits.
Therefore we only need SA (seam allowance) on the side seams and CB (center back).
We also need some sewing notches and some balance notches.
Let’s place a notch at the hip levels, notches at the end of the dart legs and the center of each dart, and a notch between the hip line and the hem line to aid sewing and matching the side seam. Also a notch should be placed 20 cm (7 7/8″) down from the waist at CB.
Balance notches let us see that the garment is ‘balanced’ and is sitting on the body and hanging correctly. Place balance notches at the CF and CB
Drill holes are markers that let us know that the dart is coming to the end and a mark is normally placed around 1.5 cm (9/16″) before the dart apex (end of the dart).
Make sure the grain line is marked on the pattern and also the hip line. Place a fold line or an instruction to mirror the front skirt on the center front and also place an instruction to cut 2 back skirts as a pair.
Take special care when marking in the darts, particularly if you have followed my instructions to contour the darts to the shape of the body.
I like to compare the sewing of a dart to landing a plane. You would not want the pilot to land the plane at a steep angle! You want the approach to be smooth and almost flat, with a gentle touch down and the plane should keep on travelling.
When you come to the drill hole you know you only have 1.5 cm left to ‘land’ your dart. Sew as close to the fold of the center of the dart as possible, so that when you come to the ‘apex’ i.e. the end of the dart, you can just sew off and carry on sewing. This forms what I call a piggy’s tail! Do not back tack at the end of a dart.
If you sew your darts like this they will look flat and sit well on the body. Now you can give the seams a press!
3. Sew the skirt side seams.
Remember that you do have some ease at the waist, this ease is there to allow you to move in the garment, and is also there to be eased into the waistband, so allow for this excess. You do not want the waist too tight.
I am happy with the fit at the back, but would like to take a little extra out in the darts at the front waist. Here I can choose to either add an extra dart or make the existing dart a little larger.
Any changes you choose to make should be marked on the original pattern and noted.
It’s worth taking a little time to perfect the fit, as this is now your base for all skirt style developments. Keep posted and subscribe to be updated with future posts and learn to make lots of different styles from this basic block!
Happy pattern drafting,
Nicola x
On most patterns and blocks darts are drawn in as straight lines, this is also a common practice on industrial patterns where the factories want the darts to be easy to mark and sew.
Those of us sewing at home, producing our own tailor made garments, have the time to enhance our darts and make them fit properly to the curves of the body. After all a body is curved not straight! This post will show you how to achieve a more shapely dart.
If you are making for a client or yourself you also have the great advantage of being able to have a fit session and try the garment on. When you try a garment on a body, slight fit adjustments can be made through the darts, but remember to spread these adjustments around the body and not focus them in just one place. For example if a waist is too large, in that case, a couple of millimeters can be taken from each dart and also each side seam (which are also darts) to fit the waist.
Also visually if looks better if a dart is slanted. particularly darts close to a side seam.
A Large back skirt or trouser dart looks much better if it is shaped differently at the top and the bottom believe it or not.
Remember that after any change you make to a dart you will need to make sure that the dart legs are still the same length and that when the darts are folded in, that the waist still runs smoothly.
Have you tried following my skirt block drafting method in the previous post – if not why not give it a try.
If you are interested in contoured darts, you may want to take a look at my contour fitted dress block!
Happy pattern drafting.
Nicola x
