
No need to scroll through long slideshows and how-

to videos to improve your sewing skills. In this tutorial,we’ll cover the basicsof draping youneedtoknow, the first in a series. Grab your dummy,tape and muslin-let’s get started!
Prepareyourworkspace
Buythe tools we used:

Lance 24″ French Curve (for next steps)
Blue Dritz Mark-B-Gone

Muslin (choose the closest fabric you willuse))
FaceTape(tomark the outline, fabric will follow)
Drapetape

White Mood tapemeasure
Elongatedballpin

8-inchtulapinkscissors (also forleft-handers!)
Clearruler
Toolimpression
What is drapability?

Draping is a technique used to createthree-dimensionalclothingpatternsusing a garmentmodelbysecuring the fabric and placing itover the model to create the garment. Designerstypically use chiffon, which is costeffective and available in a variety of weights.
Why arecurtainsuseful?

Draping is used to achieve the desired pattern through directmaterialmanipulation, providing the ability to sculpt and create uniquedesigns.Draping is thereforethemain technique used intheproductionoffashion and high-end products.
CurtainTerminologyYouNeed to Know
Mannequin MarkingTerminology:

1.
SHShoulderLine
2. NBNeck
3. Armhole/Armpit
4. PLPrincessLine
5. Apex/BPChestPoint
6.
BLBustLine

7. CFFrontCenterLine
8. SSSideSeam
9. WLCenterLine
10. HBLHorizontalBalanceLine
Apex: highest point of bust,frontribdefines reference point

CenterFront:Verticalthatmarks the centerof the front ofthegarmentLine
Center Back:The vertical line that marks the centeroftheback of the garment
Seam: Two or more edges of fabric are held together by stitches
Tip: A diagonal line across the grain of the garmentthe fabric
Cross grain: PerpendiculartothesecondaryedgeSections of fabric withlongitudinalgrainonthesides
Darts:Designfeatures that helpfit garments around curves
Prepareyourgarmentshape
Mark all stitches and seams Create guidelines for your garment, using what we learned earlier in the post Usethegiventerm as a guide, which will keep your drapeevene.

Imitatingthe desired design and other seams using veneer tape will bring your garment to life.
Apply styling tape over the entire bust, starting at the center front to the side seams. Repeat for the smallest part of the waist and the widest pointofthehip.
In the back,the style tape should be placed horizontally at thelevelofthe shoulder blades(it should be 1/4of the distance between the neckline and thecenterline),going from the CB to the backofthearmholes.
Measure theshapeofyourskirt
Measure:
1.


To measurethewidthof your front chiffonpanel, measure the style strip on the front of the skirt and add 4inchesto the vertical distance from the top of the neckline to the centerline, then add 3inches.
BACKMEASUREMENTS:

1. To collect back body muslin panelwidthmeasurements, measure approximately2inchesbelow the arm tabs, at the widest point of the back, from the center ofthe back to the side seams, then add 4inches.
To gather measurements for thelengthofthe back muslin panel, measure vertically from the top of the neckline to the centerline, then add 2inches.
Prepareyourmuslin
● Obtain muslin ofapproximately the same weight as the fabric you willbeusing.
● Iron on your muslin foreasyandprecise handling and marking.
● Usea tape measure and ruler toscoreapieceofmuslin,then tear with the grain toget a perfectly roundpiece.
● Use the cutting and marking tools we’vecollected above to mark grain lines and other important referencepoints.
● Tear your muslin to determine the grain and use the above measurements to cut out your front and back bodypieces.
**NOTE:Eachbean should form arectangleandformablock.**
● Turn the muslin insideout and iron the grain lengthwise
Remember that there are different weights of muslinwhenmaking muslin. .choosea muslin that is similar inweight to the final project.
Note: Theimageabove is our basic lightweight chiffon, the bottom is a stiffer heavyweight chiffon.
Prepareyoursquareofmuslin
Front piece(toplacethe bodice lengthwise)
1.
Measure height from top of neckline to bust line and make a vertical guide here
2. Measure from top (fullest point of bust) to center frontand add ⅛” for seam
3. Go to theskinnycorsetpiece and measure 1″ from the top edge ofthelength and draw a horizontal line representing your CF
4. Reference your neckline to thetop measurement and drop that amount anddraw a horizontal line representing your bust guide
5Referto your overalltop seam measurement nexttoStep 2 and draw a horizontal line to represent your side seam
6.
Divide the numbers above and draw a horizontal line thatrepresents your balance guide
Back block (placethe bodice lengthwise)
1. Use thecenterof your back to measurethe armhole rib and add 4″tomakeiteasier to create a vertical for your
Create2Guideblock. At the bottom of the muslin piece, measure 1″ from the bottom edge to actasa CB guide.
3. Measure 3″ from the left side of the muslin piece and place a small mark to represent your neckline CB
4.
Measure your shoulder blade level downfromyourCBneckline and make a guide
5. Make a fabric to represent your entire CB down to thesizeofthe armhole ribs, including ¼” for more ease
6. From your CB to 11/4″Measure11/4″ArmholeRidgeMark to make guide
whichrepresents your back balance guide 7. Bend your CB guide and CF
8. Iron Block

9.
Press the CB and CF guideswith your fingers (use an iron to stretch the texture) the end of this post. Stay tuned for the next tutorial in this series where we’llexplain how to drape a basic corset.You’ll want to save your muslin pieces and skirtprepared, and you’llneed a marker, sewing needle, and scissors to learn how to place your muslin piecesonthepleated bodice.

How to Make Clothing
There are many reasons why you may want to make clothing. If you’re interested in fashion design, have clothes in mind that you’d like to make yourself, or just need afewtweaks to something you already have,learn how to create a newone from fromzero.
You don’thave to be a seamstress to learn how to make your own custom clothes.
SEWINGPREPARATION

1Learnabout the different tools youwill need. Making clothes requires many different tools tosew,create patterns, and measure patterns to make sure they fit you. You will need to learn each type of tool and how to use it. You won’t be comfortable with all the toolsatfirst, but it will geteasierasyoupractice.
Iron and ironing board. Anygood quality iron you already havecanbeused, but youmightendupwanting to buy a better quality iron.Youwilluse the iron to press downon the item you are sewing as yousew,as this willensurethat the seamwill stay open properly.
Theseamistorn.Youwill use it when youmistakenlytearoff the wrong points.
Mark the fabric withchalk so you know where to sew and where to cut.

You need a verynice sharp pair of scissors that you specify for cutting fabric only, otherwise the scissors will dull faster and could damage or fray your fabric.
Tracing paper tocreate patterns and modifythem as yousew.
Ruler for drawing and measuring asyoucreate (both in the design phase and in the sewing phase).
Tape measures,inparticular flexible tapes.
Youwill use it to take measurements and make adjustments if necessary.
needlestohold the fabric in place before you start sewing. Pins should be used sparingly as they can distort the fabric youare working with.
2.Buy a sewing machine.
There are basically two types of sewing machines, one that fallsunder the home/domestic category and one that fallsunder the industrial category. Bothcategorieshave pros and cons,sotakethetime to decide which one best suits your needs.[1]
sewing machines tend to be more portable and versatile. They tend to do allkinds of sutures. However, they’renotgoodat speed and strength, and they’renot very good athandling heavy loads.
Industrial sewing machines are more powerful and faster, but they tend to only do one type of stitch (likethe straight lockstitch). They do thepoint well, but aren’t very versatile. They also tend to take up more space.
If you want to sew stretchfabrics, make sure your machine can zigzag stitch. Some machines have specific rackspacing, which can also beuseful.
3.Know the parts of the sewing machine. Hopefully your sewing machine comes with amanual because it will tell you which way the bobbin will spin and where the bobbin case is. Butbeforeyoucandoanythinginteresting,you need to know at least the basic components of a sewing machine.The
spool pinsecures the spool and controls the direction of the thread as it passes through the sewing machine.
Depending on the type of machine you have, your coilscan be horizontal or vertical. The
spool is essentially a mandrel wound with wire. You need to wind the bobbin with thread and put it in the bobbin case (located under the needle plate).
Your sewing machine also has different stitch settings to help determine the stitch length for each stitch, the amount of tension needed to ensure the stitches arecorrectlythreaded, and different stitch types (if you have astitch type different sewing machine).
The threadtake-up lever controls the thread tension.
If the thread tension isnot at the correctlevel,thethread will knot andjam the sewing machine.
You can ask a sewing shop nearyou if they offerlessons, or ifyou know someone willing to help you set up a sewing machine, or you can ask family members or capablefriends.
4.Start simple. If you’re newto making clothes, you’ll want to start with simple designs, otherwise it’s easy to get frustrated and giveup.
It’s best to start with skirts because they’re easier to make than a 3-piece suit and require you to measureless.
Atfirst, try not to make clothes with buttons or zippers, like jackets. Userubberbandstomakeanapron or pajamas. Once yougetyourhandson your tools and your sewing machine, you can start makingprogress.


5.
Make connections. The best way to getthemostoutof your final piece is to dosome test apparel beforehand so you can tweak the design and make whatever changes youfeelareappropriate to the final piece.Itis recommended to use offcutsof the same material as the final part.6.Take the appropriate measurements needed to completethe pattern.
Even if you’re making agarmentbasedon a pattern you found somewhereratherthanyourown,you’ll still need to measuretomake the garment fit when you’re done.
For pants you will need tomeasure the following measureme

nts: waist, hips,inseam depth and full leg length from waist to floor. For shorts, use yourpantsmeasurementandshorten the pants to your desired length.
For shirts, you will need the following measurements: collar, chest, shoulder width, arm length, armhole length and shirt length. Remember to measure with your finger between the tape measure and yourbody so the shirt is snug but not tight.
For skirts, you only need tomeasureyour waist and hips. The length and fullness of the skirt will vary depending on the type of skirt you want to make.
Selectingthepattern
1. Create a pattern. Useyourmeasurementstodraw a pattern for your garment.
Use similar garments as a guide for proper pattern design and layout. There are many places to find pattern ideas.
Thrift stores and sewing shops often have fun vintage patterns (especially skirts), and there are plenty of simple patterns youcanfind online.
2. Placethefabricof your choice on a large flat surface and place the template on the fabric.
Deciding how to lay out your modelrequires careful planning.
Fold the right sides ofthefabric together, edge to edge.Apompom is the finished edge of the fabric that keeps it from fraying.Byfolding it this way,itis easy tocut double gobos (sleeves, legs, etc.) and large symmetrical gobos.
If you have a large pattern piece that is symmetrical and can be folded down the middle (likeashirtback), fold the pattern piece down the middle and attach the folded part of the pattern to the folded edge of the fabric. This saves cutting labor and ensures that the cut fabric is perfectly symmetrical.
Forclose-fittinggarments, it is best to distribute the swatchesacrossthefront (at a 45 degree angle to the hem).
To sew a garment withoutstretching, place the sample at a 90 degree angle to the folded edge.
3.
Iron thefolds of the fabric. You need to make sure your fabric doesn’twrinkleor it willruin your final piece if the wrinkles cause the fabric tomisalign.
4.Pinthegobo to the fabric. This will tell you where to cut.
Make sure it is still wrinkle-free and that the pattern piece and fabric are properlyaligned.
5.Cutthe fabric according to the pattern. Be sure to cut both layers of fabric.
6.

Remove the paper sample from the fabric sample.Youare ready to begin the sewing process.
Part -3
Sewing Tips
1.Pin the pieces together along the seam edges. Determine which edges you needtosewtogether,then pin the 2 piecesof fabric together, right sides together, at the edgeoftheseam.
Position the pins at a 90 degree angle to the edge so you don’t have to pull them outwhilesewing.
2. Sew the pieces together, one edge at a time, and stitch to stitch until you have a fully constructed garment.
This will take time, so be patient while you work. If you makeamistake, don’t worry, that’s what your seam ripper is for.
3.Usethe sewing machine correctly. You need to make sure you have the right needle andthread for the job. Different types of threads and different types of needles are best for different types of fabrics.
Unlike natural fibers like cotton or linen and synthetic fibers like rayon or polyester,youwillneeddifferenttechniquestoprocessanimalfiberfabricslikesilk,wooloralpaca.
Make sure you know what type of fabric you’re using and what type of stitching will work best with it. The
gentlyguides the fabric through the machine. Don’t push or pull on your project because the machine is supposed to do itonitsown and you couldjam the sewing machine or damage your garment.
4.Calculate the edges of clothing.
Completegarment with clean, neat edges.
Fold the wrong side inward to the desired hem width,then press the pleats together. Fold the printed edge up 1 time and press down again. Nowwork along the folded top edge of the inside hem of the garment.
5 Install the trim.
Itcan be buttons, elastics,zippers,allkindsof fun embroidery or special seams. The better you learntosew and make your own clothes, the more creative you willbein adding those finishing touches. Chapter
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