This Dress will be the Death of Me...

Ive been fighting with the toile of this design for 10 days now, its so painful.

The final fabric will be in a chiffon so its going to be pain but once constructed will look delicate and appear to be lightly dancing over the body.

1. Drafting out and constructing went smoothly enough until i slipped the bodice over the manikin, and it was loose and hanging round the bust area with the waist being a near perfect fit, so i went back to the draft and changed the shape of dart taking more out of the bust and a little from the waist.

2. Then the yoke and dart looked messy as they sat so close to each other, so i decided to split the bodice in two making it a 3 piece bodice removing the messiness of darts and keeping it slick and smooth, connecting the yoke as part of the three piece bodice.

(Showing the bodice with darts, yoke and ill fit)

(showing the bust dart and yoke being close together and so looking messy.)

3. The back was not fitting correctly and knowing that manikins don't always reflect a females correct proportions I placed it inside out on a female and pinned it until it fit, trying it on a few females to ensure it wasn't a bespoke fit to one female. Translated the alterations onto my pattern and stitched the correct darts.

(showing the excess fabric being pinned to create a fitted bodice.)

4. Now the bodice fit it was onto the skirt, this went smoothly, but now the toile is done I actually hate it. The skirt has too much body causing it to look frumpy and not very elegant, the toiling fabric is hard to see past as its hideous patterns mask the silhouette. The frills at the bottom look messy and causes the dress to look costumey. The bodice now looks messy with all the lines running through it. the frills, voluminous skirt and additional seams have caused it to look over done, periodic costumey, messy, frumpy and not delicate.

(front)

(back)

5. Working out the amount of space in the darts I simply cut and gather to create the fitted bodice lighthly steaming and pressing to create delicate creases in the fabric which will generate delicacy.

(showing he new shape and dart style)

6. Cutting a simple and rectangle and slightly gathering creates a gentle skirt for the dress and removing the frills eradicates the messiness, costume and frumpy elements.

(showing the new slimline skirt oozing with delicacy and femininity.)