Baste or pin in all darts, tucks, and any other inside design form shaping details.

Stay-stitch all curved and bias edges to prevent stretching material out of shape. Remember to handle your material lightly at all times.

Pin or baste shoulder and side seams of bodice. Baste sleeve seams and put aside. Pin or baste skirt seams.

THE FIRST FITTING

Drape bodice on dress form or living figure. Make any changes necessary in the fit of the garment by removing original pins or basting as you go along and replacing them at proper places.

These changes may be made at constructions seams, or at the darts, or other shaping seams. Don’t make the mistake of over fitting – remember to leave room for action.

When you are satisfied with the fit of this part of your costume, drape the skirt over your form, turn down seam allowance at waistline and attach to bodice at the waistline by matching your side seams, center front and center back, and other markings inherent to your design. Make corresponding alterations in the same manner you followed in fitting the bodice.

CHECK ON YOUR STRAIGHT OF GOODS. MAKE SURE THIS AT CENTER FRONT AND CENTER BACK IS EXACTLY PERPENDICULAR (AT RIGHT ANGLES) TO THE FLOOR. THIS IS MOST IMPORTANT IF YOU EXPECT TO HAVE YOUR GARMENT HANG OR DRAPE PROPERLY.

When your design calls for a bias cut pattern – the exact line of true bias must be perpendicular to the floor in the same manner – either at the center front and back, or at the design center as, for example, the center of each gore or godet.

Mark any changes you have made with chalk. Remove garment from form and take the next step to the finish line. Before you remove any pins, make sure that you have marked all seam allowances and all changes.

Detach skirt from bodice and take apart side and shoulder seams – BUT DO NOT DESTROY OR REMOVE ANY OF YOUR MARKINGS!

Begin with sewing in all your darts and inner lines of design.

Don’t forget to press as you go along.

PRESS EACH DART, SEAM, OR LINE OF SEWING BEFORE ATTACHING ANY CROSS SEAMS OR ASSEMBLING THE ADJOINING PART.

Press darts from the wider part toward the tip. Use your press mitt or tailor’s ham. Press waistline and shoulder darts toward the center of the garment; and bust line or sleeve darts downward. When working with very heavy material or very wide darts – trim dart to about 1″ of sewing line and press open, leaving a triangular fold at the tip of the dart.

In pressing seams – first press them open and then toward the direction desired; or leave them open if this is your intention as a designer. When one edge of seam has to be eased to match the length of the opposite edge as for example the top edges of sleeves or fullness over bust – in order to achieve neat shaping, gather in the fullness with a small running stitch to the length desired and steam shrink to shape by pressing over a curved surface such as your tailor’s ham.

ALWAYS PRESS BIAS SECTION WITH THE GRAIN OF THE MATERIAL TO AVOID STRETCHING OUT OF SHAPE.
TIPS FROM A PROFESSIONAL DRESSMAKER

Time for a second dress fitting.

Complete the bodice in all details except for final finishing. Sew in the interfacing if use of it is necessary to hold and reinforce the shape of your design.

Sew in facings wherever required.

If your design calls for a collar – baste it in.

Set in your sleeves and baste.

Have another fitting to check on collar and sleeves – Do the sleeves fall properly? – Is there enough ease for movement? – Does the collar lay smooth or roll the way you planned it? Measure off the length of the sleeves. Mark any changes necessary.

Now finish the bodice completely.

Remember to press each seam before sewing on a cross seam.

Now you are ready for a fourth dress fitting. Your dress will then be complete and you have learned how to sew a dress.

When planning a dressmaking pattern project, the first consideration should be color usage. Following is a basic summary of how the varying colors should be used to create different looks.

SCIENCE OF COLOR

Color comes from light reflected, from the visible spectrum of radiant energy produced by electromagnetic waves. White is the combined reflected light of all the colors of the spectrum; and black is the absence of all reflected light and color.

COLOR IN LIGHTING

The use of colors in lighting differs from pigment colors or paint – and it mixes quite differently. In lighting the primary colors are not red, blue, and yellow – but BLUE, GREEN AND YELLOW RED.

Blue, green, and yellow red light combined produce white light. Blue and green combined produces blue-green light; blue and yellow red produces violet; green and yellow red produces yellow.

Red filters absorb all colors except red, which passes through; green filter absorbs all but green; blue filter absorbs all but blue; and the yellow filter absorbs all but red and green which pass through the filter in combination as yellow.

Green and red filters combined, absorb and stop the passage of all colors. COLOR IN PAINTS

In pigments, the substance we use to paint or color our material, the PRIMARY COLORS are RED, YELLOW, and BLUE. These are the colors with which we can reproduce all the colors of spectrum. COLORS COMBINED

The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue.

The secondary colors are midway between each primary color: Mixing yellow with red we get orange. Mixing red with blue we get purple. Mixing blue with yellow we get green.

The tertiary colors are midway between each primary and secondary color:
Yellow and orange produce yellow-orange.
Orange and red produce red-orange.
Red and purple produce red-purple.
Purple and blue produce blue-violet.
Blue and green produce blue-green.
Green and yellow produce yellow-green.

The following pairs of colors are complements to each other:

Red and Green       Yellow-Orange and Blue-Violet

Yellow and Purple      Red-Purple and Yellow-Green

Blue and Orange      Red-Orange and Blue-Green

COLOR SENSE

VALUE expresses the tones tints, or shades of any particular color or hue ranging from very light – almost white but with a slight tinge of color – to very dark or almost black.

INTENSITY represents the purity of a color – color which is not neutralized or softened by mixing with its complement.

DOMINANT HARMONY is self color harmony of different values of the same color.

COLD COLORS: blue violet, blue, blue green, and certain shades of green and purple. In general, receding, silent colors are inconspicuous, such as the less intense, low value shades of secondary and tertiary colors or hues; and, the more intense the hue, the louder or more overpowering it becomes.

Traditionally the colors of spring have been pink and yellow green; of summer – yellow, blue and green; of autumn – orange and brown; and winter – red and black.

In the proper hue, value, and intensity this is the most restful color without being too depressing.

YELLOW and gold colors indicate sunshine, gaiety, honor, loyalty.

DEVELOPING COLOR SENSE

Color should enhance the natural qualities inherent in the color of skin, hair, and eyes.

Light colors appear lighter when placed next to dark colors.

Any color seems brighter when placed next to its complement. In artificial light the same colors will be subdued. Candlelight will soften colors, incandescent light slightly brighten, and fluorescent will change the apparent hue.

BLUE LIGHTS will dull green and yellow, intensify blue, apparently change red to purple.

UNDER A RED LIGHT yellow will seem almost red and both green and blue will appear dull, while red will be very intense.

With these guidelines, those involved with dress designing can gain a good understanding of color and increase their designing ability. By matching colors to the style and use of your garments you can ensure you are always dressing for success.

MATCHING STRIPES

In preparing your material for the dressmaking pattern cutting, pin stripes together. Have fold of material exactly in the center of a stripe or exactly in the center of the space between. If material has a tendency to crawl, pin stripes together at varying intervals.

With no front opening in the dress design place dominant stripe at center of front and match the rest to this.

On openings stripes must be matched and appear unbroken.

Your second pattern piece with the opposing stripe marked on it is placed on the material. For proper placing, keep the shoulder seam on this piece turned back and move your pattern over the material until you match the stripes marked on them at the points where they cross the seamline. Pin your pattern securely at this point, unfold seam line – and this is ready for cutting.

HOW TO MATCH OTHER FABRIC DESIGNS

The same procedure can be used for matching stripes, plaids, or checks at any seam.

Plaids or checks have to be matched crosswise and lengthwise at the same time. Since there is always some difference in the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the fabric design in plaids and checks, always remember to match lengthwise design with lengthwise design and crosswise with crosswise.

With all such problems it is important to train your eyes and your judgment.

Cutting plaids or checks on the bias requires extra care. Fold your material on the true bias and pin at frequent intervals to keep the design in perfect alignment and symmetry on both sides.

When cutting sleeves on the bias of plaid material, cut each sleeve separately. Use the first sleeve cut as your pattern for the second sleeve. Place right side to right side and move sleeve on material until you have the fabric design exactly matched at all points.

Figured materials can be treated as plain materials unless the design is large and widely spaced. Under such circumstances you will have to place the various parts of your pattern on the material in such a way – always matching the straight of grain – that the design of the print will show on the finished dress exactly where you want it. With such careful planning and placing, the fabric designs can and do contribute a great deal to the style of the dress.

DIAGONAL WEAVES

In the front, lines should travel from the left shoulder down to the right waistline.

In the back they travel from the right shoulder down to the left waistline.

NAPPED FABRICS, VELVETS, OTHER PILE FABRICS

Care by the must be taken by the dress maker in laying out her pattern that straight of goods of each pattern piece runs in the same direction. Richer effects are obtained by having the nap of the material facing or running in an upward direction, smoother effects with nap running downward.

KNITTED MATERIALS

As some knitted materials have a tendency to ravel at cut edges, it may be necessary to machine stitch around the edge of each piece you have to cut out.

SHEER MATERIALS

Chiffons and voiles and other sheer materials stretch very easily. To insure accurate size in cutting, it’s worth the extra effort to pin or baste the entire material on thin tissue paper before laying out the pattern. Then after your pattern has been properly pinned, cut through the material and tissue paper at the same time. All bias edges have to be stay-stitched either by machine or by hand to prevent stretching out of shape or size. In cutting straight edges in sheers it helps to draw threads for a more accurate guide.

It is worthwhile for the dress maker to take a little extra time to cut these particular fabrics especially when learning how to sew a dress. Good luck with your dressmaking.

HOW MUCH MATERIAL WILL YOU NEED?

The dress has been designed, the dressmaking pattern drafted and cut – every necessary part, facings, bias bindings, pockets, trimmings, etc., have all been cut and marked.

Special planning is required for stripes, plaids, prints, and material with nap. Generally fabrics with small designs will require 1/8th yard extra.

Medium designs, stripes, and small plaids -1/4 yard extra.

Napped materials, large plaids and large spaced prints will require 1/2 yard or more extra depending on the design and style.

PREPARING MATERIALS FOR CUTTING

Firm materials can be straightened by clipping selvage and tearing.

Delicate materials require delicate handling. Some materials are impossible to tear – with these you will have to draw a thread across the material and cut along this guide. Determine which side of the material you want to use as the right side: Washable materials usually come with the right side folded out. Some materials may be used either side – use your own judgment as to which side is more attractive in finish, pattern, weave, etc. Straighten grain of material by stretching on the bias from selvage to selvage. Press out all creases and wrinkles.

Pin selvages together to make certain the center fold will be directly on the straight of the material. Always fold your right side in. Extra pinning is required for plaids, checks, stripes, and smooth slippery materials to prevent material from crawling and the design from creeping out of alignment.

When you lay out your material for cutting use a large table. CUTTING

Have all pattern pieces properly marked for straight of goods and for joining points. Place all pattern pieces on your material making certain that the straight of goods marking matches the grain of the material.

Use sharp, long scissors. Keep material and pattern flat on table. Don’t pick up the material. Before removing pattern from material, make sure that you have transferred all the markings to the material.

Fundamentals You Need To Know
One of the essential elements when you design a dress is to have the basic equipment.

In order to do proper work the designing and sewing room has to be properly equipped. Measuring tools – tape measure, yardstick, tailor’s square, right angle triangle, T square, French curves.

Cutting tools- Shears, scissors, and pinking shears.

Marking tools – Skirt marker, tracing wheel and dressmaker’s carbon paper, Tailor’s chalk, and chalk board. Sewing machine – electric preferred.

Seam ripper, pins, needles, and thimble. Get dressmaker or silk pins – they will not mark delicate fabrics.

Dress Form. Cutting table or folding cutting board.

Emery bag; Tweezers; Pressing equipment; Iron – This is one of your most important tools when you design a dress. If you press each seam as you sew before sewing on an adjoining piece – the effect will be more professional. Press cloth. Ironing Board. Sleeve Board. Tailor’s Ham. Press mitt. Seam roll. Needle board for pressing pile fabrics. Mercerized cotton for cottons, linens and blends. Silk for silks and wools. Zippers and Nylon Tape Closures.

Belting, bias binding or seam tape, ribbon seam binding.

Trimmings, braid, ribbon, rickrack, beading, pearls, sequins.

HOW TO MAKE A CHALK BOARD:

The chalk board should be about 20 x 24 inches in size. 2 pieces of 22 x 26 inch soft white flannel

powdered chalk

rayon or cotton coarse net

Sprinkle powdered chalk evenly all over flannel. Lay the net over the chalked flannel, tuck flannel and net under the board without tipping over the board.

Cut off excess material.

Now you have the equipment to begin learning how to sew a dress you can begin the fascinating process of creation.