Drafting the Foss blouse

sewing pattern drafting

For the fashion design course I’m taking, I designed, drafted, fitted and created a summer top. And I’m so proud of it! Summer might be a distant memory, but I just rediscovered my notes about the process of creating this, and I had to share.

The Design

I started with a sketch, vaguely inspired by some silhouettes I saw earlier in the summer. I iterated on a few ideas, but ultimately landed on this empire-band peplum top. I wanted something that would be a fun challenge to draft, and I was really into under-bust gathering at the time.

Initial rough sketch
Initial rough sketch
Fashion illustration
Fashion illustration

Technical Information

My assignment involved creating a spec sheet, which is the document in which you list all the measurements of the final garment, plus the details of all the supplies required. I also had to produce tech flats, which I created in Illustrator. I could have hand drawn them for my course, but I much prefer the clean look of the digital line drawings.

Tech flat
Tech flat

Drafting the block

I drafted and fitted a block to my own measurements. I did already have a fitted block, but I had to demonstrate the drafting process for my assignment. So I drafted a new one and took the opportunity to be more thorough.

Block pattern pieces
Block pattern pieces
Block toile (tight sleeve!)
Block toile (tight sleeve!)

I used the Helen Joseph-Armstrong technique for this block – I find I have to do fewer fit adjustments than with the Aldrich method, as it factors in shoulder slope.

I did a bit of a half-arsed effort on the sleeve though. I made sure that it fitted well at the sleeve head, but since this design is short sleeved, it wasn’t necessary to fit the rest of the sleeve. I’ll have to come back to that when I want to use this sleeve block for another design.

Drafting the Design

Once I had the block fitting well, it was time to adapt it into my design.

Bodice drafting: splitting the midriff band from the bodice.
Bodice drafting: splitting the midriff band from the bodice.

I first split the bodice at the empire line, following the line of the hem to make it horizontal, and using some contouring to cinch in under the bust. I then separated off the midriff band.

I lowered the neckline to a deep V (deep for me anyway haha) and did a bit more contouring there to stop the neckline gaping over the hollow of the chest. I switched the bust dart and back darts out for gathers, and drafted a three-quarter circle peplum, a button overlap and a facing.

Sleeve drafting: slash and spread, then smooth the curves.
Sleeve drafting: slash and spread, then smooth the curves.

To draft the sleeve, I first flattened the sleeve head to give it a more relaxed fit, as the block sleeve is very structured and formal. I then used the slash-and-spread technique to turn it into a flared sleeve.

Toiling and Fitting

Toile #1
Toile #1

My first toile was not bad at all, but also far from perfect – which was absolutely to be expected, since I’m a real human body and not a mannequin. To improve the fit I needed to let out the side seams a little and contour the neckline more.

I also made some corrections to the drafting. The length of the peplum was exactly what I’d intended – just past the natural waist. But when I put it on, I hated it! I’m not really a crop top girl. So I added a good 3cm of length to it.

I also decided to flatten the sleeve head even more, and extend the flare of the sleeve, as it just wasn’t fluted enough.

Toile #2
Toile #2

After a second toile, I was pretty much happy with the fit, aside from pinning out a little excess at the bust. Finally the drafting was complete and I was ready to put the final top together.

Sewing It Up

Constructing the garment
Constructing the garment
So many pins
So many pins
Hemming carefully with a walking foot
Hemming carefully with a walking foot

Sewing the final top was a slightly different process to sewing the toile. After all, I hadn’t bothered with finishing seams, or with hems and closures on the toile.

The hems took a fair bit of work to hem neatly, as both the sleeves and the peplum were essentially circles, so they naturally twisted and a roping effect as I sewed. I had to use a million pins to hold them in place.

Sewing those buttonholes was nerve-wracking, too. They were really close together, and only just fit on the midriff band!

The Finished Piece!

Here it is! I’m chuffed with how it turned out. It’s not 100% perfect, but gosh, I feel like it’s pretty close. I’m only sad that I finished it at the end of summer, so I can’t really wear it until next year. But I’m over the moon with how it turned out, and I learned a lot along the way.

Resources for Pattern Drafting

If you’re interested in learning pattern drafting, these are the resources I recommend. (Not a sponsored list – just my honest suggestions!)

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