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September 2, 2022
Down here in the South (in the South we refer to things being up or down which is a clear indication that I'm a Southerner), we are looking forward to folks having a little bit more temperate weather. As a matter of fact September and October get into really some of the prettiest and best weather all year round. It's called Indian Summer, and it's a time filled with all sorts of relaxation from the hectic summer and not quite the depths of winter yet.
Indian Summer really gets my creative juices rolling and I'm so full of ideas for this or that new look. And while all those changes bring about lots of thoughts on what to wear, there's a question about how to organize those thoughts and then what to do with them. I talked a little about that last week.
This leads to the Do's and Don't's about your core pattern. Obviously you can't completely throw away all the fabulous information contained in your core pattern. At the same time you don't want to make up the exact same thing over and over. So where does the creativity start and how far can you go with a core pattern before you start losing all that wonderful fitting information in your core pattern.
The first thing you need to consider is your shape - those four basic shapes. Now you may see more, but basically we are one of those four shapes. Now we might not be all exactly like all the descriptions of these shapes, but we're closer to one than the other. For example I'm basically an Pear with a little hourglass waist. So I have to think more in terms of Pear shape than anything else.
There are some basic rules for these shapes and once you know these, they can help guide you toward how far to go with varying your core pattern.
Apples:
Apples must be careful of your chest, bust and/or shoulder area. This is the part that is the most sensitive part. That means that you've most like gone to huge lengths to fit and shape around those areas so that the shoulder is placed correctly and the hang from the shoulder through the bust is dreamy. You sure don't want to lose that part of the pattern.
Additionally you have tapered your hips and keep that area fitted around your waist (yes, I know many of you don't have a waist, but you can elude to it in your silhouette).
Rectangles:
The big feature you have to be careful here is your waist - it's straight up and down (Princess Di had this shape) and so you must elude to a little bit of a shape in the middle. You can do that but nipping in slightly under the bust.
Another great feature to use is keeping things up and down, so often length works here - like a waterfall front, without too much fabric in the front but flowing up and down and a little nip under the bust to give the illusion of a waist, is the ticket here.
Pears:
Watch those hips - this is where the bulk of the shape congregates in this shape. Usually the shoulders are out of balance with the hips, so often a light shoulder emphasis, and for sure a strong crisp shoulder (which doesn't have to be big) is the best way to show this shape in a flattering style.
Watch the waist here too. Dior used the tiny waist to accentuate the hip to over-accentuate the shapely, vive la différence look that he wanted to display in 1946 in his first show. This was appropriate to emphasize the over-exaggerated feminine shape after so many years in war fashions and the economical look of war. But for us, that leads to an emphasized "muffin top" and that's not a fashionable look.
Hourglass:
And speaking of the waist, the hourglass figure is emphasized by an out-of-proportionally small waist. The big cure here is to not make this waist so prominent in the silhouette. A more moderate silhouette is not to cinch in that waist so tightly, and this figure looks pretty grand.
Using these guides for each shape, the variations can begin. But again within limits. Here are some of the pieces of information that you will need to be careful to keep:
- The shape of the body of the garment - this will contain some valuable shaping in and out without being too full or being too tight. This is really valuable info.
- The fit of your shoulders - if you've learned anything in the process of the core pattern, it's hopefully that if your shoulders aren't right, it doesn't get any better when you start fitting below the shoulders.
- The drape or hang or tilt of the pattern - again this is something you've worked hard to preserve, so make sure it's not something that gets thrown out in the search of a good variation.
With those in mind, there are some other guidelines like:
- Too low, too high, V-neck, Scoop necklines
- sleeve lengths - short sleeved, three-quarter length, seven-eighths length, full length, tapered in at the hem of sleeve (which includes the exclusion of a ruffle at the sleeve hem, as long as it doesn't conflict with the garment silhouette),
- Hem length of the garment - although you can do a short and long version, the shorter you are the less space you have to play with.
- Fabric type - knit core patterns are not woven core patterns and the two are not exchangeable. I usually recommend you do your knit core in a jersey or mid-stretch percentage (around 45% to 60%). Now you can use the stretch-woven on the woven core pattern as it will give the garment a "aaaah" feeling. Using a ponte (about 15% to 35%) on the knit pattern will take some work, and so
prepare for some alterations on that. Using active wear stretch (65% or greater) on your knit core pattern, will also require some alterations on the core pattern.
Most knits will be in the jersey category. All those delicious knit prints on MarcyTilton.com will be in that jersey category, and that's where most knits are, so making your core pattern out of that, will work best for you. The alterations you will have to make for the stable knits or the activewear knits won't
be monumental, but you can't use those patterns and expect no alterations.
So the question comes: What is really in the core pattern that I need to protect? In short:
- The tilt - forward and backward is correct
- The hang is correct - no bowing or splaying
- Drape is correct - not too full, or full enough
- Hem height
- Sleeve length (or variation parameters are correct)
- Sleeve width
- Shoulder Bodice girth correct
- Chest/Bust girth correct
- Waist girth correct
- Waist height correct
- Hip girth correct
- Hem girth correct
So even though there's a lot you can do to vary your core pattern, there's a whole lot of very valuable information stored in a core pattern. This is why it's worth the time, effort and sweat equity in a core pattern. And here's something else I've learned through all this time of working with my core patterns, you can fine tune this after so many times of using it, so that it becomes
a really great tool in your dressmaking sewing.
You can be a designer, but knowing the whole time, that there's a very good chance that it's going to come out correctly because of all that stored information in the core pattern!
This is a beginning guide on what to do with your core pattern after you have fitted and worked on it.
All the work that you have done in your core pattern contains all the information to make a garment that you will totally love. This means you really don't have to buy another pattern for making skirts, pants or leggings. Variations on your core pattern makes it possible for you to have the styles you see in a photo or on Pinterest without having to look for the pattern that looks like it might work. You can now simply trace it onto your core pattern and
you're done.
This resource also contains some other important resources at huge discount because they are so important to this creative process of varying your core pattern. It also contains some downloads that aren't available in the Resource Library at all, but are vital toward making good design.
In this world of crazy, illogical fashion, we sewists are having to turn into designers. That sounds really hard and foreboding, but it's not. Unlike designers, we simply haven't had all the experience they have, most of that experience they got when they went to design school. More than anything I wanted to make this process encouraging, empowering and enlightening without having to worry about whether or not you could vary your core pattern.
You can! It isn't that hard. It is knowing some guidelines and charging out into the unknown. That's what we sewists do and we do it very well most of the time.
This is the beginning of the series into variations on core patterns. I wanted to start with something basic, so that you wouldn't feel so intimidated. It takes a while to write these up, cause I'm an idea factory, and coordinating and organizing these ideas can be monumental with the sewing muse yacking in my ear 24/7.
The resource is available now at a discount so that you can enjoy it before spring starts in full force. Right now, I'm thinking happy, colorful and pretty. Those are all fresh looks for future clothes. When things seem upside down, it's great to have something to make us happy and often bright, springtime and summertime fabrics are just as much as drab, dark and somber fabrics. I'm ready to be beautiful, comfortable and look flattering in my clothes and
I'm dying to share that with you.
Skirts, Core Pattern Variations, Part 1 (but there's more than skirts in here)
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