Sketching Your IdeaJune 13, 2025 Sketching can be a considerable advantage when working through many of the design issues when working on a new look or idea for your core pattern, or any pattern or look. For many who
are schooled and practiced at envisioning, that's great. But envisioning or sketching sounds like you must be an artist before this works.
Envisioning is a gift, but it's also a learned skill. I didn't pop outta my momma's womb knowing how to envision. I had to learn it. How? By practicing and seeing looks and styles over and over. Even though I've had a few years (decades) of practice on this, there are shortcuts you can use that will give you the same information that professionals and practiced artists use all the time. You don't have to know how to draw, nor do you have to have had any art classes. We're talking about tracing and using your experience to evaluate your sketches. But I will tell you, just sketching
the project, is incredibly formative in seeing problems that might happen and working through solutions for those problems.
The bottom line is if you can't sketch it, you can't make it. But your brain might be able dream it up, but you have to have an economical and shortcut to figure out if it can be made up and if it will look the way you want on it.
Once you get the sketch made up you can see how much it helps you figure out what's right and what's not right. Here are some examples For an Apple shape
The version on the left looks like she's gained at least 20 lbs., while the version on the right looks tailored, flattering and very appropriate for a lot of events.
The Hourglass
This is almost the exact opposite of the Apple and her problem is
that her waist is out of proportion to the rest of her body - it's way too small.
When the waist is fitted too closely, it exaggerates the whole shape of everything else, and because the waist is so small, it makes everything look huge. But if you balance it with a full skirt and a tailored top that fits a little looser around the waist,
things fall into proportion. The Pear
This is closer in shape to the Hourglass than the Rectangle, but still needs it's own look different from
the Hourglass.
Too much fullness doesn't show anything and literally is like putting a gunnysack over a body and not caring about anything else. At the same time, the version on the right has some shape-nipping around the waist, but not too much, and then letting the
fabric fall gently but not fully around the hips with nice long leggings to accentuate the smaller legs. This top should always be below the crotch line and might even need to be a little lower. Catching the leg at just the right spot when it begins to thin down from the hips can make this outfit fit a Pear figure.
This is as clear as day. The model on the left might look like a lovely dress, but the tailored and sculpted look on the right is the correct style for the Rectangle. This figure shape is straight up and down, so adding just a tiny bit of nip at the waist
and using that up and down will make this more sculpted look work great for this shape.
All these sketches are tremendously revealing and don't take a college degree or a gift in observing and envisioning to tell which one is right and which is wrong. That's the other benefit of sketching. We know it when we see it, but may not realize why it works. There's a slew of reasons why it works or doesn't work, but we don't need to know why when we know what!
That
is the very thing that sketching can provide, not only technical problem-solving, but also the revelation that your design will flatter or spoil the whole look. Don't take this for granted. Sketching (or tracing) can be a fast and easy way to experiment with many ideas, but also a fantastic way to work out good styles and silhouettes for your shape, size, and style! Play with this and have some fun. Sketching can be a fun way to solve problems, but it can also
spark the imagination for many interesting ideas.
The SewingArtistry Resource Library is designed to contain information to not only make your sewing better, but to aid in you fitting and flattering your shape, size and style. Check it out.
Look for future classes coming in 2024
The Core Pattern Shirt, (one of my favorites for woven core pattern that you can make into a myriad of different
garments),
Basic Knit Top (core pattern class for knit basic tops, shells, tees, dresses, and tunics)
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