Pattern Puzzle - Transparent Tuck Dress

Pattern Puzzle - Transparent Tuck Dress

Congrats to Mioara and Gemma solving the Pattern Puzzle in just one comment!  I think I am going to have to up my game to give you all a bit more of a challenge.  This is just the kind of thing we do in the Draped Dresses workshop at Studio Faro.

Below is recent design development I have decided to use for the Pattern Puzzle this week.  The inspiration comes from Comme de Garcon frock I saw in the late nineties.  The image has always stayed with me.  I love their work.

I've updated the graphics and improved the instructions.  You'll find it all here on the website blog - Pattern Puzzle - Transparent Tuck Dress

www.studiofaro.com

Vintage Patterns with My Fitted Dress Block

This is a short but dedicated post for all those lovers of Vintage Style. The focus is on using my fitted dress block to design and cut your own vintage dress sewing patterns. To work your way through the fitting process you can go to DOWNLOADS on the menu bar and checkout My Blocks PDF (downloads). The Fitted Dress block has to be one of my favourites and the best place to start for fabulous dress designs. 

Click through to 'well-suited', the website blog, to get all the pattern making detail.

Pattern Puzzle - Random Tucks and Pleats

ALL THE DETAIL FOR RANDOM TUCKS AND PLEATS POST CAN BE FOUND ON THE NEW BLOG.  

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Tuck and Panel Dress

Our fans made quick work of the #PatternPuzzle on Saturday morning.   In the end they realised that most of the design detail was on the back of this garment with the front remaining quite clean.

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - The Apron Dress

The going was tough early Saturday morning with very few attempts at guessing the detail in the #PatternPuzzle.  Julie Eilber came the closest when she suggested it may be pregnant manatee.   Later in the day Em Pea Horgosi came to the rescue and provided all the answers.

We would quickly like to apologise for the blatant use of the watermark in this week's posts.  We have been experiencing an unusually high level of IP theft lately and hope to discourage more by making it difficult to remove all the watermarking.  We are hoping it will not ruin the viewing experience for all our fans.  Frankly we hate it and are searching for a better solution to protecting our stuff while still being accessible to our fans.  :-/  Ideas on a postcard please!

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Drape Collar Extension

Saturday was fun with loads of great answers in our #PatternPuzzle.  The final piece of the puzzle was the 'long pointy thing' that had nearly everyone stumped.  The grown-on band collar is an extension of the front drape in this bias cut top.

You'll find all the pattern making instructions on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Shoulder Drape Tee

The Saturday #PatternPuzzles have featured many 'on-trend' fashion styles and this week is no exception.  The shoulder drape featured is currently popular and turns up in many fashion collections.  Our fans were excellent at spotting all the design detail and solving the puzzle.  When confronted with such a complex patterns my approach as a pattern maker is to divide the pattern making into several stages to some order to the job. 

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Flare and Gather Dress

ALL THE DETAIL FOR THE FLARE & GATHER DRESS CAN BE FOUND ON THE NEW BLOG.

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Mioara Cretu Outfit #2

This weeks #PatternPuzzle is a thing of genius from our regular contributor, Mioara Cretu, gifting us the most baffling#PatternPuzzle of all time last Saturday.  Mioara teaches pattern making at a Romanian university and has a weakness for jersey one-piece patterns!

And for all our fans, you have done a wonderful job this weekend finding the answers to such a challenging puzzle.  Congratulations  :)  Now it's time to confess that I stared blankly at this puzzle for days when it first arrived.  The skirt I was able to work out but it was the twist in the top pattern that had me really confused.  

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Cowl Draped Dress

ALL THE DETAIL FOR THE COWL DRAPE DRESS CAN BE FOUND ON THE NEW BLOG.  

You'll find all the pattern making instructions on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Waterfall Jersey Skirt

ALL THE DETAIL FOR THE WATERFALL JERSEY SKIRT CAN BE FOUND ON THE NEW BLOG.  JOIN US. :)

Pattern Puzzle - Waterfall Jersey Skirt

Pattern Puzzle - The Wrap Drape Dress

This weeks #PatternPuzzle was a tough one!  When you look at the weird pattern shape we posted on Saturday, you are looking at the most complex pattern piece in the style.  In this weeks puzzle, in addition to the side seam drape, it's all about understanding the construction of the front wrap and how that relates to the CF seam.  It is a mock wrap in that it is secured at the side seams to create a more reliable shape.

All the pattern making instructions have been moved to the website blog here. :)

We love to hear from you so please leave you pattern making questions in the comments section below.

Enjoy  :)

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Double Drape Tee

A big thank you to everyone who came by our Facebook Page on Saturday to play the #PatternPuzzle. You were all able to identify most parts of the pattern but found the shape at the neckline confusing.  Once you turn the pattern up the right way you'll see the large open shape is in fact two pieces of drape that overlap.

This currently popular style is featured in many fashion collections.  The drape from the left side of the top tucks under the right shoulder drape and is attached into the right armhole seam.  Using the Knit Block I have set out the Pattern Plan below with the dashed lines indicating where the drape will be added for both sides of the garment.  

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Tucked Drape Skirt

Our Saturday's #PatternPuzzle attracted a few new players and some very interesting answers.  Turning the pattern shape upside-down for the puzzle post will always challenge perceptions.  By the afternoon Doris had identified the shape as a skirt, then Andra gave us the detail of all the features in the skirt.  These draped skirt styles are a good place to start if you are new to draped patterns.  

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Jersey Twist Dress

There was a great conversation around the #PatternPuzzle last Saturday on our FB page.  The final but essential clue of a CF twist was offered by Renee Bock to complete the puzzle.  This style is in many ways very similar to previous puzzles featuring twists.  A full list of similar styles, with links, is featured at the end of this post.

You'll find all the pattern  making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Drape Twist Jersey

Gathers, drape and twists in jersey seem to be the favourites for most of our fans.  This weeks challenge is no different, with this drape style that could be made as top or dress.  It is hard to imagine that the weird shape below would make the style sketched above.  Once again we have produced a one-piece pattern, eliminating the side seams.  

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Jersey Ruche Skirt

Last Saturday's #PatternPuzzle was one of those strange shapes that gave little idea of it's final shape.  But in true form our fans were able to solve the puzzle.  The style we are looking at is a ruched, drape skirt that relies on the two-way stretch of the fabric to pull over the hips without a zipper opening.  

You'll find all the pattern making detail on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Homage to Charles James

 Once again that fabulous designer from the 1950's, Charles James, is the subject of the #PatternPuzzle.  I believe the dresses photographed below are of the same design and at first the differences were a little confusing.  In the end I decided they were in fact two different versions of the same design as the proportions in the garments vary a great deal.  Perhaps the same design made for two different clients.  My sketch and pattern are a reasonable facsimile of this design.

The puzzle below, posted on our Facebook Page on Saturday, is of the very full circle skirt and the front and back bodice.  

You'll find all the pattern making instructions on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Asymmetric Tuck & Gather

For the first time ever in the short history of our #PatternPuzzles it was solved with in the first answer.  Mioara  Cretu showed her pattern brilliance and described all the design detail in one go.  Another first for the Saturday morning #PatternPuzzle.  The design featured below is a draped dress with asymmetric seaming and the addition of drape for the tucks and fishtail.

You'll find all the pattern making instructions on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com

Pattern Puzzle - Homage to Charles James 1950

A huge thanks for the fabulous effort from everyone over the weekend to solve this strange #PatternPuzzle.   This week we featured three pattern pieces as part of a garment, rather than the usual all-in-one pattern piece.  The diagram below shows how these different shapes sew together to make a panelled yoke in an evening skirt. 

You'll find all the pattern making instructions on the website blog.

www.studiofaro.com