Many of us like to use commercial dress patterns in our Dressmaking, but sometimes it is a struggle to find exactly the right pattern for the garment you have in mind. You might be tempted to try and make your own pattern, but may not be sure where to start – and, if like me, you just don’t have the space for a tailor’s Dressmaking dummy, making your own pattern from scratch might seem like a daunting task. Fear not!
Recently I decided to make a jacket for myself based on one of my favourite movies, Ghostbusters, but knew that A. a commercial pattern for making the overalls the actors wear would not be available, and B. I only wanted to make the top half anyway, so I would have had to edit a pattern had I been actually able to find one. Once I looked at reference photographs and broke down the costumes into pieces, I realised a lot of the suit was detail work that I could add after making a basic jacket from scratch, which is something that I have done many times already.
[caption id="attachment_6821" align="alignright" width="225"]
My Ghostbusters jacket, made using Tan Klona Cotton and matching Dress Lining[/caption]
In today’s blog, I’ll be walking you through how to make your very own jacket pattern – and the bonus is that you only need to make five pieces. You can use scrap fabric for this project – I recommend cotton of some sort – or a cheap fabric such as our Egyptian Cotton Muslin.
What You’ll Need
- 2 metres of 150cm wide scrap fabric (it can be in three separate pieces of 1m, 0.5m and 0.5m)
- A shirt that is NOT stretchy and fits you well
- Dressmaking scissors
- Tailor’s chalk
- Pins
- Safety pins
- Stitch ripper
Step One
Fold one metre of your scrap fabric in half width-ways. Lay your shirt down flat on top of it and fold the sleeves into the middle so that they are out of the way. Using your tailor’s chalk, draw around the edges of your shirt, making sure to add about two inches on every side for both seam allowances and to allow some movement while being worn.
Step Two
Pin along the lines you just made with your tailor’s chalk. Remove your shirt from the fabric and cut these pinned pieces out. You will now have two pieces – take one and fold it in half so it is shoulder-to-shoulder, then cut along the fold. These are now the two halves of the front of your jacket and the other piece will be the back.
Step Three
Fold half a metre of your scrap fabric in half length-ways. Take your shirt and lay the top of the sleeve (i.e. the outside of your arm) along the fold. Draw around the sleeve with your tailor’s chalk (you may find it a little awkward to draw around the shoulder seam of your shirt; just do the best you can and use pins as guidelines if necessary), making sure again to add about two inches around the edges (minus the one on the fold, obviously).
Step Four
Once again, pin along the lines you just drew and cut this piece out. You can then use it to make another sleeve piece by tracing around it onto the remainder of your scrap fabric and cutting that out.
Step Five
Sew the back piece to the two front pieces at the shoulders and sides, and adjust the neckline as necessary. Safety pin the two front pieces down the centre, then make a note of any adjustments you need to make to the fit overall. Undo your safety pins and sew any adjustments.
Step Six
Once you have the fit of your jacket’s bodice to your liking, sew the sleeves into the jacket and repeat the same adjusting process for them as well. Be sure not to make your sleeves too tight as this will make your jacket either very uncomfortable or impossible to wear.
Step Seven
When all of your fitting is done and you are happy with your jacket pattern, it’s time to take it to pieces! Trim any excess fabric where you have sewn adjustments, label your pieces then unpick your seams using your stitch ripper. You can then use the individual pieces you are left with as you would use a commercial pattern.
Have you ever made your own pattern for your own Dressmaking projects? Got any tips of your own for making something from scratch? Get in touch with us via our Facebook page – we love hearing back from our customers!
My Ghostbusters jacket, made using Tan Klona Cotton and matching Dress Lining[/caption]
In today’s blog, I’ll be walking you through how to make your very own jacket pattern – and the bonus is that you only need to make five pieces. You can use scrap fabric for this project – I recommend cotton of some sort – or a cheap fabric such as our Egyptian Cotton Muslin.
What You’ll Need
- 2 metres of 150cm wide scrap fabric (it can be in three separate pieces of 1m, 0.5m and 0.5m)
- A shirt that is NOT stretchy and fits you well
- Dressmaking scissors
- Tailor’s chalk
- Pins
- Safety pins
- Stitch ripper
Step One
Fold one metre of your scrap fabric in half width-ways. Lay your shirt down flat on top of it and fold the sleeves into the middle so that they are out of the way. Using your tailor’s chalk, draw around the edges of your shirt, making sure to add about two inches on every side for both seam allowances and to allow some movement while being worn.
Step Two
Pin along the lines you just made with your tailor’s chalk. Remove your shirt from the fabric and cut these pinned pieces out. You will now have two pieces – take one and fold it in half so it is shoulder-to-shoulder, then cut along the fold. These are now the two halves of the front of your jacket and the other piece will be the back.
Step Three
Fold half a metre of your scrap fabric in half length-ways. Take your shirt and lay the top of the sleeve (i.e. the outside of your arm) along the fold. Draw around the sleeve with your tailor’s chalk (you may find it a little awkward to draw around the shoulder seam of your shirt; just do the best you can and use pins as guidelines if necessary), making sure again to add about two inches around the edges (minus the one on the fold, obviously).
Step Four
Once again, pin along the lines you just drew and cut this piece out. You can then use it to make another sleeve piece by tracing around it onto the remainder of your scrap fabric and cutting that out.
Step Five
Sew the back piece to the two front pieces at the shoulders and sides, and adjust the neckline as necessary. Safety pin the two front pieces down the centre, then make a note of any adjustments you need to make to the fit overall. Undo your safety pins and sew any adjustments.
Step Six
Once you have the fit of your jacket’s bodice to your liking, sew the sleeves into the jacket and repeat the same adjusting process for them as well. Be sure not to make your sleeves too tight as this will make your jacket either very uncomfortable or impossible to wear.
Step Seven
When all of your fitting is done and you are happy with your jacket pattern, it’s time to take it to pieces! Trim any excess fabric where you have sewn adjustments, label your pieces then unpick your seams using your stitch ripper. You can then use the individual pieces you are left with as you would use a commercial pattern.
Have you ever made your own pattern for your own Dressmaking projects? Got any tips of your own for making something from scratch? Get in touch with us via our Facebook page – we love hearing back from our customers!