Hi everyone! And welcome to Week 1 of the Patchwork Plum Dress sew-along :)
This week I am sharing with you the process I followed to create my patchwork panels; I will also be sharing the cutting chart for my version plus a last step you will need to do before we start sewing. Are you ready?
PATCHWORK LAYOUT
I spent quite some time thinking about the patchwork design I wanted to go for. I started with a complicated layout using lots of small different blocks to then end up chosing a more simple design that would make the fabrics shine and that I thought would appeal to makers of all sewing levels :)
The process I followed was to first layout my fabrics in front of me and a printed sheet with the technical drawings of the front and back of the dress in an A4 sheet of paper (you can find a similar page on your instructions when you get the pattern).
Then, I cut small pieces from each fabric to play around with them. I placed them on top of the drawings and this way I could get an idea of how the colours would work together as well as the possible shapes. I worked with rectangles and squares, nothing too difficult, going for bigger pieces for an easier sewing experience (and less seams!).
In the end, that is how my final layout looked for the front of the dress. For the back bodice I decided to do each whole piece in a different fabric, without any patchwork, same with the sleeves and for the back skirt, I followed a similar layout to the front. I then took several pictures so as to not forget the layout.
*Take as much time as you need to for this first step. It is important that you are happy with the layout of the fabrics and rough shapes before cutting.
Another way of doing this would be to use the full size pattern pieces. In that case, I recommend drafting the other half of your front bodice as well as the skirt (the pattern pieces come in halves, to cut on the fold), which is something that will help you during the cutting part.
Then, lay out your pattern pieces, pick up your fabrics (this system works great when using scraps) and start playing with them. Again, take pictures and make sure that you are not only covering the shape of the pattern piece, but creating a panel that will be slightly bigger (around 4cm on the outer edges).
*Remember to pre-wash all of your fabrics.
*If you chose the cup D size range, you have two darts at either side of the front bodice to take into account when laying out your patchwork blocks.
CUTTING PATCHWORK PANELS
Now that you are sure about how your patchwork Plum Dress is going to look, let's do some cutting! And we are going to start just with the patchwork panels for the front bodice and front and back skirt pieces.
This process will depend a lot on your chosen fabric layout. In my case, I started by drawing the patchwork lines / shapes on the actual paper pattern pieces and writing down the fabric I wanted to use on that part of the dress.
It is important to remember that we will need seam allowance on the sides that will be sewn to another piece of fabric to create the patchwork design and for the outer edges of these panels to be around 4cm bigger than the pattern piece.
Let's use the front bodice as an example:
- First, draw the lines for the patchwork layout.
- Then, write down the names of the colours / prints / fabrics you want to use.
- Now, take the measurements of the panel you will need to create to cover the whole front bodice with your chosen fabrics plus those extra 4cm and the 3/8'' / 1cm seam allowance on those sides where the patchwork blocks are joined together.
- Cut the fabrics using those measurements.
You need to repeat this process with all the pattern pieces that have a patchwork layout.
FINISHING SEAMS + LINING OPTION
Now, before we sewn our patchwork panels next week, I wanted to share with you the seam finishing I decided for the dress in general.
At first, I was worried about the seams bothering me when wearing the dress, mainly on the bodice, and that's why I decided to go for a design with less patchwork blocks. Then, I considered either finishing them with my overlocker or doing a French seam. In the end, I went for overlocking seams plus topstitching them down from the right side, like you'd do with a bounded seam on a pair of jeans. That way they won't move or bother you as much while wearing the dress.
In the end, I think both options are valid. If you don't have many pattern pieces, you could finish them with a French seam (as it is quite time consuming). If you don't want to spend that time, then, use your overlocker.
Last, I wanted to finish this post by suggesting another option for those not wanting to feel any seams when wearing the dress: create a lining for the bodice! Choose a soft, silky material and cut front and back pieces. I don't have any CocoWawa tutorial for this but! I found this one from the lovely Juliet Uzor that I think is great :)
And that is it for week 1! I will see you again next Saturday, when we will start sewing our patchwork panels (we will cut all the pattern pieces on week 3).
PS. You can contact me at any time on Instagram or by email at hi@cocowawacrafts.com if you have any doubts :)
Thank you for following along and happy sewing!
Ana
xxx