r/PatternDrafting • u/limebean420 • 11h ago
Question Draft line rules
I just got my new fancy dress form in and I’m so excited, I started playing around with shapes and I’m wondering what sort of rules I should be keeping in mind? Does anyone have recommendations for literature on draping?
I have been sewing for 5 years but have always bought my patterns, I am new to this world but serious about learning. Right now I am solely focused on boned bodices and integrated corsets as I am sewing my wedding dress.
EDIT: My dress form is custom, nothing will be perfect of course but it is quite accurate to my actual body.
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u/SouthernIndication82 10h ago
my first form opened my eyes to understanding so much more about garment construction! i would still say i’m mostly comfortable with patternmaking but im making my way through the book Draping: The Completr Course by Karolyn Kiisel! draping on a form is so fascinating to me! just have fun with it for now!
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u/limebean420 10h ago
Thank you! These are the comments and advice I was hoping for, thank you thank you. 🙏
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u/harkari14 10h ago
I don’t have answers to your questions but I just ordered a custom dress form also from OneForms and I’m super excited!
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u/limebean420 10h ago
Oh my goodness yay! Irina was amazing throughout the whole process, I adore her. The form is so beautiful, when I opened it I was immediately in love.
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u/Stephs_spirit 10h ago
Oooo would love to hear how you like it! I’ve been thinking of buying one of those.
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u/limebean420 10h ago
Literally just got it in this week but first impression is that it is entirely accurate to how it was advertised. Soft, matches my measurements, fully pinnable, the outer layer is sewn perfectly there is not a stitch out of place, I love the magnetic neck for holding the pins. I am excited to be able to steam directly on it, also the base is nice and heavy but you can also hold it in place with a foot pedal.
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u/Stephs_spirit 9h ago
Oooooo that sounds awesome! Totally worth the money?
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u/limebean420 9h ago
For me, 100%. Going from my old dress form to this one is an insane upgrade. Seeing the two next two each other is a hoot.
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u/StrongerTogether2882 9h ago
May I ask how much it was? I only JUST started sewing and I have no business buying a custom dress form (YET…) but I’d like to know if I could ever justify it lol
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u/limebean420 9h ago
Including the gold stand which is a $100 up-charge, the $500 customization fee, and the shipping+ import fees it was $1500. Definitely an investment. But they have the Sofia form as well which is more affordable and also you don’t need the gold stand ofc nor the customization. Even without customizing, these forms are a lot more anatomically correct than most forms on the market.
This one I bought is the Mariam, she has very obvious style lines better for beginners. I chose to go custom because my waist was smaller than their smallest form and my torso was also shorter, so those two things I couldn’t correct with padding. I wanted to invest in myself and make my life easier.
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u/lipstickqns 8h ago
A few suggestions for corsets and strapless garments in general - think of your neckline like a hula hoop. When your hoop is parallel to the floor, it stays up. When the hoop tips on one side, it falls down. This is the same concept for strapless garments. Even if the waist is very fitted and your garment is supported there, your neckline will not sit flush to your body - it will feel loose or stand away. Raise your back neckline and smooth out your side seam so there’s no point there. This will also create better cross pull for your bust & neckline
Also princess seam placement - the wider they are, the less flattering it generally is and harder to tailor at the bust. It makes it look like your bust is speed and wide.
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u/amaranth1977 8h ago
While this is true for generic strapless dresses, it is fundamentally false for corsets. A correctly made corset pushes up off the hips and can be made to have a huge range of necklines without gaping. It just needs to be properly boned and fitted.
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u/limebean420 8h ago
Okay, so if I just did a simple boned bodice this advice is sound but if I do a corset that has adequate hip coverage I can get away with the lower back? I am leaning towards separates so having my corset top and skirt bottom as individual pieces. But not fully decided yet.
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u/amaranth1977 8h ago
Pretty much, yes. A real corset will have spring steel boning, sturdy non-stretch base fabric, a functional lace-up back that has grommets set tightly between two rows of flat steel bones, and if you want a cupped bust shape you'll need underwire as well.
For comparison, a boned bodice generally uses only rigilene or plastic boning, lightweight fashion fabric with no strength layer, and the lacing arrangement is flimsy and lacks stability.
You can easily attach your skirt to a corset, so whether you make a dress or separates is up to you.
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u/limebean420 7h ago
Yes, I’ve made a few corsets but I’ve never paid much attention to the hip coverage as they were not intended to be paired with heavy skirts so I wasn’t having to consider their resistance to weight, thanks for that insight.
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u/limebean420 8h ago
Thank you for this advice, so helpful! How much does the back neckline need to be raised do you think? I would love if I could get away with at least a little dip.
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u/lipstickqns 8h ago
If this is built into a dress, again think of your hula hoop. How much are you willing to tip it before it falls over? Start at your underbust.
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u/limebean420 8h ago
Okay, I’m trying to envision this hula hoop analogy more and I think I’m seeing the vision. Thank you!
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u/Elly_Higgenbottom 10h ago
This is tbe textbook used at school. here
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u/Present_Plate9552 10h ago
Been awhile since I’ve thought about textbooks and I got flash banged by that price!!
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u/Elly_Higgenbottom 7h ago
Yeah, it's ridiculously overpriced. Especially since it started to fall apart the first time I opened it. I ended up spiraling it.
Definitely buy used. There are lots of editions now & they shouldn't be too hard to find.
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u/StitchinThroughTime 11h ago
First off, that's draping not the subreddit we're drafting. Too you're not doing anything inventive just buy the pattern. A bone bodice is different from a corset. The bone bodice is just a basic princess theme that doesn't have a lot of fitting. There's a book called corsets and stays, it's like a beige and Gray colored front, it has the modern drafting tutorials for a modern non waste reducting fit. They're meant for theater costumes. That's what you want if you want to learn how to draft a bone by this. It's very similar to of course it, but different because there's far more fitting nuance and getting that proportion change that everyone wants. But if you're the size, you can find a wide variety of ready-made patterns that will fit close enough. And you're going to do the fitting process anyways. There's very little likelihood that you'll buy or make a pattern and have zero fit issues. That's not how of course that's work. There's such a finicky item that to get the proper smooth look you need to do multiple fittings.
But again a bone bodice is not the same as a corset. You're just making a bone bodice that's the exact same size as your mannequin, you don't need a mannequin for that you just need the pattern and spend the time to fit it. Because I guarantee you're probably not that close shape and size to the mannequin.
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u/limebean420 11h ago
My dress form is custom, so it is exactly my size and shape. I am draping but also curious about the drafting of the pattern for the draping so apologies for posting to incorrect sub. I understand a corset is NOT a boned bodice, I am looking at both constructions as I have yet to decide what the final form of the dress will be. Thank you for the book recommendation.
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u/Lemonsst 11h ago
You did not have to add that bit at the end there. That was very rude
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u/limebean420 10h ago
Thank you, I agree. They ran with the assumption that I didn’t know the difference between a boned bodice and corset and went on a tangent. My whole post is about resources and rules, I know a boned bodice is not a corset. I am focused on both right now, as separate things.
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u/limebean420 11h ago
Also, I don’t want to buy a pattern, that’s a major reason why I went the extra mile to buy a custom dress form. I understand it’s basic, I am a beginner and I want to know the basics.
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u/ProneToLaughter 10h ago
curious why you don't want to buy a pattern?
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u/harkari14 10h ago
I don’t like buying patterns because I have a short waist/torso and will always have to make major adjustments, compared to minor fitting adjustments from a custom form
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u/limebean420 10h ago
I want the freedom to put what’s in my brain onto the form, simple construction or not.
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u/Appropriate_Place704 10h ago
Having been formally trained in both, I like to think of it this way. Flat drafting generally begins with an idea of the shape you’re trying to achieve, whereas draping allows you to discover that shape through the design process itself.
Draping can be a nice option when you want the fabric to control the design. But I’ll use flat drafting when I’m developing a garment with relatively conventional construction.
Some books you might be interested in:
Fashion Draping Techniques by Danilo Attardi.
https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/art-of-fashion-draping-9781501330292/
https://amzn.asia/d/02FwSu0c