I've officially begun the toiling stage! I thought I'd start with a garment that I knew I definitely wanted to include in my final collection: a winter coat. The silhouette has been inspired by teddy bears - round with a very high (or no) neck. I want the coat to be quite wearable and "Brisbane winter" (which really isn't very wintery at all) appropriate, so the length will be above the knee. I made the toile in half-scale to avoid wasting fabric and time...
First, I traced the front & back of dart-less dress block, and altered the pattern to make the shoulders higher/slopey-er (not to be confused with sloppier)
I quickly knocked it up in calico, and gave it a go on the half-scale mannequin (with a bit of stuffing pinned on its shoulders)
Front
Back
I really like the "clean-ness" of the back silhouette, but really didn't like how the shoulder pulled around the neck... So I went back to my paper pattern, and drew in the alterations:
Then I sewed up another toile from this new, altered pattern:
Front
I drew directly onto the toile to get an idea of the collar shape, and the armhole placement:
Then I unpicked the garment, and drew up another pattern using the calico pieces a guide:
And sewed it up again:
Front
Back
(I enjoy how the studio progressively gets darker as the photos continue - yes, it takes me all day to make one little toile. Oh dear!)
I want the jacket to capture the "mood" and overall loveliness of this shot - doesn't it remind you of being a kiddy? Hmm, perhaps I'll incorporate the tartan and skin-tight hoods they're sporting... Time will tell!
