At first I was a little intimidated, I have had such bad experiences from trying to figure out commercial patterns. But the Sure-Fit Designs Dress Kit Instruction Book is very well laid out and clearly illustrated. Still I struggled at first trying to get the exact placement for the neck line, so I pulled up the Dress Kit How-To-Videos and watched the three part series on how to draft the bodice for the Dress Kit. And hey, is it me (being so late and all) or does Glenda Sparling look like Annette Funicello?At any rate as soon as I turned on the videos and followed them step-by-step along with the instruction booklet I was really having a happy time, and what a sense of accomplishment. I feel like a grade school kid grinning from ear to ear as I show off my own personalized sewing pattern. The whole process took me about two hours which includes measuring myself and taking the puppies outside for a little exercise.
Also as a note, I used a pencil to draft my pattern which is a good thing and a bad thing. Good because I needed to erase and redraw my lines several times. Bad because the pencil is really dirty and messy on the vellum tracing paper. So if you are a big baby beginner like me use pencil for your first pattern, but switch to a nice pen for nice clean lasting patterns.
I would like to add a tip about using a mechanical pencil to trace SFD blueprints. Using a .5mm or .7mm mechanical pencil with HD lead makes the lines very accurate and thin and HD doesn't smear easily. The lines don't change size as you use the lead like a regular pencil and you can buy replacement lead to keep handy. These pencils come in many colors, so I buy them in a pack and keep several handy because they tend to "walk" under things on the table and the bright colors make them easy to spot. They work really well with the "big, fat eraser."
ReplyDeleteShelby, this is an excellent suggestion. Thanks for offering it to everyone. Glenda
ReplyDelete