Hello,

I need some advice please. I've a client whose dress I'm making in a knit fabric. When I used my DS pattern to make the dress I forgot to make the back big enough to gather it. The dress: the front and back are on the fold. The back neckline is a square which comes down to about where you fasten your bra. The dress has a little train. The client wants the back to be gathered in such a way that those gathers fall nicely into the train. Is there an easy way of doing thing I must complete it by this Friday so that she can get her second fitting. She needs the dress for V-Day.
Thank you for your help.

WillieMae
gcefashions@aol.com

The only idea I have for this at present is,make a casing in the back, to thread the elastic through,a piece of fabric cut on the bias, then sew it down and leave the ends open to thread elastic.

quote:

I need some advice please. I've a client whose dress I'm making in a knit fabric. When I used my DS pattern to make the dress I forgot to make the back big enough to gather it. The dress: the front and back are on the fold. The back neckline is a square which comes down to about where you fasten your bra. The dress has a little train. The client wants the back to be gathered in such a way that those gathers fall nicely into the train. Is there an easy way of doing thing I must complete it by this Friday so that she can get her second fitting. She needs the dress for V-Day.
Thank you for your help.

If the front and back are both on the fold where if any is the closure?

I think from what you describe that you need to print the back to the point at which you desire the gathers, marking a very slight and gentle curve along the back at that level from side seam to side seam. Add seam allowances back on the raw newly cut edge.

Then redraft the back with a considerable flare to the skirt.print from the level you made the yoke line down to hem.making sure to add a seam allowance along the upper edge.

You need to determine just how much gather there will be and compute that into the number of degres of flare.My guess it it will turn out to be between 20 and 30 degrees. All very much depenadant on the gowns fabric, what supports ( slips petticoats blah blah) are going to be under it.

This method is called "overlay".

To see how this works print a 1/4 scale of the original back, a 1/4 scale of the flared back and cut both at about the point where the gathers begin.take the lower portion of #2 and place it on the upper portion of #1. A mock up of scraps of the fashion fabric will give you a visual clue as to how this can work.

You will also have to carefully true side seams front to back and adjust the hem curve.especially of the train.


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