1. On ruching, in the opinion of the users of this group is it better to ruch a piece of material then apply the pattern or adjust the length of the pattern to accomodate the ruch?

2. After looking at prom dress designs for the last two weeks with a neice, I would like to know if livingsoft plans to incorporate a corset style top or dress, Or at least a lace up the back design in either DS or MPD.

1.depends on how you plan to apply it and where.If its a seperate flounce that's ruched and you have a gathering ruffler foot. apply as you go,.no special foot, gather/ruch in advance then apply. if you are shirring a dress front, shirr first then construct,. Ruching and shirring are often used as the same term - they are not. Theres a hundred ways to interpet your question.

2 Bustiers and Corsets- only If I'm dragged kicking and screaming before a firing squad and someone promises me a ton of real cash! OR my partners ask real, real nice.

BUT for a lace up back dress its really simpler than that. pick the dress, pick form fit, and then use a placket in the back which is well interfaced!!! and instead of a zipper face it well and use grommets instead of button holes. There is such a thing as grommet tape - sew carefully or you will snap needles and wreck the timing on your machine.AND plan on some boning. add the chanels and get steel boning or flexi plastic stuff ( not as um containing..) and run the boning in the chanel. You really must interface and probably interline as well as line. Prom dresses usually arent that well made.unless they cost well over 500 $.

Buy a mess of good glass headed pins you will be doing a lot of pin fitting.

See a Book by Susan Khalje for the simplest directions that are well written and easily available.
Kaaren

quote:

Prom dresses usually aren't that well made.unless they cost well over 500 $.

I agree with you about the quality. We were looking at the dresses to help her decide what she wanted hers to look like. With her I don't actually have to make the dress, she sews. After I made a dress for her sister she took a design class in high school and learned how. So once the design details were settled I developed the pattern in DS, printed it and mailed a half inch thick stack of paper to her so she can make it.

What a Nice Uncle!!
Kaaren