Final Mockup and Fitting and Fabric Shopping
The second mockup fitting was quick and decisive. The new pattern corrections looked great on Michelle! Changes I had made to the closures made the dress easier to get on and off and she loved the new collar design. There were still a few little fit issues to work out (see above), but for the […]
Pattern Corrections and Fitting Prep
My patterns are now corrected and pinned to the side of my table. I’ve talked about this before, but I love to do pattern corrections! The problem-solver within me really enjoys getting down to business with a ruler, french curve and pencil to figure out the incredible puzzle of how to make flat pieces of […]
First Fitting!
A first fitting is never pretty. That’s why we do them. It would be impossible to do these types of fine alterations on a finished dress, so it is important to work out all the fitting and perfecting on a garment that you don’t mind tearing up and drawing on. Michelle’s fitting went really well! […]
Fitting-Ready
The mockup is ready for Michelle to try on! I added a new page to her website with more photos, so that she could preview the mockup before arriving here for the fitting. I know it has got to be nerve-wracking to have a fitting scheduled for something you’ve never seen before, so hopefully the […]
Threadmarking, Basting and Assembly
A mockup is not put together like a real garment. All of its seams, trims, edges and closures are temporary and assembled in a way that makes it easy to make changes during a fitting. After I cut out all of my pieces and before I can start assembling the garment, I do a lot […]
Why the Mockup?
Now that my pattern is ready, it’s time to make a mockup. When creating a custom garment, it is always important to do a “test-dress” first to work out all the kinks before you ever touch the real fabric. I usually call this test dress a mockup, but it is also often known as a […]
Dress In the Making
The first thing I did once I got my dressform prepared, was to do a “rough drape”. I combine this with flat patterning techniques, but mostly I drape the dress on the form. To create a rough drape, I take muslin or some sort of cheap fabric, pin it to the “Michelle sized” dressform, cut […]
Measurements
Since my last blog post, Michelle’s dress is really starting to take shape. It seems that when I get on a roll, I forget about blogging! Once the design was decided, the dressmaking process began when Michelle came over to the studio and I took an extensive set of measurements of her body. Accurate measurements […]
The Sketch
Original Sketch ©Brooks Ann Camper Bridal Couture After viewing her Design Proposal website, Michelle contacted me and said that she loved the sketches! Though she hadn’t decided which one was her choice, she was ready to sign the contracts, pay the deposit and book the dress! Her mom was coming back […]
