Pattern Manipulation

 I have not looked at doll clothes since finishing the jean jacket. I have been focusing on Christmas sewing and getting pain free. I have been working on what I want to accomplish in 2024. 

One of my goals is to work on pattern drafting and I have been watching a lot of videos on this subject. My last binge has been on dart manipulation. I decided to play with that using slopers I have on hand. 

My first round of dart manipulation was simple; move a dart from one place to another - waist to shoulder. I did the slash and move method and it was a warm up to try something harder. My objective was to do a dart that angled out from the center front neckline. I watched a video on it and my first attempt was a total failure. I watched it again and ran the process through my brain three times before attempting the 2nd time. I got the results I wanted. The goal is to work through the steps methodically and carefully. I did it with a lot of self talk. 

I got two bodices done and mounted. The doll's bodice had a dart at the waist only and I moved it to the neckline. The other bodice had a bust and waist dart and I moved them both to the neckline. More darts, more steps. 

I will be doing this exercise again and deciding on how long the dart is to be. When doing the exercises, you do the dart to the apex and when you are done, you back it off to a shorter length. For me, this will be trial and error as I have no idea how long to do a neck dart. I will be adding seam allowances so I can sew it up and see where I need to make adjustments. 

I have a bodice pattern which has a dart in the armhole and I am going to manipulate it to be in the waist and see how it fits the Gotz dolls. It fits them well now so I have my fingers crossed. 

As I have been watching a lot of videos on making a bodice sloper, I have decided to try making one (once again) for the Gotz dolls. I will take the measurement used for a human body and then work on the front and back pieces. I will tweak the pattern until I get what I want. I do know how to manipulate darts so I can move darts from one area to another so the pattern fits smoothly in areas like the armhole.  I want to do this so I can make a basic sleeve which I can change in length and fullness. 

I am to keep this cost effective but I do need to buy tracing paper and a binder. I will be using shop towels for muslins as they can be sewn and don't fray. I have a box of them in the sewing room waiting to be used.

Happy Doll Sewing............................................................