“Make a mock-up”, we say! “Check the fit before you start”, we say! Well what does that mean? Generally that it’s not too tight, too loose, too long, too short, no funny bunching, or gaping, or anywhere uncomfortable. Easy enough, right? In this post, I want to highlight how to set yourself up for success …
One of the most confusing parts of starting your first solo dress can be understanding the layers of fabric, stiffener, and interfacing. Here’s a visual breakdown of the materials of each piece of the dress! Bodice Top: Fashion fabric(s) of choiceBottom: Base material (cotton twill or similar) The base layer gives a light structure to …
I hear all the time from sewers who have been enlisted by a friend or relative to build an Irish dance dress and have no idea where to start. They often feel like they don’t know what they’re getting into, and even parents who’ve spent years going to feisanna often have questions (“what’s going on …
What is the style that you’re calling “flippy skirt”? The “flippy skirt” style has grown in popularity over the last couple years, mainly due to its use by Eire Designs/Gavin Doherty*. I was asked to draft one last month, so I thought I’d create a little tutorial so you can draft your own at home. …
Hello! I’ve got a photo tutorial for you today. I’ll go through the steps to construct lined skirt pieces, such as those used in Skirts II, IV, V, VI, and VII in the 3rd Edition of the pattern. Each piece of the skirt is made of 3 layers:1. Fashion fabric – Our top layer, the …
In this post I’ll go over some pattern drafting techniques you can use to modify the shape of the skirt. These all involve cutting, splicing, or trimming the pattern piece. I’d recommend tracing a copy to use, so you don’t destroy the original. Note: This post was created for an earlier edition of the pattern, …
The center-back seam allowance of the skirt is never pretty. The skirt gets lined, usually in beautiful contrasting fabric that flashes when the dancer kicks, but the bulky seam allowance always stands out, looking gross and un-finished. Due to the way the skirt is constructed, and the fact that the center-back is an alteration point, …
Many folks find the skirt’s side-pleats the hardest part of construction to wrap their head around. It’s probably the part that’s farthest from typical fashion construction, so this is understandable. I’ve been wanting to make a photo tutorial of these steps for a while, and have finally been able to take some photos while working …
[Edit: The second edition pattern and onward includes a single-panel skirt, so no adaptation is needed. This post is for customers using the first edition.] Many people have asked recently how to modify the solo dress pattern to make a single-panel skirt. This style of skirt is becoming increasingly popular, perhaps because of it’s …
Note: In the 4th Ed pattern (released July 2021), this skirt style is listed as View IV. It was View III in all previous versions. Some pattern piece numbers have changed as well since this post was written. I’ve had a couple questions about modifying the pattern pieces for skirt view III (soft-pleated skirt). The …
