PSA: My old way of draping fabric on a mannequin was a total mess

For years I just pinned fabric straight onto my dress form, you know, the basic way. It always looked okay until I tried to transfer the pattern to paper. The lines were never right, especially on bias cuts. Then I saw a video from a designer in Montreal who uses a layer of cheap muslin first, pinned flat and marked with a grid. I tried it on my last project, a bias cut slip dress. The muslin method took an extra 30 minutes upfront, but the final paper pattern came out perfectly on the first try. The grid lines kept everything square and the bias grain was so much easier to see and follow. I didn't have to guess or re-draw a single seam line. Has anyone else found a simple trick like this that saved a ton of time later in the process?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_eva3d ago

That grid method is genius for keeping things straight. I use a similar trick with cheap interfacing for really slippery fabrics. It adds just enough stiffness to stop everything from sliding around while you mark.

jamie_taylor3d ago

Oh that interfacing trick is smart. I had a nightmare with some satin last month. Ended up using a walking foot and basting everything first, like every single seam. It took forever but nothing puckered. For marking, I just used chalk and went really slow.