Moulage

In a previous post I mentioned I did not have the moulage/sloper class by Suzy Furrer because I already had a sloper. Watching the other courses I got intrigued though and when a good sale was offered I did take the moulage class too to see what her take on it was in the strong conviction I would always learn something from it. Again I was not disappointed. I heartily recommend Suzy Furrer’s classes on Craftsy. In the past months I have bought 5 of her classes and her book as well. If you are new to pattern drafting you might consider starting with the skirt sloper (one of the classes I did not take) because all pattern drafting classes in general start with the skirt, as it’s easier and therefor a good place to start to become familiar with the concept.
One of the things I have never done before is making a moulage. That is a “precise fabric blueprint of the upper body”. Very close fitting with no ease. Based on the moulage you make the sloper. That is the basic draft with ease from which you then make your patterns for a blouse, dress, jacket or a coat. Suzy explains very well (in the sleeves class) how to adapt the basic sloper to a sloper for a jacket or a coat. I’m not there yet, it all takes time but I did make the moulage. The bust point is a little too high so I will change that in the draft.

For comparison the photos of the moulage before my (small) alterations. I had too much space at the shoulder point and the waist was too wide. I also made the front armhole a very tiny bit wider at the bottom. In the photo above you can see the difference. The left armhole is changed, the right one unchanged.

You might wonder whether this is easy to do. The answer is yes, it’s not that difficult but good measurments are crucial. Most measurements needed were the same as in the other pattern drafting system I learned but a few were different and I had my daughter take my measurements. One of them was off so my first draft ended up strange as the side seam length was too long. With new measurements it went much, much better but then I made a small mistake in converting an imperial measurement to centimeters. I was not a lot off, but enought to re-draw that particular area of the bodice.
It made me decide to make an Excel sheet with all the measurements needed with conversion to centimeters and with front and back measurements in two columns instead of one as on the Craftsy information. I’m convinced that will make it easier for me.
My head is spinning with ideas, my closet well stocked with fabrics after a lovely weekend with a meetup with sewing friends at the Utrecht fabric market and a visit to the textile museum so I hope to do quite a bit of sewing in the next weeks. About 4 projects to finish or alter first, I’ll start with that first to clear the table.
Can you tell I’m enjoying my sewing again?