I decided to go with a single layer layout, and when I do these I just sort of eyeball how I want the fabric pattern to look. I also do them right side up so I can get my head around how the fabric will look will look in the finished garment. The left side is a cut skirt piece laid over the fabric and on top of that is the right skirt piece. They are aligned and overlapped at center front; one very important thing to remember is that when you match fabric patterns across cut pieces you loose matching in the seam allowances. This is why I aligned them at center front; I can just move the the left pattern piece off my cutting table and cut out the right knowing it will align when I sew up the dress.
There is more wasted fabric this way, because to correctly align a fabric pattern you actually need to skip an entire repeat due to the space taken up by seam allowances. In the end I think it will be worth the work to keep pristine the wonderful pattern in this fabric.
The bodice pieces also need to be taken into consideration because I didn’t want to lose part of the fabric pattern in a dart. On the skirt you can see a short dart just to the right of a green vertical stripe. I had to be careful this design element wasn’t lost in the vertical bust dart right above it in the bodice. After I cut the skirt pieces I’ll work on matching the bodice pieces to the fabric pattern on the skirt at the waist seam.
Your experienced eye is making the most of this marvelous design print. The completed dress will be eye catching to be sure.
So happy to find you here. Love the new blog – have to get caught up – may not manage that for awhile yet.
I need to get caught up on the Rucci dress, even though I know you’re setting it aside for a bit.
LOVE the new graphic print on the layout table.
Hope all the Diva posts will stay up indefinitely.
Hugs, Marji
love the progress of how you are laying this out. Really seeing the print on the table is fabulous.