** Edited to add link to Fabric Swap
The first, would anyone be interested in a Sloper Draft / Sew Along? I’m wondering if we couldn’t do this as a long term summer project. Yes, I realize there are downloadable slopers on the internets. But, at 5’6 and a D cup, I think I’m better off drafting. Plus, I want to keep up my (minimal) drafting skills. If you would be interested, let me know and maybe I’ll figure something out. I could sort of post my directions as we go along. I would be NO HELP ON FIT. But, I think I have enough basic knowledge to get the drafting. I’m hoping this will be good motivation to get it done!
Second, a virtual fabric swap meet. Here’s the thing. On the nail polish board I frequent (yes, these things exist), people post things they want to swap all the time. I was thinking we could set up a separate blog to post fabric / notions that we’d be interested in swapping. Would anyone be interested in that?
I’ve gone ahead and created a group and based ‘the rules’ on my local Freecycle. I have a slew of patterns I’ll post this week!
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Oh, and I didn’t sew today. But, I did cut and trace out two more Memorial Day Weekend sewing projects. And, even better!!! That will be a four day weekend for me. Mandatory Furlough! I’m telling myself I can sew one garment each day if I’m prepped ahead of time. Way to set myself up for failure, huh?
Miss Celie's Pants 
Yeah, here in VA we’re having a mandatory furlough too. Which of course means I probably won’t feel like sewing until the very last hours of it. Arggh!
I would be interested in a fabric swap.
Yes, Sloper Draft along!!! Yay!!!
(and by mid June, I’ll actually have some time/Uni holidays)
I’d try out the Bunka instructions, that’s be ok, wouldn’t it?
I was planning on using the Bunka instructions. They are in English (lol) and incredibly detailed. They also have some information on fitting in the textbooks.
I don’t know if I’d want to swap, but I have some pieces that I’d like to see going to a good home.
Just like Nancy/nanflan [above], I have some fabric pieces that I would like “to see go[ing] to a good home,” too. However, I would require that the recipient pay for the cost of shipping (which can be done, between us, through PayPal).
Sounds totally reasonable and along the lines of what I was thinking.
Cool. I took a class on this, this spring. I highly recommend Kenneth King’s Moulage book. http://www.kennethdking.com/book.html
Best of luck.
Yes, yes, yes! I really need to do this. I bought a pant and a bodice fitting shell and haven’t even opened them up. Making a sloper was something I had hoped to get into on my time off, so please count me in.
Every year I claim I’m going to do it. Here’s hoping the public declaration works!
I just did this last week with a couple knitting friends (don’t ask :-)..). I disagree with ‘better to start from a draft’ concept. Ive seen that lead to months of dithering.
We started from the burdastyle JJ blouse, and did by-the-book adjustments for both protagonists (the books being mostly Betzina’s fast fit and Hazen’s fantastic fit). One had a rounded back neck and asymmetrical shoulders, the other a DD cup and forward neck. Both came out practically perfect on the first try, we only had to increase the FBA a bit for the DD one. That was much better fit than either had ever had before, I was totally impressed.
Sandra Betzina’s best advice imho: figure out objectively the one or two ways in which you may truly deviate from the norm, and completely fix those before you get into a treadmill of tweaking everything. What with most women’s distorted body images, it’s easy to get into a thing where you think you have 35 things wrong with your body. This is where friends help: they can get you to focus on the only one or two things that really need attention (in 99%+ of the population). If you do them right, everything else falls into place.
I would be interested in either or both.
Yes to both. I would love to participate. I would also love trade some fabrics that I won’t use for some I might.
Count me in on the fabric swap! As for sewing Memorial Day weekend…you have to start strong to finish strong! If you get 3 things finished, you have accomplished something great…so go for it!
I would be up for a draft-along. I have the Helen Joseph Armstrong patternmaking book, which I’ve made the bodice sloper from before, but got stuck in a hamster wheel of fitting issues. I’d love to give it another try. I also have a theatrical costuming book that has a much simpler block that I’d like to compare to HJA. It would be so great to hear about all of the different approaches out there!
Ok, now I’m off to make my entire summer wardrobe in the next two days. 🙂
I’d love to do a sloper but I have absolutely no drafting experience or literature…wait, no I do have an old book about making your own patterns. I just made myself yet another wadder and am desperately trying to figure out what in the world is going on as I used to be able to actually sew for myself and it would, you know, FIT. I tried one of those Big 4 companies “comes with D-cup pattern pieces” but while it did fit on the bust, nothing else fit-gaping armholes, saggy neckline, far too tight around the torso, etc.
I’m totally up for the sloper and the swap. Heading off to NYC for June 25-27th, and I’d love to have a sloper as an excuse to buy some yummy fabrics in the city!(Of course, everyone should know that there never needs to be an excuse to buy yummy fabrics in the city!!!)
I don’t think you are setting yourself up for failure. I admire your pre-planning and organzation! Tak advantge of those furlough days and sew, sew, sew! I know I am.
First – the funny thing I’ve discovered after years of sewing is that me drafting the pattern, no matter if a customer brought me a pattern, was always the better than cutting from an altered pattern. That doesn’t include Burda, but won’t go into that. The idea of a sloper sew-along is a great idea, but with it should also go how to use it….this can be such a valuable tool in the sewists cadre of skills.
Second – a fabric swap would be wonderful. To be honest, at my age a little like La Sewista’s friend, I’m looking for a good home for some of my stash that I know I will never make up. Some of this is beautiful fabric, but either it’s not part of my lifestyle now (as we grow from one phase of our life to another, our lifestyle needs change – I no longer go to formal business meetings or social ladies’ luncheons, and my wardrobe needs have changed). This would also give me a chance to do a great clean-out of my stash.
oh yes— fabric swap would be great! I’d love to participate in the sloper sew-along but it’s probably not the best summer to be making a long-term 2D model of myself 🙂 I’m really excited to follow along though and learn from what everyone else is doing.
Yes I would be interested in both the Fabric swap and making a sloper
I am interested in drafting a pants sloper and have the book out of the library. Would love to draft along with others! How does this work?
I’m interested in the Slopper Draft/Sew-Along (SDFA?). I, too, have been talking about it for ages but never got serious.
But here’s the eternal question: are we talking about a slopper (with basic, wearing ease that you can cut and slash into diff styles) or a moulage (your body’s exact shape in 2D, no ease at all for dressform making purposes)?
Because two people mentioned KK’s moulage book and that is confusing me a bit.
Count me in!
Count me in on both. I’m taking a drafting class in the fall, it would be great to be ahead of the curve.
I’d like to learn along with your sloper drafting. At 5’3″ and a D cup, nothing fits. And I mean nothing.
I probably have plenty of homeless patterns I could post, along with some unloved fabric. So I’d be interested in that, too.
I’d be interested in the bodice sloper project. I’ve been thinking it’s something I should try, as all my fit issues are to do with my top half, but thus far it keeps getting put off…
I’m going to try to work on the sloper with everyone! Great idea.
I’m not sure how to sign up for the fabric swap. Is the e mail above supposed to let me enter an email?
I would be very interested in your Sloper/Draft group.
I’d love to join in to a sloper draft-a-long! Fit is the main reason I found your blog- Im pretty close to your size, although shorter 🙂
I have been thinking about it and I am interested in this drafting project, too. I am curious how we’ll do it. A group blog like Marji did for the Great Coat Sewalong? or? ….