Hello! My name is Tanya and i'm from Moscow, Russia. i don't have wide experience in sewing and fashion design and decided to enroll for this course. I've just got the dressform and very excited to make my first draped dress.

There are the steps of my project:

1. Choosing a fabric.

I have two options. The first one is blue fabric with white print (4 m), and another one is also dark blue with white geometric print (3,5 m). I think that both are 100 % polyester.
Unfortunately, the width of each fabric is just 1 m. That's why if i don't have enough fabric i will have to adjust my design.

My first draped dress - image 1 - student project

My first draped dress - image 2 - student project

2. Sketching a garment.

I've never tried draping before, and for my first draped dress i want to add as many drapes and pleats as possible :-) just to learn the process.
There's the sketch. I don't know if i have enough fabric to make the back of the skirt on the bias but i think that another option will be to make the skirt on the grain line with two inverted pleats.

My first draped dress - image 3 - student project

Sketch for the skirt in case there is not enough fabric to cut it on the bias.

My first draped dress - image 4 - student project

The dress will be made from several parts:

1. Front of the top with a small drape on the neck and small pleats on the center.
2. Back of the top with a drape on the back and two fitting darts.
3. Waistband that will be stitched to the dress.
4. Front of the skirt with two inverted pleats made from two overlapping pieces.
5. Back of the skirt made from two pieces with a seam if it's possible to make it on the bias or on the grain line with
two inverted pleats.
6. The zip will be on the left seam.

3. Prepairing the dressform.

My first draped dress - image 5 - student project

My first draped dress - image 6 - student project

4. Draping the top

My first draped dress - image 7 - student project

5. Draping the bottom. I decided to make only one inverted pleat on the front of the skirt.

My first draped dress - image 8 - student project

6. Draping the back

My first draped dress - image 9 - student project

For the back of the skirt i have two option.

The first one is to make it from two parts with a seam.

My first draped dress - image 10 - student project

Another option is to cut it on the grain line with two inverted pleats.

My first draped dress - image 11 - student project

And the picture with the waistband.

My first draped dress - image 12 - student project

My first draped dress - image 13 - student project

7. Cutting the pattern
I decided to cut all the seam allowances because i was unable to make them equal everywhere and i will add allowances on the fabric.

My first draped dress - image 14 - student project

i also cut the patterns for the skirt and that appeared that i will have to make the skirt on the grain line because i don't have enough fabric to cut it on the bias.

8. Cutting the fabric.

My first draped dress - image 15 - student project

My first draped dress - image 16 - student project

9. After i cut all the parts i ran up a dress.

My first draped dress - image 17 - student project

My first draped dress - image 18 - student project

And now i have a question.

My first draped dress - image 19 - student project

My first draped dress - image 20 - student project

I have several options for the waistband. Which fabric to use for it?

1. To make it from white fabric on the picture above.
2. To make it from dark blue fabric
3. To make it from the same fabric as the dress.
4. To make it from dark blue adding white lace on the top (see the picture)
What do you think?

First, i considered that dress being an exercise to learn the draping method, that's why i took a simple fabrics that i had. i didn't think of wearing it and that was my mistake.
Now i understand that self-coloured flowing fabric would be better for this design.

Still, the question about the waistband made me think that it could be a wearable piece. Thank you very much for all your comments and suggestions.
So, i tried to imagine for which occasion i can wear that extensive volume of printed polyester and what kind of shoes and accessory would look good with this dress. I tried wearing it with heels, sandals, with different waistbands and sashes.
But the most complicated question was still about the occasion. Cheap fabric and print made this dress unsuitable for any celebration that require full dress but the design and the length are reference to evening wear.

Finally, i decided that it is nice for holidays somewhere on the beach at night time when evenings are warm so that the sandals and the neckline will be suitable. Hard to imagine it because it's -20 in Moscow now:(

My first draped dress - image 21 - student project

My first draped dress - image 22 - student project

My first draped dress - image 23 - student project

Tanya Kozina

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