How to Drape Bodices

Most home sewing hobbyists learn to sew from patterns, which are flat representations of the body that allow for complex construction and fit, but many dressmakers and fashion designers today prefer to create patterns by draping. Draping involves placing a length of fabric around a dress form and pinning it in place to create the desired look, then removing the fabric from the dress form to stitch the pinned parts into a finished item of clothing. While some designers prefer to drape in the final fashion fabric they will be using, this article will focus on draping in muslin, which can be used to make a pattern.

Things You'll Need

• Muslin
• Drafting rulers and L-square
• Drafting pencil
• Colored pens
• Dress form
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors
• Pins
• Tape measure
• Clear tape
• Pattern paper
• Brown paper bags
• Manila paper
• Stapler and staple remover
• Tracing Wheel
• Awl

Instructions

Prepare the Muslin

1. Adjust your dress form to your measurements or the measurements of the person you are draping a bodice for. Make sure to adjust the knobs at the bustline, shoulders, waist and hip. Use a measuring tape on the dress form to double-check that the measurements are accurate.

2. Use about 1 yard for each section of the bodice. Iron the muslin and press 1 inch under on the selvage edge, then trim the muslin to the length of the dress form's bodice, leaving 5 inches at the top and bottom. Tack the selvage to the center front and trim the width to 5 inches past the side seam of the dress form. This is one side of the bodice front. Do the same for the bodice back.

3. Mark the front bodice piece, using the L-square, at the center of the length. Draw a horizontal line there. On the dress form, measure the center front to the apex and the apex to the side seam. Mark the apex and side seam on the fabric. Then divide the distance between the two in half and mark that as well, making a perpendicular line to the bottom of the fabric. This marks the grain line.

4. Make a mark 3 inches from the top of the back bodice piece. Make another mark 4 1/2 inches from that one, or where the shoulder line falls, and draw a horizontal line there. Measure the distance between the center back and the armhole on the dress form and mark that on the muslin as well.

5. Pin the muslin to the dress form, aligning all markings with their respective parts. The apex line should be pinned to the apex, the grain line to the waist, and so on.

Drape the Bodice

1. Smooth out the fabric on the bodice front until it fits the dress form. At the princess seam, if there is too much bulk, smooth the fabric together to create a dart. Smooth the rest of the bulk at the waistline into the side seam and pin in place there. Where the fabric puckers between the princess and side seam, make a vertical cut from the bottom to the waist, then unpin the side seam and smooth the fabric out again. Mark the side seam, waistline, princess seam and where the center front and waistline meet.

2. Smooth the fabric from the armhole to the shoulder, pinning 1/2 inch together at the armhole ridge for ease. Mark the 1/2 inch section and the meeting of the armhole and shoulder. Smooth the fabric at the neckline, pinning the excess fabric where the neck and shoulder seam meet. Make a cut to the neckline where the fabric puckers, then smooth out and pin again. Mark where the shoulder and neckline meet and where the neckline and center front meet.

3. Smooth the fabric between the armhole ridge and the princess seam. Pin the excess where the princess seam and shoulder seam meet, creating a dart. Mark the dart. Move on to the bodice back.

4. Smooth out the fabric on the bodice back at the armhole ridge mark, pinning the excess fabric evenly for ease along the horizontal line. At the princess seam, smooth the fabric toward the waistline and create a dart. Mark the dart. Smooth the fabric between the princess seam and the side seam, pinning at the side seam. Where the fabric puckers, cut the fabric.

5. Following the instructions for the bodice front neckline, smooth the bodice back neckline the same way. Smooth the fabric between the neckline and princess seam at the shoulder and mark. Create a dart toward the armhole. Remove the bodice front and back from the dress form. You now have a basic block pattern of the bodice from which you can make patterns.

Resources

• Bodice Draping Tutorials
• How to Drape a Bodice Video
• Fashion Draping Video Tutorials