I finally got around to converting my basic sloper to princess seams.

Drafting the OG darted sloper proved a much more daunting task. Converting it to princess seams was…well…

In the interest of science, I read several tutes before choosing one to reference while I work. I like to find the commonalities to weed out any poor advice.

The front is where all the action is, so all the tutes focus on the front, for busty reasons.

You are basically removing the dart by placing the new seams on the outer edges of the old dart. It must go through the bust point and end on the outer edge of the waist dart. Thems the rules.

Beyond that, there is a fair amount of freedom in creating the curve.

I used the version of my sloper without a bust dart, since I knew where the bust point was and you fold out the bust dart anyway.

Draft #1 had too blunt of a curve coming down from the armscye. There was also too much curve to the adjoining side piece, creating a bump just below the bust point.

One thing I learned is: if it’s a bit of a struggle getting the side and front pieces to align, your drawn curves are too robust.

I marked these on my muslin with a sharpie. I raised the curve where it meets the armscye by an inch and made it more gradual, trimming some excess curve from the side piece to complete the alteration.

The back was so quick once I got the hang of the fundamentals, I actually did it right the first time.

The above white and pink cotton fabric I’ve been using to muslin is very old and made my hands feeling weirdly dry, so I threw it out and used this black muslin fabric going forward.

It’s the first time I’ve muslined with actual muslin! Apologies that it’s so hard to see any deets and so easy to see the lint.

My side pieces (heehee) need to be trued at the waist before I can start designing garments, but otherwise I’m ready to rock and roll!

Visions of blouses, vests, and a whole slew of jackets dance through my head. I also want to make my own version of the Deer&Doe Bleuet dress but with proper sleeves.

These seams lend themselves to easy color blocking as well…the possibilities are endless!

My main goal is a custom, fitted blazer. I have so many ideas, from plain to weird. Mostly I’m excited to draft jackets that fit both my shoulders and waist.