What is a basic bodice and how much do I get to draft patterns?

I didn’t always sew and I certainly wasn’t a big patternmaker. I still am not, but it’s for very different reasons. I am in the throws of small kids and work and business and sneaking away to create is a struggle that is very much a part of my life right now. It sounds like I am making excuses but it’s just a reality. IYKYK.

But I wanted to start writing to explain why the Italian Dressmaking School way of patternmaking is so simple, why we believe in it so much and what you can get out of it too. The full set comes with a piece of patternmaking paper, a tape measure and a ruler and you can view the first lesson on drawing up your basic bodice block for free here. We have packaged it like this so you can whip it out and start right away and we genuinely believe that you can do it.

For the true beginners out there, let me first tell you about the basic bodice. You will start by taking your measurements and your first lesson will be in drafting the basic bodice. Think of this as your basic measurements flattened out. You won’t be making a garment with this exact bodice block, you will add some adjustments to turn it into a garment. The first few lessons use the principal of tracing the front off the back to get a loose styled garment, something like a T-shirt, a shift dress, a kimono, a Chanel-style jacket. 

It’s really exciting to know that you can sew up something simple that you created that doesn’t need to be adjusted between sizes or fiddled with to make it fit well. But I want to remind you that learning something new is often trial and error and I hate to share that, sometimes that can involve error! 

In the day of AI, Im really leaning in to creating things with my hands, no matter how imperfectly. This journey really is all about the journey. And the added enjoyment at the end of getting to wear something that fits is a delicious ending.

Happy sewing friends :)