Receive positive comments, feel inspired, ponder, sleep....blog about it! Ready to make your cool flannel? Let's go.
Gather your supplies, my loves. You will need:
- Iron and ironing board
- Paper-cutting scissors (not to be confused with fabric-cutting scissors, ever, or fear the consequences)
- Yardstick
- Pattern weights (or large washers or canned goods)
- Washable marker
- Large paper (brown paper by the roll works; my husband scored some large cardstock-weight paper in the recycling area at his printer office)
- A pattern of a button-down, collar or band, long sleeve blouse that fits you. Our work here focuses on the front: whatever is going on in the back, whether it has a back yoke or just one piece, is fine. Loose fitting can work, if that is what you like. I am using Burda #2838 and omitting the front darts. Had the pattern for a decade, appears to no longer be in print. McCalls 6436mcc has what you need. Kwik Sew 2835 would be great for larger sizes. Kwik Sew 3475. Simplicity 2741.
- patience and a little time!
Ready, set, get really set, go!
1. From your pattern, cut out pattern pieces that include FRONT, BACK, SLEEVE, COLLAR or COLLAR STAND, CUFF. It is good practice to use a dry iron to iron your pattern pieces; do so now.
2. Make a new FRONT pattern piece: on the FRONT pattern piece, using the line marked CENTER FRONT, you are going to make a full front pattern piece, not just a "cut two" piece.
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| front pattern piece lined up from edge |
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| draw a vertical line |
Put your FRONT pattern piece on the left side of a piece of big paper. Right next to the pattern, draw a long, vertical line on your big paper. Line up your CENTER FRONT line on this drawn line and set down your weights.
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| put center front line on your vertical line |
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| weight pattern |
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| tracing.... |
Trace around the pattern.
Flip your pattern over, face down; line up your center line again, set down your weights, trace around your pattern.
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| use canned goods or pattern weights while you trace around |
You will have a mirror image on either side of the center line. I forgot to mention....if there are pattern marks, and I'm sure there are, make them. They are helpful.
3. Drop your center front down 1 inch from the collar line. You will just want more room, trust me. No curve necessary, just draw it to closely resemble the previous neckline, only lower.
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drawing a freestyle curve
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| curve drawn |
4. Draw a diagonal line across the front. It's not an exact science, but I figured out what worked for me. From your lower left corner, mark in 3 or so inches. Lay down the yardstick on the diagonal, from the mark you made, up toward the right, where the neckline turns into the shoulder. It will be okay if a little bit of the neck-to-shoulder corner gets nipped off. Draw your line, as shown.
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| diagonal line drawn from bottom left to upper right |
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| make little Vs for your markers. |
Cut out the pattern you made. Cut inside the marker lines, and cut a tiny V for your pattern marks. Cut along your diagonal line, creating two pieces.
5. Cut 2 strips of paper: make them roughly 36 inches long X 2 inch wide. Tape one of the strips along the diagonal line on the bigger front piece, as shown.
This is going to overlap your snap placket and will have your snaps spaced evenly along here. Let the strip extend up from the top more than you think you will need. How's that for vague? Sorry to be so nonspecific! Just leave quite a bit up top! Label the other strip SNAP PLACKET and set aside.
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| getting ready to make your cowl using collar pattern piece |
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| 1 inch long mark made 2 1/2 inches past edge of collar |
6. Make your cowl: It is a trapezoid, with the smallest side attaching to the neckline. Here, let me illustrate! At the bottom right corner of a big piece of paper, set down your collar or collar stand pattern piece with the part that attaches to the neckline at the edge of the paper. Make a one inch mark 2 1/2 inches further from the edge of the collar. Since we dropped the neckline a bit, you will need some extra inches on the cowl (plus hemming edges of course).
From the bottom right corner, measure 20 inches up the left side and make a mark.
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| parallel line drawn 20 inches from bottom line |
Measure 20 inches up further down so you can make a nice long parallel line 20 inches from the bottom. On this new line you just drew, measure 18 inches from the left side; make a 1 inch mark at the line (perpendicular).
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| final line drawn from 1 inch mark to 1 inch mark |
Finally, use your yardstick to connect the ends of your 1 inch marks.
Boom! Trapezoid! Over on your left edge, make a FOLD marker as shown. Cut out your cowl pattern, just inside the marker lines. Make sense? I hope so. I'm still new to this, and don't mind constructive criticism or requests for clarification.
So now we have drafted a new FRONT, COWL, and SNAP PLACKET pattern. I'll give you a minute to put this all together....meanwhile, stay tuned for Part II.....the exciting conclusion of the Trailblaze top tutorial. I can hardly wait!!!!
Comment anytime, loves!
1. From your pattern, cut out pattern pieces that include FRONT, BACK, SLEEVE, COLLAR or COLLAR STAND, CUFF. It is good practice to use a dry iron to iron your pattern pieces; do so now.
Cut out the pattern you made. Cut inside the marker lines, and cut a tiny V for your pattern marks. Cut along your diagonal line, creating two pieces.
5. Cut 2 strips of paper: make them roughly 36 inches long X 2 inch wide. Tape one of the strips along the diagonal line on the bigger front piece, as shown. 
