Robe a la Francaise
Half-Scale Project
Spring ’24
Professor: Ainsley Anderson
This project began with building a half-scale pannier to support the dress to come.
As this was a class project, I was provided with a pattern for the pannier that I then scaled properly using 1/2″ gridded paper.
After my pannier was complete, Ainsley looked through pattern books and together we chose the pattern closest to my reference image.(left)
Once I patterned out my gown to scale, I made a mockup of the bodice and Watteau back. I decided that the rest of the gown was logical enough to not require me to make a mockup of.
Once I patterned out my gown to scale, I made a mockup of the bodice and Watteau back. I decided that the rest of the gown was logical enough to not require me to make a mockup of.
The mockup helped me determine the proper size of the back neck binding piece before going on to my final fabric. In the mockup it’s the piece that looks like a hood.
I then built the under structure of the bodice.(left) This also helped me know the fit of my final bodice as the patterns were almost identical.
I modified the underskirt pattern as my reference gown has a center front seam, and then built it, with a hook and bar closer at the left seam. (right)
I then built my gown. There were a few times where I got to a step and realized that I had previously made a mistake, like putting together the structural bodice without seaming in the fashion fabric with it, where I would have to go back a step or two before continuing again.
I expect I would have had more moments like that if I had not done the mini mockup at the beginning of the process.
