Mock-ups are supposed to help you refine your pattern, whether you are modifying an existing one or designing something from scratch. I thought I knew how to improve my miniature nightgown pattern which is based on a Renaissance chemise but with each change I made, things just got worse.
To fix my “happy arms” problem, I switched to a non-slippery cotton fabric and adjusted the angle of the sleeve relative to the body. It didn’t help. Nor did turning the gathering into pleats.
Take 4 felt like a huge step backward. I don’t know if the problem is the pattern, my sewing technique, or both, but when I saw what I had made, I knew it was time to try something different.
All along, I’ve been treating this chemise as a piece of clothing, but in fact, it is a prop for a miniature scene. It doesn’t have to fit onto a doll. It just has to look like a nightgown.
I decided to move from the Renaissance back to the Middle Ages. I was inspired by Morgan Donner’s medieval shift, which starts with rectangles then adds triangles for more room in the body.
This change lead to take 5, which was a huge leap forward. Suddenly, I had something that looked mostly like a nightgown. Thank goodness! The increasingly awful chemises had me questioning my skills in a big way.* Now I have a pattern I can move ahead with, fairly confident I will eventually wind up with a nightgown like the one I’ve been imagining.
*I still do not know what I did wrong. If you have a clue, please tell me. I’d love to know.
