I took Cal Patch’s pattern drafting class and made a couple of tops and a couple of dresses with patterns made from it a couple of years ago. I was really excited for Cal’s Pattern Drafting with Knits class, but have only just found the time to bust out the sewing machine again, since last year was consumed with moving.

I still had my pattern from the first class, and this class takes that pattern and adjusts it to make it work with knits. You can see my original pattern on the left, then the middle one is the one I traced from that and taped up to adjust for knits per the class and the one on the right is the pattern I used for the bodice on the dress I’m making. The one on the right has the front neckline cut out of it, which is why it looks a bit different. I saved the piece and pinned it to that pattern, you can see it at the top there, so I can tape it back together if I make another one.

I find Cal’s Creativebug classes to be very straightforward. She really does make Pattern Drafting easy. In the knits class, she shows you exactly what measurements to take and where to mark and tape to adjust the original pattern for knits, and she has some great tips for working with knits, as well.

When I tried on the top of this bodice, it was magic! It fit so perfectly! I still need to finish the armholes and neckline, and hem it. I wanted to take a bit of time to decide the length, so I’ve worn a couple of dresses this week to decide which length I want for this dress. I am excited about my dress in progress, but even more excited about making some t-shirts and tank tops using this pattern this summer.