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1. Drafting Princess Seams

I've had a lot of designs going around in my head and I thought I'd finally pin some of them down in sharpie form. I think the word I was searching for throu. So shop with us for that princess dress designed to make your little girl's dreams come true. As a partner of Disney, Party City carries more Disney princess costumes, tiaras, dresses, wands, wigs, and shoes than just about anyone — all priced for a happy ending on Halloween.

The Princess seam is one of the easiest methods of dart manipulation, and it results in a smooth, clean line that skims and slims the body.

It adds style to tops and dresses, while maintaining a smooth, body-skimming fit. It really is one of my favorite shaping seams!

• Jul 9, 2017 - Explore Princess Sajal:)'s board 'Dress Design Sketches', followed by 311 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about dress design sketches, dress sketches, fashion sketches.
• Princess Dress Designs by ebonysnowwhite on DeviantArt March 2021 DeviantArt is the world's largest online social community for artists and art enthusiasts, allowing people to connect through the creation and sharing of art.
• Aug 22, 2016 - Laurence Aquino based in Laoag City, Philippines whose a professional Nurse and is passionate about fashion designing. Laurence creates fashion artworks using flowers, vegetables, herbs and spices.

Use these style lines to add color-blocking to a dress or top (make the sides black and the center white or a bright color) - it's a modern, sophisticated take on a conventional sheath.

Please note: The following directions assume you will be using your personal block to create a full-size pattern. If you are practicing pattern drafting techniques or are experimenting with pattern design, I strongly recommend you print and use our quarter scale patterns.

Waist and bust darts can look cluttered on a top or dress, and they often look out of date (depending on the style you're looking for).

You can achieve a nicely fitted top or dress without the use of traditional waist and bust darts by converting those darts into a shaped princess seam.

The technique is quite easy; you really just move the placement of the darts and then re-shape the seam a bit - it takes almost no time at all!

You'll start with your basic fitted bodice block and trace it onto paper.

You can use newsprint at this point, because you will be cutting and taping this copy, and then it will be thrown away when you trace your final copy.

DO NOT CUT YOUR ORIGINAL BODICE BLOCK! Trace it onto an inexpensive paper for cutting.

Draw a line from the center of the shoulder to the apex of the bust (the point of the bust dart).

Cut along the drawn line, then close the side bust dart and tape it closed.

This will open the shoulder and create a new dart from the shoulder to the bust. THIS IS CALLED PIVOTING THE DART. It's a simple way to change the position of a dart while maintaining the correct shape and fit over the bust.

At this point, you can draw another line between the points of the shoulder and waist dart and cut them apart (as shown below).

Trace the pieces onto your brown craft paper, freezer paper, or whatever you use for your final pattern. Do NOT use newsprint at this point, as it can stain your fabric. Once you've traced onto your final pattern paper, you can toss the newspaper version.

Once you have separated the center and side front along the dart lines, smooth the lines as needed (the side front, in particular, may have points where the line was cut - smooth those points into a nice graceful line).

REMEMBER: Your bodice block does not have seam allowances or hems. Add your seam allowances, hems, grainlines and marks to your final pattern.

Place marks at the apex of the bust to guide you when sewing these curves together.

You've made a princess seam!!

Now, you will most likely combine this technique with others to create your final style. For example, to create the top, above, this bodice would be lengthened, using the skirt bodice as a guide to shape the side and ensure fit through the upper hip. (see Making the Blouse Block for how to lenghten the bodice into a blouse or top)

There are MANY more methods of manipulating your darts - into shaping seams, pleats or tucks - even gathers that look like a draped bodice!

Learn more about disguising and re-designing your darts in 'A Beginner's Guide to Designing with Darts' Now!

The princess seam can be used for tops and dresses - just combine the bodice and skirt patterns into a dress before drawing the princess line.

And remember: YOUR BLOCK DOES NOT HAVE SEAM OR HEM ALLOWANCES. Once you've patterned your top or dress, add seam allowances, a hem, and markings (grainlines, matching points, etc).

• Making a Yoke Seam by Pivoting the Bust Dart
  
• Making a Full Skirt Using the Slash and Spread Technique
  

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Simple Dress Sketches

'Princess line' or 'princess dress' describes a woman's fitted dress or other garment cut in long panels without a horizontal join or separation at the waist.^[2][3] Instead of relying on darts to shape the garment, the fit is achieved with long seams ('princess seams') and shaped pattern pieces.^[4] A rarely used alternative name for the Princess line was French-dart-line dress.^[5][6]

History[edit]

19th century[edit]

The princess line is popularly associated with Charles Frederick Worth who first introduced it in the early 1870s.^[2][7] It was named in honour of the famously elegant Princess Alexandra.^[7][8] By the late 1870s and early 1880s the Princess dress was a popular style. It is considered one of the first 'bodycon' (body-conscious) fashions due to its extremely closely fitted design, presenting the figure in a natural (or at least, corseted) form undistorted by either crinoline or bustle.^[8] 'Princess-line polonaises' were worn over long underskirts.^[9] The Princess line was also popular for young girls, who wore it with a sash or, if slightly older, over a longer underskirt.^[10]

20th century[edit]

The Princess line was a staple of dress design and construction throughout the century. In 1951 the couturier Christian Dior presented a princess-line based fashion collection which is sometimes called the 'Princess Line,' although its official name was Ligne Longue or 'Long Line'.^[11]

Princess Wedding Dress Design Sketches

21st century[edit]

The Princess line remains a popular style for wedding dresses and a design staple for both day and evening dresses.^[2][4] More recently, the design principle has been consciously applied to men's garments, which generally do not have waist seams anyway.^[12]

References[edit]

Princess Dress Design Sketches

1. ^'Princess dress, 1878-1880, jacquard woven silk and ruched silk trimmed with machine made lace'. V&A Search the Collections. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
2. ^ ^abcDelamore, Philip (2005). The wedding dress : a sourcebook. London: Pavilion Books. p. 34. ISBN9781862057029.
3. ^Lewandowski, Elizabeth J. (2011). The complete costume dictionary. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 238. ISBN9780810840041.
4. ^ ^abCamp, Carole Ann (2011). Teach yourself visually fashion sewing. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley Pub. p. 230. ISBN9780470881316.
5. ^Farmer, Bonnita M.; Gotwals, Lois M. (1982). Concepts of fit : an individualized approach to pattern design. New York: Macmillan. p. 199. ISBN9780023362606.
6. ^Shelden, Martha Gene (1974). Design through draping. USA: Burgess Pub. Co. p. 35.
7. ^ ^abReeder, Jan Glier (2010). High style : masterworks from the Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 41. ISBN9781588393623.
8. ^ ^abFukai, Akiko (2002). Fashion : the collection of the Kyoto Costume Institute : a history from the 18th to the 20th century. Köln [etc.]: Taschen. p. 246. ISBN9783822812068.
9. ^Stamper, Anita; Condra, Jill (2010). Clothing through American History the Civil War through the Gilded Age, 1861-1899. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. p. 271. ISBN9780313084584.
10. ^Ashelford, Jane (2009). The Art of Dress Clothes and Society, 1500-1914 ([New ed.?] ed.). London: Gardners Books. p. 283. ISBN9781905400799.
11. ^Marly, Diana de (1990). Christian Dior. London: B.T. Batsford. p. 45. ISBN9780713464535. For the autumn 1951 Dior announced his Long Line, [...] The main cut for dresses was the princess line, Worth's invention to avoid waistlines...
12. ^Kim, Myoung; Kim, Injoo (2014). Patternmaking for menswear : classic to contemporary. New York: Fairchild Books & Visuals. p. 197. ISBN9781609019440.