06 - Initial toile

So the first stage of this dress's design process was to prepare a basic bodice “toile” - a simple version of an upper bodice section, made in a cheap fabric (I normally use lightweight polycotton) to verify pattern shapings as well as determine how the dress will ultimately be constructed. Working with a toile in this manner, helps me ascertain how certain parts of a garment will be assembled as well as being a great time-saver for shaping garment pieces later on. It is also very useful for having as a permanent on-hand shape should any customer’s body measurements need verification whilst working on the actual garment at any later stages. For this particular dress, it was essential to ensure that the bust, neck & armhole shapings had the best possible fit & if feasible (with verification via the toile's first fit), define the corsetry style to be used. 2 fitting stages were clearly apparent:

• stage 1- the initial toile for the dress shape & general size
• stage 2 - use it to make an integral 'corset' & full-length dress sample

With this in mind (& to confirm its use as an integral part of the final dress), rather than having just a single piece of fabric for the initial toile sections, I decided to back the polycotton fabric with a non-woven lightweight interfacing. This would help me ascertain optimum seam shaping for the corset as well as secure the toile firmly together at its first fitting. Certain placement markings could also be written (using ballpoint pen or pencil) directly on it if need be. (I often use non-woven interfacing as fabric in its own right – it’s extremely useful for making patterns that can easily be written on. Unlike commercial pattern tissue, it can be used many times without deteriorating so can be used for garment pattern repeats.) Additionally, I could ascertain whether there would be any 'wearing issues' as a result of a corset-style bodice - essential at this stage of the dress design.

The next decision was which pattern style to use for this toile: a simple 2 piece (back & front) or sectioned 4 piece (princess style) as per the McCalls pattern I would ultimately use. I opted for a combination of the 2 types: princess seaming at the front & a single one-piece back. This would mean I could position exactly on K at the first fitting where the back seamline would be – essential as K was quite narrow across the back shoulders & any intended seamline should be suitably positioned suitably for a low dress back neckline. Also at this point, I was uncertain exactly where boning was to be positioned on the corset-style undergarment since only after the toile was made & fitted, would neck & armhole shapings be finally decided. (K originally wanted a higher neckline but when worn at its ‘toile’ stage, preferred it to be lower).

Stage 1

The polycotton was cut into 6 panels (centre back, centre front panel, side front panel) together with a duplicate set in sew-in interfacing. At this stage, the bodice is made to just beyond the waist so the waistline can be marked 'in situ' at the first fitting.

This seamline stitching can also be used later when the toile is taken apart to make its final pattern shape(s) ie. it's useful to determine where any ultimate seaming can lay as well as provide minor extra fabric should the toile need letting out (in this example, it was subsequently used at the shoulder). The bodice is next assembled together for its first fitting where it only only needed to have minor adjustments: primarily around the armholes, taken in at the midriff for the intended corset & lowering of the neckline. The waistline was also marked directly on to the toile by using a piece of knotted elastic worn over the waist - I can then just mark along the elastic's edge.

Stage 2

After this, the final part of the toile’s development is to take it apart & make the necessary adjustments from the fitting stages. Each piece was pencil marked directly with its new seamlines with each of these ‘fabric pattern pieces’ being used for the next stage to make a ‘demi-toile’ (my word!). The 2 further images below (front & side front) show the toile pieces marked with their pencil lines as the new seamlines.

A further discussion with the bride-to-be regarding virtues of a separate corset as opposed to additional stiffening, resulted in the decision for it to become an integral part of the dress so the next phase can begin.