Testing Tailornova the new design and sewing software
I am back, and I am excited*, may there be a solution to my fitting issues? Yesterday @shanibeer wrote a wonderful post about the new online software tailornova, which lets you design your own clothes and print them at home as a ready to sew pattern with seam allowance included. You can use standard sizing or your own measurements…
My own measurements!!!! Everybody who has sewn, crocheted or knitted a wonderful garment only to later notice that it does not fit understands my excitement: no more ill fitting sewing patterns which assume that I am automatically busty if I need a bigger size or that assume that I am 1,70 whereas I am only 1,63 m. Pattern that cater for a flat buttock and belly not my very curvy front and back. I could go on, we are all so individual in our bodies that neither rtw clothes nor sewing pattern will fit all.
So, tailornova comes as a revolution (actually it is not as new as I thought, they sell individualised patterns for years under the name bootstrapfashion) because you can alter every pattern according to your own body measurements. Patient and considerate as I am (cough) I paid for the cheapest option which includes 5 downloads of your own patterns (15 $ and hop to @shanibeers post for a discount code). This paid option also allows you to create a 3D model with your measurements … oh yeah….
Did I already told you that I may have a small problem with liking how I look? And let me tell you (or better show) this 3 D model is not flattering :-DDDD
For all three models I used the same measurements but different settings for belly and buttocks. First model is setting a and very curvy, then you see setting b and curvy and alt last b and very curvy: not much difference in my eyes, only the belly of the first view is smaller. Do you see differences? Which one should I use?
After I recovered from the shock of this model (aka my body) I went straight to the dress section and tried to design this simple flared dress I always want to sew and never got perfected. I have chosen a knitted fabric with medium stretch (you can decide on the stretch in the menu “ease”), a half circle skirt which sits on the natural waist and a basic bust darts body with fitted set in sleeves. And this it what I got …. As @shanibeer wrote: the dress looks like a sack. Yes, I second this: a sack.
I wanted to understand why this model looks so strange in the dress, so I checked the measurements of the dress and compared them to my body measurements (you can find these dates under the menu “specs”). The waist of the dress is 84,5 cm and mine 85. The upper arm width at the sleeve is 33,8, my biceps 31 cm, the bust width of the dress will be 98,92 cm and my bust width is 96 cm. You can find much more measurements, but these are in my view enough to compare it to the model.
Accurately the dress looks fitted on the waist, this corresponds with the negative ease at the waist. The same goes for the sleeves which have positive ease according to the measurements. But the amount of ease (the sleeve is 2,8 cm wider than my arm) is not portrayed naturally. The sleeve on the model has so many folds and the armholes are so wide I would guess that it is more than 5 cm wider than the model’s arm. On the photo beneath I am wearing the Eden dress which has a too wide waist and sleeves which have a bit of ease (appr. 3 cm) but are fitting in my eyes and you can compare it to the 3D model….
Both the model and I show a very similar dress, but I am totally indecisive if this model is a help for sewing. It kind of looks like me, but honestly not a better version… Now my first excitement is curbed, as I am unsure if I could trust tailornova to design a better fitting dress than I create through my own weird adjustmens.
Here is a sneak peak to my latest self drafted dress... bust too wide, hips too small and I shortended the bodice 4 times, honestly!!. Could I have avoided this with a tailornova pattern?
Until now I have not downloaded the tailornova dress pattern as I do not want to waste one of my payed for patterns and again receive a garment which does not fit. What is your opinion, should I download, or should I experiment more (perhaps re-taking my measurements?)???
Thank you @crosheille for initiating and @muscara, @shanibeer, @marblely for hosting the #needleworkmonday. If you want to see more beautiful projects with yarn, fabric and most of all needles, follow @needleworkmonday. Or even better grab your needles and keyboard and join the #needleworkmonday community.
Ohhh, if you don't have a hive account and want to comment then visit my Wordpressblog Bliss and Blisters and write me there.
*Officially I am still in summer holidays, but this software makes me so hopeful about getting better fitting garments, I could not stop myself from writing. I hope you do not feel deceived (🙏🙏🙏)
Do or do not - there is no try ;)
I'm afraid I can't help you.
Do you think the model is accurate? I am really unsure if its only the newness of the 3D model or if they really will give me a dress with huge sleeves. Hate decisions....
Hmmm.... Why don't you make a new account and use one of the two free designs? Then you will get the pattern and can compare the measurements on it to those dresses you already made. And perhaps sew the upper part of it with scrap fabric, that's where your problems were, right?
Yes, the bodice mostly is problematic. I guess I should do this :-D I will once again check the measurements and then try it out. I really have high hopes... I hate this fiddling with smaller/wider/too long/too short...
So, straight away you have done much more detective work than I!
I want to mention the blogger: JoeySewy's youtube channel and her website because she does much work in her videos. I hope you will all run over there and subscribe and like.
I'm going to link these two posts, yours and mine, in the comments on the video and also ask her if she will design some trousers - you've mentioned it and it's also where I feel I need most help.
To your pattern and 3D model: I feel the one on the far left (flat belly/very curvy bottom) is close to you. The other measurement that comes into this, I feel, is the under-bust measurement.
Leaving aside the 3D model, what I liked most about this software was the fitting of the bodice: I am tall but my back length (neck to waist) is very short - maybe 4 or 5 cms shorter than a standard pattern. I have tiny shoulders and a narrow back but a very large bust - getting enough ease for my bust and nicely fitting shoulders takes a lot of time to work out. The 3D model looked good for me in that respect.
In the Annika video in my post, she makes a close fitting top with a deep wide square neck: there is a difference in the appearance of the neckline in the technical drawing and the finished garment, but when you check the 3D model, it gives you a different idea of the neckline on a body and how it will look.
Every model and set of measurements that I have tried end up looking like there is too (too,too) much fabric on the 3D model, and like you say, it is enough to make you give up sewing! But I think we must persevere and provide feedback. We have the opportunity for dialogue 😁
Great idea to link the post in Joeysewy‘s channel! I already followed her and found your comment. I really hope this software will develop into something helpful for all people with a bit more special figures. I posted on instagram about the software and tailornova directly answered and I think (and highly appreciate) they read the whole post. THey seem to be honestly interested in feedback. So I will try my luck with this dress pattern and will write about it (if the head behaves).
I already send a bug report as the pants on the 3D model do not change in length although I changed them in the pattern. But the feature of the different rise/waist options would be important for me... Perhaps Joeysewy has some tricks.
By the way @cryptocariad tried a pants pattern from them (she made a toile ) and is very satisfied so far. We both followed tailornova‘s facebook group. Could this be interesting for you?
And with the 3D model, I will choose the first as you said. I guess the option „sway back“ is missing and would give a more accurate image of my body. And with the under-bust: its nearly the same as my waist (I thought this is mostly this way?) I have a upper bust of 90, bust 96, under bust 84 and waist 85 cm.
While browsing instagram I found some sewist who used tailornova for dresses and most of them have bodies I would describe as more standard size 38 without exaggerated curves or flatness ... I am really looking forward to our (and other sewist) experience with non-standard measurements.
I remember writing that you have sometimes problems to get a good fit on the bust area and shoulders and I am very interested if the fit of tailornova will be good (I imagine full bust adjustment and changes at the shoulders are gruesome as there will feedback at the sleeve fit and the back fit and and and... if I am honest all modifications are gruesome if I do them 😂😂 There is always a new mistake when I remedy the first)
Oh and I had this dream where we provide Tailornova with some of @needleworkmonday‘s cool statistics which @muscara and @marblely posted and tell them how inclusive and divers we are (are we?) and how many sewist live in countries which I guess are not on there main customer group (but it would be wonderful if they were) and then Tailornova will donor @needleworkmonday a free account.... you know, that’s me and my world dominations ideas 😂😂🤪
World domination takes too much time which we need for our hobby ;)
We will safe time with tailornova and then.... :-DDD
Can you give me the link for the post on instagram?
😂😂🤪 x
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCoFq5SoVJ1/
Does this link work? If not my name on Instagram is also neumannsalva
Thank you - interesting to see. I am not on Instagram or Facebook.
I like youtube but I rarely comment.
I went to the tailornova page and asked about gift certificates - I think that would be a great way to "hook" people ;)
Ohhh cool idea, I definitly want to get hooked :-D
Tailornova website is down at the moment ... 😭
Sorry to hear and strange, here it is working. I just now downloaded the dress pattern. I used firefox browser (although the recommend chrome, but it worked)
Haha - NeedleworkMonday sewistas bombarded it :)