Anyone from beginner to advanced will find Dollwear Designer Version 2.0 Pro+ a real plus for sewing for dolls. At last, you can say goodbye to paper towel patterns for dolls and doll costumes that don’t fit. The agonizing over whether or not a pattern will fit after hours of work is gone forever, thanks to this program.
To dynamically create patterns, you take twelve crucial measurements of your doll's body and simply and quickly create a “virtual model mannequin” on your computer screen. You measure height, head circumference, neck, breadth of shoulders, arm sycre (arm opening), chest, waist and hip, bodice length, arm length to wrist, thigh, inseam from crotch down to ankle, and you can even take an extra 3 variable measurements if they are essential to your costume pattern. The patterns for the model include the desired seam allowance and an adjustable ease (set at 15%) so that your doll can breathe. For an accurate fit you can adjust the seam allowance and the ease, to whatever suits you. You can add as many virtual models as your hard drive will hold--one for every doll in your collection, if you like.
But, you don't have to design a doll pattern from scratch. Dollwear Designer comes with a great basic library of interchangeable pattern parts such as bodice fronts and backs with or without darts, and a choice of necklines; there are a variety of sleeves, skirts and pants with or without darts and various collars, all with sewing instructions for garments.
The “smart patterns” feature of the program is real magic! You just input the dolls’ measurements and select the smart pattern you want the computer to draw. Then Dollwear automatically creates the bodice, collar, sleeve or bottom type you desire to your exact size and style specifications! You then can pull up your basic pattern piece and place it on the virtual mannequin model on the screen for further sizing, styling or editing. Select the pattern piece activating all the lines and curves of the pattern piece shape which can be easily modified by “clicking and dragging” the points. You can turn a basic bodice to a blouson front in a matter of seconds--AND--you know it will fit!!
The patterns and styles you can create are only limited by your imagination--the program gives you the tools. The program also provides a pattern drawing details section, which allows you to add professional drawing details to your patterns, including words like “fold”, seam allowance notation, symbols indicating notches, bias arrow, dots, scallops, buttonhole, etc. All of the words and symbols can be rotated from 0-360 degrees so as to align your notations exactly where you want them. Your patterns will print out looking as professional as any commercial pattern such as Simplicity or Vogue.
An advanced section which affords you the ability to draw and create your very own designs with CAD (Computer Aided Design) for those pieces that are a little unusual such as peplums, a polanaise, bretelles, ruffles, pockets, etc.
The program allows you to scan any existing pattern pieces into your computer, and size them up or down or digitize them with CAD. There is an interactive ruler on the screen that you can drag and rotate to aid you in taking measurements to confirm if you are on course! Included in the software there is even a fabric swatch library of over 250 fabrics, to which you can add your own fabrics by scanning and archiving. This can be used to “dress” your doll and see how the costume will look when completed. A Victorian set of patterns with sewing instructions is also included. The program is available as a CD for your computer. The Dollwear development team created this program especially for doll seamstresses after reviewing nine adult programs for pattern making ranging in price from $250-$4,000. The best features in the industry were incorporated into the software for easily producing professional quality patterns. You can find out more information at www.dollwear.com, or e-mail Margaret Wolfe-Wilson, dollady45@adelphia.net for purchasing information.
