What this solves
Discussion threads often compare a client's portrait proportions with the mannequin and feel something is wrong. Dressmaker delivery does not grade your eye against the illustration. It grades the dress against the measurement targets attached to that commission. If you design by the portrait alone, you can sew a beautiful silhouette that still reads loose or tight on the form. Treat art as flavour. Treat the size fields and mannequin as the scoring body. That habit also matters when you switch between named clients such as Alice and Rose, who do not share one permanent body.
Step by step
- 1. Copy measurements from the commission, not from memory
Open the card and set the mannequin to those values before sketchbook work. Do not keep the previous client's form because the new portrait looks similar.
- 2. Pin early and trust the form over the splash art
When panels go on the mannequin, watch for gap or stretch. Early pin warnings are cheaper than a late delivery fail. The portrait will not override those warnings.
- 3. Rebuild silhouette if the form rejects the shape
If a favourite bodice or skirt fights the current size, change parts or ease the cut rather than forcing trim to hide fit. Fit is its own score axis.
- 4. Reset between every client switch
Make size reset part of opening a new named client. Visual similarity between portraits is not a measurement match.
Common mistakes
- Designing purely from portrait proportions.
- Leaving the last client's mannequin settings in place.
- Using lace and bows to hide a sizing miss.
- Blaming stitch quality when the form was wrong from the start.
Related tips
- Customer Measurements
- Why Your Dress Gets Rejected Even When It Meets Every Requirement
- Lace & Trim Placement
Category: Fitting. Addresses a recurring discussion complaint: portrait art versus mannequin numbers. Follow in-game measurement fields.