4 posts tagged “pattern”
I am currently in search of patterning books. Since I have been looking at them I thought I would share my impressions. I have two books that were required for a class and those have been sufficient for general purposes, now historical patterns are a completely different matter. Since I work in theater I will refer to the person you are making clothing for as "the actor".
First of all there are two ways to create patterns, draping and drafting/flat patterning. Draping uses a dress form that is the same shape as the person you are making clothing for. You use muslin to "drape" the pattern onto the dress form. Then you take your muslin pieces and trace them onto paper, giving you a pattern. Drafting or flat patterning you use measurements to create a sloper or body block of the actor. A sloper is a basically a fitted bodice. Once you have your sloper you alter it to make the design and style changes you need. There are somethings that are more easily done by draping and some more easily done by drafting. Generally you draft sleeves, collars, pants and items for men, you drape bodices for women. I draft skirts, but depending on what you are doing and how you feel about each method you could drape them.
My search for books comes from the fact that I am looking for a good sloper/body block draft to use, I haven't really needed one for women because we had a collection of dress forms, but that has changed. I am also kind of looking at books for if no WHEN I am asked to teach a class I want to know what books to require. Patterning books are expensive! And I don't have any problem requiring expensive books for class, IF they are worth the price. I wouldn't want book costs to be prohibitive, but they really are necessary and would pay for themselves if the student wanted to continue on with patterning, for costume construction, or personal projects.
Here are the two books that were used in my class, I would recommend both, but the thing to remember is that I was taking a class with a teacher, who taught. We used the book to follow the steps for drafting, draping, pattern alterations, whatever, we didn't use it to learn from. So I haven't really read these books, I just used the information in them.
This is a draping book, using muslin to create a pattern on a dress form. This is not what I am looking for now, because as I said without dress forms, draping isn't really useful. However, this is the book I used to learn, and it works.
This is the flat patterning book we used. I like it, but again that could be because it is the one I was taught with. Of course it has some quirks, the pattern marks are different, some of the measurements are in 8ths of an inch, but I like the layout. The skirt sloper I use is from this book, of course there probably aren't very many differences is skirt slopers. Again, we didn't read the book, just used the information to make different designs, move darts and the like.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
These fingerless gloves are patterned to be mirror images of each other, giving them their unique "twist". Knit with self-striping/self patterning yarn it creates and interesting design. Make one with the right twist pattern and make the second with the left twist.
MATERIALS
Knit Picks Felici 75% Superwash Merino, 25% Nylon
Fingering weight
1 ball Arugula, 218 yds/50 gram ball (I estimate I used 190yds for the pair)
OR other fingering weight/sock yarn
US 2 / 2.75mm set of 4 double pointed needles
Stitch markers
Yarn needle
GUAGE
Approx. 48sts = 4" in pattern unstretched/untouched
This is how the pattern knit up, but it gets stretched even after you put the glove on once.
24sts = 4" in pattern completely stretched
SIZE
Fits snuggly on my 7 1/2" hand (Measure around palm excluding thumb)
To make bigger or smaller add/subtract in multiples of 6 (Adding 6 sts to pattern would still fit my hand)
Twisted Rib Left Twist Pattern Right Twist Pattern
[K1tbl, p1] to end of rnd [SSK K2 YO K2] to end of rnd [K2 YO K2 K2tog] to end of rnd
MITTS
Cast on 60sts, 24sts on needle 1, 18sts on needles 2 & 3.
Note: This way you can always identify Needle 1 because it has the most sts. Normally I don't mark the beginning of a round when using DPN's, but because the knitting "twists" the cast on tail does not indicate the beginning of a round.
Join being careful not to twist. Work 6 rnds in twisted rib. Switch to left or right twist pattern. Work in pattern until piece measures 4 inches from beginning.
Thumb Gusset
Thumb gusset is on needle 3
For Right Twist pattern
Work 48sts in pattern (to last 12sts) K2, PM, K4, PM, work last 6sts in pattern
Note: The two sts before the 1st marker are always knit
Next Rnd (inc rnd): Work in pattern to marker SM, M1, K to marker, M1, SM, work last 6sts in pattern
Continue, knitting the sts inside the markers and working the inc rnd every other rnd. Once you have 20sts between the markers work 4 rounds without inc.
For Left Twist Pattern
Work 54sts in pattern (to last 6sts) PM, K4, PM, K2
Next Rnd (inc rnd): Work in pattern to marker SM, M1 K to marker, M1, SM, K2
Continue, knitting the sts inside the markers and working the inc rnd every other rnd. Once you have 20sts between the markers work 4 rounds without inc.
Above the Thumb
Work in pattern to marker, remove marker, place thumb sts on waste yarn or holder. CO 4sts (backward loop cast on) work last 6sts (for right twist) or last 2sts (for left twist).
Continue in pattern for the first two rows knit the 6sts in the CO pattern repeat. On the third round work all sts in pattern.
Work until piece measures 1 3/4 inches from "above thumb" CO.
Work 6 rnds in twisted rib. Cast off loosely.
Working the Thumb
Divide the 20 thumb gusset sts on two needles. Knit. With the third needle pick up 6 sts along cast on edge (4 cast on sts plus one on either end). Work 9 more rnds. Cast off loosely.
Finishing
Weave in loose ends.
My last year of college I got to take a tailoring class. We designed, patterned and built our own women's suit based on the L-85 war production board's fabric limitations during WWII. It was my first tailoring class and our university was on the quarter system so we had ten weeks to do it all. Later I took more classes in tailoring, it was just tailoring from commercial patterns and we had 15 weeks, which felt like a breeze because there was no designing or patterning! This suit was built for the costume department's stock.
The details are contrast binding around the edges of the jacket and kick pleats in the skirt.
You can see the pad stitched lapels and the contrast button holes and welt pockets. What was I thinking? I had never done welt pockets or bound buttonholes and with contrast fabric.
Adding the Binding
This is when it really came together I sewed on the bias binding half by machine and then by hand for a clean neat finish. You can see that I was having fun and used matching pins.
The complete suit
Most of the time I spent working was on the jacket, I built the skirt from a commercial skirt block. It is basically the shape of skirt block with princess seams (that match the princess lines on the jacket) and kick pleats.
Jacket close up
After this class I got the opportunity to take two more tailoring classes in graduate school. The first time I made a jacket for my self from a commercial pattern Vogue v7467
Since I had already done a jacket from a commercial pattern, the second time I took tailoring in grad school I got to draft and tailor my own period men's coat. This one was also for the costume stock and I thought it would spend its day's stuffed in the dark and cramp place that is men's storage, but it was picked out for our production of Romeo and Juliet. I think Paris wore it.
Years ago I found the Lil' Devil Baby Hat I really wanted to make, but everyone I knew that was pregnant or had babies would NOT have appreciated it. More likely they would have been insulted. Last year I met a couple that was pregnant and I was pretty sure they would find the humor in the hat. I asked anyway and they had no problem with it. So I also made a little red bunting to complete the outfit, oh and a strawberry hat because I wanted to make one of those too and had red yarn left over.
Anyway I was at the fabric store the other day and patterns were on sale, so I bought Simplicity 4243
to make something else for the baby. Keeping in line with parents who appreciate a devil baby hat I looked for some fun fabric and found a fabric with a bandanna print and another fabric that was a bandanna like print, but instead of paisleys and squiggles it had skulls and spiked lines.
I used the skull fabric as accent, for the band of the hat and bottom of the dress and for the panties. Also I added a skull pocket and everything is trimmed with black rick-rack. I like using unexpected and inappropriate fabrics, in a subtle way, on first glance you might not notice the skulls, but they are there. It is still appropriate for a girl, but it takes it out of the "cutesy" realm. I also like using elements like rick-rack that would generally make the item more "girly" in an unexpected way. The pocket got skinny because I didn't center the skull very well and it looked unbalanced, it's more for accent anyway, but now it looks like it is for the "connected" baby, because it cellphone/ipod size.
I am also working on a little romper from the same pattern, which is now a bit disappointing because it is not at all edgy like the dress. But it is almost like gingham (you probably can't see, but it is tiny yellow squares with white outlines) and cherries, which seem popular now and almost rockabilly or something. But if you have any ideas to make it more edgy.
Half of romper
