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Well, though i can't talk about exactly what i'm doing for Shrek or show photographs, it's probably okay for me to speak in vague terms. (For example, I'll say that i'm on the Dragon team, but not how the Dragon is created.)
One of the things i've been doing the past couple days has been generating large-scale stencils for the cutting of pattern pieces. One piece needs to be cut 720 times--it is more efficient to figure out the most advantageous layout once (i.e., that maintains any requisite pattern or grain orientation while conserving the most fabric), make a large stencil the width of the fabric, then trace it off as needed, than to mark and cut 720 pieces individually. In this way, too, anyone can trace and cut the pieces quickly and easily if need be. Using simple algebraic equations, you can gauge by the length of the stencil how much fabric it takes to cut, say, one gross.
For example, my stencil cuts 36 pieces in one layout and is 47" long. So, it takes four repetitions of the stencil to generate 144 pieces, and 4 * 47 = 188", or just under 5 and a quarter yards.
Practical math application, that's key. I swear, if i could go back to my 9th grade math class and every time some kid said something like, "When are we ever going to need to know how to do these stupid word problems?" about one of those tests where you have to figure out how many apples Jane can buy for $3 or whatever, i'd tell them examples like this. Screw apples, how many random dragon parts can you make with 21 yards? (Four gross and a few extras, right?)
Geometry is also important for a project like this--I used a basic understanding of tessellations to figure out my stencil layout. If you know what shapes tessellate (page through this DIY tutorial if you are unsure about what shapes will do it), you can figure out which one your piece(s) vaguely resemble. My 36-piece stencil is based on a rhombus, and i did two more today based on triangles.
Another exciting thing--today after work i swung by Manny's Millinery Supply and picked up a puzzle block! I had been wanting to check out what blocks they had available, and i particularly hoped to find a puzzle block in a shape i could use for my class this fall. I think i've found a woodworking artisan who is going to make me a couple of blocks in shapes that don't need puzzle cuts, but explaining a puzzle block to anyone who hasn't seen one, much less worked with one, is next to impossible.
( Want to see photographs? )
One of the things i've been doing the past couple days has been generating large-scale stencils for the cutting of pattern pieces. One piece needs to be cut 720 times--it is more efficient to figure out the most advantageous layout once (i.e., that maintains any requisite pattern or grain orientation while conserving the most fabric), make a large stencil the width of the fabric, then trace it off as needed, than to mark and cut 720 pieces individually. In this way, too, anyone can trace and cut the pieces quickly and easily if need be. Using simple algebraic equations, you can gauge by the length of the stencil how much fabric it takes to cut, say, one gross.
For example, my stencil cuts 36 pieces in one layout and is 47" long. So, it takes four repetitions of the stencil to generate 144 pieces, and 4 * 47 = 188", or just under 5 and a quarter yards.
Practical math application, that's key. I swear, if i could go back to my 9th grade math class and every time some kid said something like, "When are we ever going to need to know how to do these stupid word problems?" about one of those tests where you have to figure out how many apples Jane can buy for $3 or whatever, i'd tell them examples like this. Screw apples, how many random dragon parts can you make with 21 yards? (Four gross and a few extras, right?)
Geometry is also important for a project like this--I used a basic understanding of tessellations to figure out my stencil layout. If you know what shapes tessellate (page through this DIY tutorial if you are unsure about what shapes will do it), you can figure out which one your piece(s) vaguely resemble. My 36-piece stencil is based on a rhombus, and i did two more today based on triangles.
Another exciting thing--today after work i swung by Manny's Millinery Supply and picked up a puzzle block! I had been wanting to check out what blocks they had available, and i particularly hoped to find a puzzle block in a shape i could use for my class this fall. I think i've found a woodworking artisan who is going to make me a couple of blocks in shapes that don't need puzzle cuts, but explaining a puzzle block to anyone who hasn't seen one, much less worked with one, is next to impossible.
( Want to see photographs? )
