Period patterning first projects, and distressing of print yardage

[labricoleuse]

I don't teach this class, but i like to share photos from their projects anyhow.





The students in this class learn about historical construction techniques. They do their projects full-scale from research images (which you can see pinned to the forms here), but only half the garment. They will try to reproduce the garments as accurately as possible--"accuracy" in this case meaning visually, not using historical methods like "only handsewing allowed" or something. For example, the gown on the left, made by 2nd year Amy A. Page, has screenprinted fleur-de-lis on it; the gown on the right, made by 3rd year Jacki Blakeney Armit, has appliqued floral motifs. Both research images show these large repeating patterns.


Lirapipe hood and left half by B. Daniel Weger
Right half by Amanda Phillips

I've also got one documented project of aging for our second stage show, In the Continuum, opening tonight. A length of brand-new cloth needed to be worn and aged--it's worn as a wrap by an elderly man character, and the designer wanted this piece of cloth to look well-cared-for (i.e., not ragged or holey or gross) but definitely old.


Before: note how bright the light areas are, and how dark the indigo and yellow printing is.


After: the bright areas are knocked down and varied, and the indigo/yellow are no longer so stark.

I started by dipping this in a low-concentrate grey dyebath, to kill the bright yellow and white. Then i misted the entire thing haphazardly in orangey-browns and greens in varying levels of brightness--i always use complementary and related colors in highlight/lowlight applications for aging, rather than blacks/greys/whites. I feel that it results in a more natural look, whereas the blacks/greys/whites often result in a stark, "stagey" look (which, can be desirable in some situations, but not this one).


Also, TOTALLY unrelated but so cool i have to share it: bearhedded posted a link to the USITT costume e-group for this fascinating video on how dress forms are made! Great info in case you find yourself with a dress form that needs repairing or refurbishment, or just wonder what's inside of them...

My millinery students present their first hat project tomorrow, so i'm hoping to have some cool pictures to share of their buckram forms soon thereafter.

Comments

[sparkymonster.livejournal.com]

What is the reasoning behind constructing a half garment? Just less work/fabric while still demonstrating construction details?

[radcliffe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I have been curious about that, too!

[sola.livejournal.com]

Same here; it seems like it some ways, it would actually be harder. "Well, if you can do this half-right, you can do it all-awesome"?

Okay, i'm just being silly. :D

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

See answer below, and an afterthought i thought i might clarify after i already posted the other response:

They "finish" a lot of it aesthetically anyhow like the screenprinting and applique stuff, because they need to be thinking about how those elements of construction fit into the process. For example, if you have custom printed fabric, you might threadmark your pieces, then hand it off to be screenprinted, and not cut it til a day later when it comes back. If you have custom dyed fabric, you do that first, then lay it out and cut it. That way they do learn troubleshooting of construction order and workflow for when they are running a draping team.

They often don't finish it in other ways (closures, functionality/wearability) because of the presumption that they already are highly skilled at things like installing hook tape, functional lacing, zippers, snaps, etc. And, the reasons listed below re focus.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

These are class projects for practicing patterning skills--by doing the half-form, yes, part of it is less time/fabric.

It also tends to free the students from thinking about their projects in terms of making something that is conceivably wearable. Too often class projects for wearable items become consciously or subconsciously informed by students thinking "and i can wear this too afterward!" and getting caught up in devoting time to the wrong details. These students all know how to sew and finish a garment on a couture level and have often been doing so for a good while when they come into the program--it's not a course about practicing *making* garments, but about developing and honing their draping, tailoring, and patterning skill set. The half form helps force them into paying attention to the patternmaking alone, with no risk of distraction about what a cool Halloween costume it might be later.

Some programs teach on half- or quarter-scale forms instead and have the students make the whole costume at an unwearably small size. We don't do that because our costume director doesn't consider it practical--she wants the students used to patterning things on the scale of actual human bodies, for dress forms of a range of shapes.

Hopefully that answers the question? I'm not the one who teaches the class so this is filtered through my understanding of the reasoning; i hope i've responded in a decipherable fashion!

[radcliffe.livejournal.com]

Yes totally! I like that having only half puts the inside on view more, as well.

Are there any classes focusing on patterning for non-standard sizes? I find with my patterning that the challenge level goes up exponentially for unusual sizes. Of course at this point in my career it would seem very odd to sew for a dress form size.

[labricoleuse.livejournal.com]

They do different sizes nearly every time, and almost never pattern over an unaltered dress form--you can't tell in the photo, but the form on the left has its hips padded out so that it's a smaller-busted, wider-hipped figure. There's padding in that man, too, to change his physique.

They choose a range of sizes, yes, from the very small/slender to the plus-sized. Sometimes they'll sex-change a form, too--padding out a man's form with breasts for a woman's shape with a wide ribcage/shoulder. They discuss in presentations how different shapes would be adjusted for different scale bodies.

And, they practice these skills on a practical level by doing costumes for the mainstage and the range of actor body types that pop up in casting.