Friday, July 29, 2016

Six Napoleon Rethinking: When you can't get to the actual thing yet.



When I was testing pleats out, I came up with a sample set of pleats and how I thought they worked in the Six Napoleon dress and a couple of other Dogstar skirts.




I was wrong about the dress skirt.



That green godet pleat is much bigger than just that. There's a lot of skirt unaccounted for with so few pleats (yes, I know it's doubled, but still, look at it).  Almost twice the volume is at that offset drop (the green line on the picture on the left).

I think it's a box pleat with the godet in the middle of it. 


I think you could bury a seam (the red line) at some point in that box pleat to save on how insanely wide this fabric would have to be. 

And I will need to measure out how long that piece of fabric needs to be
Erm, this really is not to scale, but if you colored the pleat parts differently, depending on their function.....okay, it works for me. And sometimes, this blog is my midnight record keeping device.

And since I'm being a thrifty creep in my version, I have to make it count.
Did I mention I've not been able to drape it yet?

So the next blog post has to be: making the damn thing work.
Meanwhile, a little video reminder for pleat planning.

http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/45191/how-to-fold-knife-and-box-pleats


Six Napoleon Link Parade


I anticipate finishing this in a dead hurry over this weekend. I also purchased McCalls 6936 for fun.
And the costume I've been working on will be performed in soon enough.

Unless it doesn't make it through TSA screening.










Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Six Napoleon Test Draping

The hype is moving forward on the Six Napoleon challenge



Gratefully, the deadline has been shoved to August 8th, which is great as July 14th just won't happen for me.

(That costume set is being rebuilt from scratch)

Since my version is the 'all thrifted edition', I have a bodice premade. 
I am concentrating on the skirt pleating, the skirt being a set of organza curtains. Prehemmed, natch.

I haven't been home much to work on it, so I've been smacking at it online and at the packing table at work with butcher paper.




I broke the types of pleats down from the photo and other Dogstar skirts. I assume the same tricks get used again for consistency across the 'line'.

Lots of packing paper went into this afternoon

From left: double box, godet pleat, single pleat, bias end pleat.

Thanks to my patient boss BT for such shenanigans.

More with the skirt with Studio Faro at Sew2Pro

Friday, July 8, 2016

Hunkered Down


I did not use the cord on the right. At $22 a yard, I just could not afford as much as I needed. 

I am working on a complicated set of costumes for a show and I can't talk about them until the show is over, for reasons I can't explain until the show is over.

It is the most fun I've had on a project since the Dalek dresses, but most of it is handbuilt and handsewn and very time consuming

And I'm working the summer office job
and my house needs cleaning

And why my family expects me to clean and cook when I've got 

Xxxxxxxx
and 
XXXXXXXXX!!!!!!!

to finish

I mean, what's their problem?


I will be back in time to post about the Six Napoleon challenge
because my family really can make their own food.