Seamwork on YouTube

https://youtu.be/mkA4cX9vdx4

I am pretty sure this was the OH YASS, fist-pump moment.

I give Seamwork/Collette Patterns endless crap, but this is a great video. It's clear (they used two very different fabrics to illustrate) and concise. You do this in two passes, one for each armhole.

Bring your own popcorn.

And then I kept watching their channel.
We have a less than clear video on bias layouts
I can stop you right here and say: hey, go read this post next week:
(the one that isn't there yet but it will be)

https://erniekdesigns.blogspot.com/2019/07/bias-theory-would-look-better-with.html

However, let's say hello to the instigator of the next several blog posts

The problem starts here:
https://youtu.be/cjqqxM0H0iA?t=199

Each fabric has two biases.
She does not explain this.
But it's true. If you don't match the seams properly, the item will twist as it hangs out/gets worn

this is wrong

this is also wrong

It's important to get this right when you're laying out your pattern pieces.
And we are finally going to get to that next week.
I've been working on that post for about a year.

On the other hand, if you are up for a different approach to the subject, 
Paukshte Fashion Workshop is worth a look.

https://youtu.be/MuTCjRyDHpQ

I have to admit that I love this woman's slash pattern altering, as well as how she cuts out the pattern piece by folding the fabric. It's probably distorted, she didn't line up the selvage and the cut edge evenly,   she's using that fabric so inefficiently,  but DAMN she just gets to it. She eyeballs it and goes for it.

It's kind of the action film version of sewing. 

Gawd I'm looking forward to this movie

But the thing is: because it's on the bias, those little squiggles and snips will hang right out. It's an amazingly forgiving construction.

If it only stayed still.

And then I remembered I was going to watch the Charles Kleibacker videos.

But let's go to the tape with Charles Kleibacker

The next several blog posts continue this thinking. 

Stay tuned.

McVoguerickity

I think that sums it up.

Sure, I'm leaving out KwikSew, Burda, New Look and the host of other companies doing business with The One Company To Rule Them All

but I just want to use this term here so I know when I thought of it. 

That's all.
-july 24, 2019

Pattern Making / Draping -- Techniques for Beginners 2019 Book Reports Continue

More book reports. Because summer reading.

I'm not sure how much you enjoy these book reports, but I must reinterate that sometimes I put things on my blog so that I can find them later. It's a public storage unit. 

Spoilers: I liked these books. Apologies for the terrible photos.

You can click on them to make them bigger, or just race on by them to get to the ones Ienbiggened to discuss.

Two of three books in a series by Francesca Sterlacci for Lawrence King's sewing book collection. These are branded as the University of Fashion, which is a thing Sterlacci is doing with several other sewing related businesses. I would dig into that a little more, but it's summer and I have still have the summer job.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesca_Sterlacci

https://francescasterlacci.com/

and of course

https://www.universityoffashion.com/instructor/francesca-sterlacci/

Putting this here to shout out the collaborators. Good job all around.

We start at the very beginning. Kind of the James Michener style of writing: start with the big bang; work out from there. Sterlacci has another book on fashion history that is well reviewed. I'll get there.

The nice thing about this is that it introduces some basic forms we'll refer to later. Schweet!

"Clockwise from left: Peplos; Ionic chiton (elbow length); Doric chiton; Himation" from caption that got cut off

We cover the beginning of the pattern industry, 

The following paragraph is a nice reminder to today's sewists about how important a fit model is to a design house.

 It's not a factory of math. Every pattern line fits differently because every pattern house uses a different model.  

Author's message below:

I enjoyed this book. The course of study is clear, the lessons flow from one to the next, there are many examples and explanations for the choices that are made.

Where to start and why

Most of this book is pictures of drawing lines. The photos are well captioned, each chapter has a nice introduction and an example photo.

We are not going to sew these things together. That is another book in the series (not reviewed here, as it wasn't available at my library yet),

Seam allowances will be touched on, but lightly.

Why are we scooping out a lower portion? I don't doubt it's important, but we don't learn why. It makes sense (fronts and backs of sleeves don't look the same - usually a little more in the back and a little less in the front so that the sleeve is set a touch forward (remember we move our arms mostly foreward). We are also drafting a fitted sleeve with an elbow dart, which is a great moment in my personal sleeve journey.

And yes, I have had a personal sleeve journey.

Remembering that this is a self-study course, there will be tips and reflections.

Button placement rule I did not know, and am going to slap up on the wall of the cave. I get tired of faking it. I do love how the caption just repeats the information in the photo.

This is a good course of study. And a nice refresher course.

Sure, I like drawings over photos, but there are loads of photos of every step.

And some boss rocking charts

The math is done for you for full and semi circle skirt charts as well.

DAMN.

The measurement guide is handy

Although the back makes it look like you're measuring for a gimp suit.

And for Ithaca Maven, the basis of how to draft your own damn pants pattern.

The Big Base Grid.

When you rotate it, it turns into this:

And ease is built into the measurement taking.

We aren't going to explain how to draft a fly. 

It's not like that button thing.

Did not know! Learning!

On to the draping book.

Same author, same approach. Lessons building on lessons.

We begin with the masters of the hands on approach,  and the photo that launched a thousand half scale model sales.

This is the book I want to read:

Pauline Trigere draping on a real live human.

I'm curious for the basic procedure: you can't stick a pin or tape a line to a human. Should I make a long line bodice to pin into...no. That's going to hurt as well.

There will be poking. How do I avoid poking? Tape?

Jeanne Lanvin, 1929, also working on a human.

The book demonstrates draping on a dress form to create a pattern. Lots of photos, clear illustrations, showing you how to create basic patterns (bodice, skirt, sleeve) from the form. I'm craving something that connects this practice to creating something unique, and this was not that book for me. 

Forgot to mention there are videos online for these lessons! 

https://www.universityoffashion.com/

And they are available for 19.95$ a month. Like Bluprint, you could probably boil through what you needed in a month, and then cancel. I don't have time to do that until October, but I'll think about it. The photos in these books seem to be screenshots (according to the publisher's page credits) and they catch clear points of action.

There is a free mini-subscription available by signing up for the newsletters on the website, with some nice benefits. So, a free sample to check out the goods.

But this is a book report. 

Sterlacci and her team have created a clear format for these books, and while there's the occasional boo-boo of mismatched photo to caption, the idea is clear enough that you can actually spot those few errors because the book taught you well.

The cover got warped after being left open for photos for an hour. 

Downsides to these books: they are made of heavy paper on a less than sturdy spine. When I picked these up at the library, they were being held behind the desk because of how floppy they were. They needed to be supported on the front and back or they would start to tear.

 Ruh roh.

They are sewn signatures. I like a sewn book, thank you.

Also available:

 Ida approves.