anotheranon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
anotheranon) wrote2011-09-14 08:26 pm
anotheranon) wrote2011-09-14 08:26 pm
wait - what?
I decided to take a 1930s detour before I started the vest by doing a 1/3 size test version of one of the patterns from Kirke's Vionnet book. This was intended to be a short, throwaway experiment, but hasn't turned out that way.
For the uninitiated: Vionnet was a couturier of the early 20th century who specialized in drape and bias cut. The book in question is one woman's flat pattern drafts based on these garments that were originally designed on a 3 dimensional form.
Given that the pattern pieces aren't shaped like traditional flat patterns, I'm using an old sheet and making a small version so as not to waste tons of good fabric on a learning curve. At the same time, I do have a pattern and it's only 3 pieces, so I figured, how hard can it be?
Bwaahahaha!
I got turned around right away. Part of this is that it's not going together the way I expected and part of it is poor written directions and no diagrams. Check it out:
Wait, what? was I supposed to stitch something at (1)? Match WHAT side of the wool part to the back of I? Does "back" mean back of the garment or wrong side of the fabric??
So this is turning in to a pile of crazy comparable to the Donna Karan mobius dress.
I've only found one account online of someone who's tried to scale up these patterns and she recommends a Japanese book by Bunka Fashion College tutors that includes diagrams and scale. Not sure I want to pony up for this book just yet as I have so many other projects/books in the queue.
Ideas/solutions welcome. I'm going to take one more crack at this before moving on to the vest.
For the uninitiated: Vionnet was a couturier of the early 20th century who specialized in drape and bias cut. The book in question is one woman's flat pattern drafts based on these garments that were originally designed on a 3 dimensional form.
Given that the pattern pieces aren't shaped like traditional flat patterns, I'm using an old sheet and making a small version so as not to waste tons of good fabric on a learning curve. At the same time, I do have a pattern and it's only 3 pieces, so I figured, how hard can it be?
Bwaahahaha!
I got turned around right away. Part of this is that it's not going together the way I expected and part of it is poor written directions and no diagrams. Check it out:
1. Match lines F-D of wool part II to the back of lines F-D of part I.
2. Stitch lines F-D of velvet part II on line stitched at (1).
Wait, what? was I supposed to stitch something at (1)? Match WHAT side of the wool part to the back of I? Does "back" mean back of the garment or wrong side of the fabric??
So this is turning in to a pile of crazy comparable to the Donna Karan mobius dress.
I've only found one account online of someone who's tried to scale up these patterns and she recommends a Japanese book by Bunka Fashion College tutors that includes diagrams and scale. Not sure I want to pony up for this book just yet as I have so many other projects/books in the queue.
Ideas/solutions welcome. I'm going to take one more crack at this before moving on to the vest.
no subject
Guess you can take it as read that if she tells you to match something, she also means for you to mindread that that includes fastening the matched bits together with thread-like substances fed through a pointy metal object.
My wild guess (because I don't know what the finished garment is to look like, but am assuming this is a hooded cape of some kind): In "Wool I", is the solid line from F-D meant to be cut open? Because I just played around with a stapler and couple of bits of paper cut roughly to the shapes you have there, and if that line is slashed I do end up with something that has the potential to become a hood when that slashed line pulls apart after "seaming" ... especially if the two halves of the "L" side of "Wool II" are to be seamed together later in the directions . In which case I'd hazard that it should be right sides together (I strongly recommend you conduct your own paper + stapler or tape test to doublecheck me on this ... just because you have the full directions and know which other bits are allegedly meant to match together.
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However it's not what the directions describe. On the hood, F and D are labeled so as to put the right-angle point up front, which leaves the joined Ls as creating some kind of bag in the back and no way to attach the extra length to the cut-in flaps of the cape OR lining (does this make sense?)
My experience with Miyake patterns has taught me that when in doubt, turn off my brain and follow the directions but I suspect these have a typo!
Next time I give it a go I'm going to use different colors for lining and outer because another reason I got lost was not being able to tell them apart.
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Yes, my paper model has the point of the hood at the front and the "L" side looking as if it would sew together to form a baglike hood as well. But ***speculates*** appearances might be deceiving. What if, after you seam the F-D lines, you flip that semi-hood partially inside-out? (granted, that potentially puts the seam allowance on the wrong side, but figuring this stuff out is why you're experimenting, right?) My test pieces are bog-standard computer paper, so not flexible enough to do this well, but I just pulled those two stray corners at the ends of the L-side forward through the inside of the hood and now they can potentially meet up with those flaps. Certainly origami-like enough to be worthy of Vionnet or Miyake.
You evil woman! I've got huge mass of wool and silk on my couch that's halfway to being useful garments (with cold weather hovering on the horizon) and you're tempting me to dig out fabric remnants and play with this properly! ;p
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I tried this (I think). It's possible I turned it too far or one too many times trying to get the rest of long side L to attach to the side slits.
If you like, I can send you the entire instructions. They're fairly brief, if vague.
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When I tried it I just pulled both L corners forward through the hood without actually turning the whole hood inside-out ... made the hood even more hoodlike and looked as if those sections would easily meet any of the short front slits in that position. Those two corners could also be pulled forward on either side of the outside rather than through the inside. Shall be interesting to see which way it really goes. :-)
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Have plans for tomorrow so probably shan't get a chance to play with this until Sunday ... shall document everything I do/try and let you know if sudden revelation strikes. :-)
***now trying to remember, without actually digging through it tonight, what bits and pieces in the fabric leftovers container might be good for this***
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