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17 2 THE FASHION DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
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Draping Guidelines
Grainlines: On most woven fabrics the warp is finished with a tighter, denser weave to create
the selvage. When draping, it is a good idea to clip the selvage, which creates ease and allows
the fabric to hang naturally. The length and cross grains have little or no give. The bias, at a
45-degree angle to the grid of interlocking warp and weft threads, offers the greatest amount
of give. It can be employed in areas that need to stretch, conforming to the body without
darts, or have a softer, rounder rolling drape, rather than a crisp fold or crease.
Knits: When draping with knit fabrics, a big concern is the degree of stretch and recovery. This
will depend on both the tightness of the knit and the properties of the yarns. Another factor is
whether a knit is a two-way or four-way stretch, especially important in garments for dancers
or athletes who will be extending their bodies beyond normal wear. Like its woven counterpart,
the knit used for draping should be similar in gauge to the final fabric.
Blocking: Because muslin is an inexpensive fabric, the grain may have warped on the piece of
cloth the designer is draping. Blocking squares the piece of muslin so that the crosswise grain
and the lengthwise grain are perpendicular to each other. This often involves pulling on oppo-
site corners of the fabric until it has been manipulated back into the intended shape.
Tearing: With muslin and others fabrics that have a basic weave, the true crosswise grain can
be found by clipping into the selvage and tearing. This must be done with conviction, other-
wise the tear can deviate from the grain. Designers must be sure of their fabrics, as the tech-
nique will not work with complex weaves.
Pressing: Wrinkles in the muslin will affect the final shape of the draped pattern piece. Press-
ing each square of muslin will avoid discrepancies later in the process. The iron’s heat and
steam will interact with the sizing and starches often added to muslin and stiffen it. This will
make the muslin crisper and easier to handle. If the designer wants the fabric to respond in a
softer way, the muslin can be washed first and then pressed.
Half: Unless a design is asymmetrical, most pattern work is done on the half in an attempt to
avoid human error. This helps to ensure that both sides are the same and therefore look bal-
anced, although bodies are unbalanced. When cutting the actual sample garment, these pat-
tern pieces are placed on a double ply of fabric that generates two perfectly mirrored sides or
on the edge of a lengthwise fold for a single piece.
Pinning: When pinning the muslin onto the dress form and into specific shapes, the fewer
pins, the better. Fabric that is pulled too tightly and held with too many pins will often fit
poorly. A well-draped pattern will hug the form in areas where it should and skim the body
everywhere else. Many designers speak of how the fabric will inform them of what it wants to
do. The best designers master the manipulation of fabric but respect its natural properties.
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Patternmaking 173
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Marking: Cross marks, dots, and corners are the basic markings found on a draped pattern.
In areas such as the side seam of a bodice, the designer need only mark the top and the bot-
tom with a corner, knowing that a straight line will connect them. In curved areas, a dot can
be placed approximately every half inch (1.3 cm). The apex of a dart should be marked with a
cross mark of two pins.
Truing the Pattern: Once all the necessary markings have been made on the draped piece, it
is unpinned and laid out flat. At this point, it is trued: All the lines, straight and curved, are
clearly drawn on the fabric, ascertaining that corresponding areas match up. During this pro-
cess, the designer will add the desired amount of ease to areas that allow for greater freedom
of movement, such as the armhole, across the upper back and seat, and the center front
neck. The “down and out” formula for armholes cuts deeper into the armhole (down) and adds
fullness across the torso at this point (out). Squaring corners helps to avoid dips and points
where pieces are sewn together.
Positive and Negative Ease: In woven garments, ease involves adding to an area to create
more room. Knitted garments can have negative ease as well. This is best illustrated in how a
swimsuit will look much smaller than the size of the body for which it has been designed, yet
stretches not only to conform to the body but also to support it.
Seam Allowance: All designers establish their own in-house rules for seam allowance. The
traditional amount is half an inch (1.3 cm) for most seams, a quarter inch (0.6 cm) at the neck,
and two inches (5.1 cm) at the hem. Larger allowances are important when the designer an-
ticipates fluctuations in size, as in the case of a bride who might be putting on pounds due to
stress or be dieting before her big day.
Facings: Areas in a pattern piece meant to be finished with a clean edge require facings. Neck-
lines, armholes, center-front lapels, keyhole openings, and other similar features are ideal
candidates for facings. These pattern pieces are duplicate reflections of the intended section
of the original pattern. Facings may be separate pattern pieces or be designed as a mirrored
extension of the original pattern piece and drafted along a fold line. The facings are attached
to the designated area, right sides facing, and then turned in to provide the desired finish.
Seams that are curved should be clipped for ease so that they lie flat. These facings might
remain loose, be tacked down, or be sewn to the lining.
Cutting: Much care should be taken when cutting away the extra fabric that is not a part of the
finished pattern. When dealing with an area with darts, close them with a pin at the base and
fold the fabric of the darts toward the side seam. Positioning the dart in this manner before
cutting will ensure that there is enough fabric at the base of the dart to be caught in the seam
when sewn together. This will provide a clean, finished appearance.
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174 THE FASHION DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
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OTHER PATTERNMAKING ESSENTIALS
Rub-Offs
The idea behind rub-offs is to develop a pattern directly from a garment. The first step is to
align the lengthwise and crosswise grainlines of a piece of muslin with those of each part of
the garment (bodice front and back, sleeve, collar, skirt or pant front and back, etc.) and pin
into place. Using tailor’s wax or chalk, the designer then rubs an impression of each seam
and style line for each pattern piece onto the muslin. To obtain the most accurate impression,
the section that is being worked on should be laid out as flat as possible. Once a rubbing has
been made of each piece, the information needs to be trued in the same manner as a draped
pattern would be corrected and refined.
Grading
Most designers work in a sample size. Instead of recreating the pattern for each size they will
be producing, they will grade the original pattern. The process increases (when sizing up) and
decreases (when sizing down) a pattern. If there is a difference of two inches (5.1 centimeters)
in the bust measurement between sizes, that amount is distributed throughout the pattern
pieces in such a way that the sizes changes in proportion to the original design. Every compa-
ny has its own grading standards that relate to the fit the designer is looking to achieve. One
method of grading is to cut the pattern piece and spread it to increase the size or overlap it to
decrease the size. Grading can also be accomplished by redrawing the shape of the pattern
through a series of shifts in its position on the fabric (or paper, if a new pattern is being devel-
oped). Grading machines can aid the process, and companies specialize in grading services
for designers with smaller operations that don’t have the access to computerized grading sys-
tems available to larger manufacturers.
Marker Plotting
In marker plotting, all the pattern pieces needed to create the garments designated for pro-
duction are laid out in a way that conserves the most amount of fabric. The pattern pieces
must all be aligned with the grain, direction of print, or nap; whether or not the fabric has a
right and wrong side must also be addressed. Markers are made based on the width of the
fabric and whether the pieces will be cut with the fabric spread open or on the fold. Even a
fraction of an inch (centimeter) saved can make an enormous difference in the amount of
waste when production runs are in the hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands.
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Photograph by Tracy Aiguier.
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Patternmaking 175
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Digitizing a pattern using a Gerber digitizer
Photograph by Tracy Aiguier.
Computer-Aided Design
Computer-aided design has helped to establish a global common denominator in patternmak-
ing, grading, and marker plotting. The math of patterns transcends any language barriers,
and standardized software takes it a step further. With the design process being parceled out
among many individuals and countries, this allows the designer to retain more control over the
final product. In some cases, the patternmaking will be draped on a dress form or developed
by hand, then digitized so that it can be trued in pattern development software. Some pat-
terns are developed entirely in the digital format.
This technology does speed up the process considerably and creates an environment in
which the designer can be painstakingly accurate. But anyone making a pattern with the aid
of a computer must first understand fit, ease, seam allowance, notching, and all the other
important elements of patternmaking. Gerber Accumark Technology and Lectra are two of the
most widely used CAD systems for fashion apparel, and although these and similar software
programs each operate a little differently, the goals are the same. Learning how to make good
use of their technology becomes a matter of finding out which menus and features will allow
the designer to best execute already familiar processes.
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