Fabrics and Pattern Cutting E-Book

Winifred Aldrich

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 218

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

Getting the right cut for the right fabric is the key to good design.

One of the most challenging aspects of a fashion designer’s training is learning how to crate patterns that utilize the characteristics of fabrics. With an ever expanding range available, an understanding of the relationship between fabric, form and pattern shape is now the most important skill a designer has to acquire.

Winifred Aldrich, a leading pattern cutting authority, explores how a garment’s shape is created and discusses the factors that need to be considered when creating patterns and offers you a practical method for solving problems. No other pattern cutting book considers the effects of individual fabrics and its approach is based on the appraisal of the fabric and body shape.

Fabrics and Patterns Cutting is the revised and simplified edition of Fabric, Form and Flat Pattern Cutting. It is fully illustrated and makes use of numerous practical examples. It also takes into account important new developments in fabric – new fabrics, new methods of fabric construction and new fabric finishes.

Free block patterns are available online for readers to print out for use in their classes.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Garment design and the selection of fabrics

PART ONE: FABRIC CHARACTERISTICS AND BODY SHAPE

Chapter 1 Fabric characteristics and garment shapes

Fabric characteristics and garment shapes

FABRIC CHARACTERISTICS

FABRIC CHARACTERISTICS AND GARMENT TOILES

FABRIC CHARACTERISTICS AND BODY SHAPES

Chapter 2 Fabric testing

Fabric testing

TESTING METHODS AND FABRIC CHARACTERISTICS

THE SIMPLE TESTING METHODS

FABRIC WEIGHT

FABRIC THICKNESS

FABRIC DRAPE

FABRIC SHEAR

FABRIC STRETCH

FABRICS AND 3D CAD IMAGES

Chapter 3 Selecting fabrics

Selecting fabrics

Fabrics and fibres

Natural fibres and fabrics

Cotton

Natural fibres

Flax (linen) bamboo hemp ramie

Natural fibres

Silk

Natural fibres

Wool: hair alpaca angora camel cashmere mohair

Natural fibres

Blends and mixtures

Natural fibres

Man-made fibres and fabrics

Viscose: modal cupro lyocell

Man-made regenerated fibres

Acetate diacetate triacetate

Man-made semi-synthetic fibres

Polyamide (nylon)

Man-made synthetic fibres

Polyester

Man-made synthetic fibres

Acrylic modacrylic

Man-made synthetic fibres

Elastane

Man-made synthetic fibres

Other fibres and fabrics

Blends and mixtures

Man-made and natural fibres

Coatings and laminates

Man-made synthetic fibres

Leather: fur

Non-textile fabrics

Fabric names and finishes

Names of major garment fabrics

Names of leather and fur

Names of interlinings

Fabric finishes and pattern cutting

PART TWO: FABRICS AND SIMPLE PATTERN CUTTING

Chapter 4 Simple ‘flat’ cutting

Very basic shapes

Simple geometric shapes: the bell and the balloon

Simple geometric shapes: the triangle

Geometric cutting: shaped overlays

Geometric cutting: trousers

Simple ‘flat’ body shapes

Geometric cutting: the basic grid

The simple kimono block: angled sleeve

The simple kimono block: widened sleeve angle

The simple kimono block: gussets

The simple kimono block: dolman sleeve

Chapter 5 Simple ‘form’ cutting

Simple ‘form’ cutting

The bust and shoulder darts

Transferring the bust and shoulder darts

Darts and the balanced body shape

Darts in seams

The bust dart in ‘cut and spread’

The bust dart in overlays

The easy fitting overshape block: simple jackets and coats

The easy fitting overshape block: extravagant flare

PART THREE: FABRICS AND THE BODY FORM

Chapter 6 Cutting to fit the body form (woven fabrics)

Basic close fitting waist shaping (dress blocks)

Horizontal close fitting body shaping (dress blocks)

Classic semi-fitting waist shaping (jacket blocks)

More complex close body shaping (jacket and dress blocks)

Classic easy fitting body shaping (jacket block)

Chapter 7 Crossway cutting

Crossway cutting: classic shaping

Crossway cutting: cutting closer to the body

Crossway cutting: closer fitting cowl back

Crossway cutting: easier fitting

Crossway cutting and draped sections

Crossway cutting and mixing the fabric grains

Chapter 8 Stretch fabrics and the body form

Stretch fabrics – knitted

Very close fitting blocks (knitted fabrics)

Close fitting blocks (knitted fabrics)

Cutting with dart and seam shaping (knitted fabrics)

Stretch fabrics – woven

Close fitting bodice shaping (woven/stretch fabrics)

Close fitting skirt shaping (woven/stretch fabrics)

Simple coat shape – comparisons of fabric stretch (woven/stretch fabrics)

PART FOUR: FABRICS AND COMPLEX CUTTING

Chapter 9 Complex ‘flat’ cutting

Complex ‘flat’ cutting – knitted fabrics

Complex ‘flat’ cutting: coat (knitted fabrics)

Complex ‘flat’ cutting: dress (knitted fabrics)

Geometric ‘flat’ cutting: trousers (knitted fabrics)

Complex ‘flat’ cutting – woven and leather fabrics

Complex ‘flat’ cutting: coat – lambskin

Complex ‘flat’ cutting: jacket (woven fabrics)

Complex ‘flat’ cutting: using the shirt block (woven fabrics)

Creating a ‘flat’ body map for cutting

Chapter 10 Supporting fabrics

Supporting fabrics

Structure: fitting the body

Structure: padding

Structure: mounting

Structure: classic and exaggerated shapes

Chapter 11 Combining fabrics

Combining fabrics

Combining fabrics: simple insertions

Combining fabrics: complex insertions

Combination of fabrics and techniques

Combining fabrics: appliqué

Combining fabrics: framing fabrics

PART FIVE: BASIC TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY

Chapter 12 Basic textile technology

Basic textile technology

Fibres

Yarns

Fabric construction

Fabric finishes

Fabric production

New developments in fabric processes

Ecology

PART SIX: MODEL FIGURES AND GARMENT BLOCKS

Chapter 13 Model stands and figures to reproduce

Chapter 14 Creating the one-fifth and full-scale blocks (methods – manual, CAD or Internet access)

The basic blocks

Full size blocks from the Web site – printing on A0 printers

Printing full size blocks from an A4 printer

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: The original research methods used for obtaining the fabric assessment data

Appendix 2: Established fabric tests used in industry

Chapter Index

This edition first published 2013

© 2013 Winifred Aldrich

Registered office

John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom

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John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom

For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com.

The right of Winifred Aldrich to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

ISBN: 978-1-119-96717-0 (pbk), ISBN: 978-1-118-54814-1 (ebk), ISBN: 978-1-118-54812-7 (ebk), ISBN: 978-1-118-54813-4 (ebk), ISBN: 978-1-118-54815-8 (ebk)

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the following people who have made the production of this book possible:

Hiroko Aldrich, for her help with the text, research and collation of the book;

David Bell of Assyst Bullmer Ltd, for the images of 3D fabric simulation in Chapter 2;

Bill Skidmore of Huddersfield Textile Society and Helen Rose of Manchester Metropolitan University, for their advice on new fibres;

From John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Hannah Clement, the production editor, for the book’s production; and particularly Andrew Kennerley, who has supported and monitored every stage of this edition.

Acknowledgements for the Material Used in this and Earlier Editions

We had a great deal of practical help from people and organisations during the production of the earlier editions of the book, but their realisation would not have been possible without the inspiration and support of the following people:

Mark Cooper, who made up nearly all the designs photographed in this book and helped us to construct the fabric boards and throughout the project.

Dina Furtado, the model for the photographs and the drawings.

Professor Newton of the Nottingham Trent University, who gave me time from other duties to work on this book.

Gillian Bunce of the Nottingham Trent University,

Christine Smith, Brian Stanley of the Nottingham

Fashion Centre, for their assistance and the extensive use of its Fabric Resource Library.

Richard Prescott, for his professional advice, high quality photographic printing of the garments and the electronic reproduction of the fabric boards.

Steve Maddox of Colourbase Ltd, for his lighting and technical assistance during the photography of the garment designs.

A group of students attending a course at the Nottingham Fashion Centre who participated in the testing and the revision of my theories.

Alec Aldrich who constructed the testing equipment for the first edition of this book (see Appendix 1). The equipment was used to register the fabric codes associated with the sample garment designs.

Richard Miles of Blackwell Publishing, for his great support of my book.

Other people and companies who provided equipment, information and advice:

David Bell of Assyst Bullmer

Stephen Chalkey of Concept II Research

Len Boxall of Kennet and Lindsell Ltd

Brian Smith of the Nottingham Trent University

Sue Pike of the Nottingham Trent University

Emma Nixey of Nix-E Design

Terry Parkin of TEZ

The fibre manufacturers and associations who provided technical information, and the many fabric companies who supplied samples and sample lengths for the book.

Introduction

The aim of this book is to help fashion and textile students understand the vital part that fabrics play in creating the shape of a design. The excessive information in the earlier edition of this book may have deterred many students, yet it is vital that they gain this skill early in their studies. Therefore this book has simplified, re-organised and updated information from the previous editions.

New developments have taken place in the use of generic (basic chemical source) fibres and also in the technical engineering of the structure of existing fibres. This has produced many new fabrics that have a very different appearance and handle. Designers need to gain a ‘fabric sense’ and an ability to use it creatively.

There is no substitute for working directly on the dress stand for analysing how fabric works with a human body form. Working in this way offers more opportunity for creating new dimensions of cut. However, most designers working in mass production have the difficult task of translating 3D mental images into 2D pattern shapes. It can take years of experiencing success and failure to do this effectively, and the appearance of new fabrics continually challenges the designer’s skill. Knowledge of how fabrics will behave is essential in the speculative cutting of new garment shapes.

Fabric technology is not covered in depth in this book, but it offers an introduction to the technology and an overview of fabric sources and ranges. It also directs students to where further information can be found. Tests are used in industry for fabric properties, comparisons between similar fabrics, or their performance in specific conditions. However, this book isolates five major characteristics that determine a garment’s shape. These are:

weight   thickness   drape   shear   stretch

This book shows how they determine the shape of a garment from the simplest wrap to a complex tailored suit.

This book is arranged so that students can use basic principles to work from simple shapes to complex cutting. The flat pattern cutting techniques include direct measurements, working on flat grid drafts and the adaptation of both ‘flat’ blocks and ‘form’ body shaped blocks.

Specific Information

Although this book can be used alone, where specific detailed methods are needed, cross references to Metric Pattern Cutting can be made. This book describes how different types of blocks have been developed from simple flat geometric shapes. All the designs are shown on one model, size 10, 175 cm (5ft 9 in) height. The same fashion model was used for the photographic figure images and for the drawings. In order to ensure consistency, a size 10 stand was constructed with the extended back neck to waist measurement of the model. Chapter 13 provides basic images of the model poses and the stand for students to use as templates for technical illustrations.

The pattern diagrams in the book are the actual patterns used to create the garments. They were adapted from the basic size 10 block, with the extended back neck to waist measurements of the model. The blocks given in Chapter 14 have the standard back neck to waist measurement.

The designs were all made up as unfinished garment toiles working directly in the original fabric. Colour and printed textile design have been deliberately ignored in order to see the garment form clearly. It has been a tradition in workrooms to work on initial shapes in cream, white or beige fabrics; it reduces the distractions, and the style lines or modification lines become more apparent. This book will illustrate some forms in black and some in white or beige; this is to provide a reference for students for comparing shapes in opposing tones.

The depth of research into fabric characteristics that has formed the basis for this book is described in Appendix 1.

Creating the Blocks Manually, Using CAD and the Internet

Most colleges now have access to CAD programs and different size printers. Three methods of obtaining full size blocks from the diagrams shown in the book are explained fully in Chapter 14.

Method 1 A block can be scaled up by copying the shape onto 5 cm squared paper and using the squares as reference points.

Method 2 A block page can be scanned into a CAD program (e.g. photoshop), then scaled up and printed to an A0 printer (or to an A4 or A3 printer in sections).

Method 3 The full size blocks can be accessed as a PDF file from the publisher’s Website. This file can be loaded into a software program or taken directly to an A0 printer in a college or CAD bureau.

Garment Design and the Selection of Fabrics

Design and Shape

Designers can select the mood, the colours and the technical fitness of a fabric, but to complete the image of the range they have also to design and construct the garment shape. The intuitive understanding of the concepts of the ‘handle’ and ‘drape’ of a fabric, and the shape that it will create, is crucial in the creation of a range. This book is an attempt to help students to develop this skill at an early stage in their pattern cutting studies.