Pattern Cutting Techniques for Ladies' Jackets E-Book

Jo Baker-Waters

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Pattern Cutting Techniques for Ladies' Jackets shares the trade secrets from the world of bespoke tailoring and haute couture, alongside procedures from the ready-to-wear industry. Written by a trained Savile Row tailor working in the fashion industry, it explains how to make a basic pattern for a jacket by flat pattern cutting or draping on the dress form. It introduces a broad range of techniques with clear detailed instructions, and emphasizes the importance of an individual and creative approach. It includes patterns for basic block, single- and double-breasted blazers, and the tuxedo with sleeves and button variations, as well as instruction for style adjustments. It also advises on how to take measurements, fit jackets and make alterations, and is fully illustrated with over 400 patterns, diagrams and photographs. Essential reading for designers, students, pattern makers and enthusiasts wanting to develop their skills for designing and cutting stylish tailored jackets. Superbly illustrated with 315 colour images and charts, 50 quarter scale flat patterns, 12 full size templates.

Leseprobe

PATTERN CUTTINGTECHNIQUES FORLADIES’ JACKETS

Jo Baker-Waters

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2017 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2017

© Jo Baker 2017

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of thistext may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

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

ISBN 978 1 78500 178 9

Dedicated to the true Gentleman of Fashion:

Richard Nicoll 1977-2016

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

1 Designing the Style of a Jacket

2 Tools and Materials

3 Measurements and Size Codes

4 The Basic Block

5 The Sleeve Block

6 Style Variations

7 Collars, Lapels and Templates

8 From Block to Pattern

9 Draping on the Mannequin

10 The Importance of the Fitting Process

Glossary

List of Suppliers

Index

Acknowledgements

I am incredibly grateful to many people for their support and assistance during the years it took to write this book.

Thank you to all of the designers I have had the pleasure to work with who have contributed their work so generously: Richard Nicoll and Nicholas Oakwell. It would not have been possible to demonstrate the diversity of jacket styles in this book without their participation.

I am extremely fortunate to have constructive reviewers, support, and photographic input from colleagues in the industry – Anthony Brotheride, head of menswear at University of Northumbria, in Newcastle, UK; Lee Marsh, Savile Row bespoke men’s tailor, ‘Lee Marsh Bespoke’; Alexandra Glibbery, Director of womenswear at Calvin Klein Platinum; Katherine Brotheridge, Women’s Design Lecturer at the University of Northumbria, in Newcastle; Anthony Martin of Benson and Clegg; and Richard Waters Photography for all photographic images included throughout the book.

A special thanks to the beautiful Jessica Lamb, for allowing me to photograph the process while taking her body measurements. Endless thanks to my parents for their encouragement to enter into the arts, and Richard Waters for sacrificing his downtime to assist me throughout the process.

A final thank you to the legendary Andreas Gomez of Gieves & Hawkes – master craftsman, my mentor and friend – for sharing your knowledge of tailoring during my apprenticeship.

Preface

The fashion industry relies on the skill of artisans – drapers, pattern cutters, tailors, and dressmakers; all of these skills are essential in realizing the vision of the designer.

Whether it is cheap, fast fashion designed for the throwaway generation, with its ever-changing demands of fashion trends, or haute couture – handcrafted clothes created over time for longevity – both require the same foundation of skills in pattern cutting to create a first draft, but require slight variances to finish the pattern, depending on the level of garment construction, and whether it is handcrafted or machine sewn.

I am fortunate to have had what I consider to be two educations in pattern cutting within the apparel industry: one in traditional handcrafted techniques for haute couture and bespoke tailored clothing; the other in ready-to-wear fashions, for runway collections. Both these aspects form intelligent parts of a great industry. Each can learn from the other – the bespoke trade teaching traditional style, and ready-to-wear teaching fashion creativity. I have set out to combine techniques and teach a cross-section of methods that can be used to obtain a pattern personal to the style of the cutter, promoting individuality in patterns, and precision in style lines.

The task of condensing patterncutting techniques for ladies’ jackets into a single volume has been a considerable undertaking. In attempting it, I wanted to document an extensive view of haute couture, bespoke tailoring and ready-to-wear. The clothing industry as a whole is explored, utilizing flat drafting techniques and dress modelling on the mannequin for traditional and fashionforward styles of jacket.

I am grateful to everyone in every section of the trade who has collaborated with me over the years to contribute to the knowledge presented throughout this book.

Introduction

In modern couture, bespoke tailoring, and ready-to-wear, a pattern is used as a template to transfer the parts of a garment into cloth. The patterns are drafted onto paper or card, and are kept as a record, which can be used again and again to adapt into new styles – a process known as pattern making in the US, or pattern cutting in the UK. This book focuses entirely on pattern making for ladies’ jackets.

Author’s jacket on the dress form for Richard Nicoll show.

The ladies’ jacket is a garment cut in cloth, which is worn as an outer layer, traditionally as part of a suit, or as a sports jacket. Cloth has a two-dimensional form, and as a covering for the body, the fabric must conform to the threedimensional curves of the body and its prominent parts – the neck, arms, shoulders, bust, waist and hips. The jacket is comprised of several panels joined by seams and darts, and the shape of each panel must relate to the particular area that it will cover. This relationship between the cloth and body is called ‘the fit’.

The jacket will suspend naturally across the form, to the pull of gravity. The relationship between the cloth and the pull of gravity is called ‘the hang’. If the jacket hangs badly, the lack of alignment with the body and vertical pull of gravity can offend the eye, but when the hang is arranged correctly, it appears in harmonious order and ‘in balance’ to the wearer. To achieve perfection in tailored jackets can take years of experience, and a lot of patience, but with a little common sense and hard work, the basic groundwork starts here.

There are two main sectors of the clothing industry that will be discussed throughout the book: traditional bespoke tailoring, and the ready-towear market. The same principles of pattern making apply to both systems. Cutting a pattern for a ladies’ jacket can seem a daunting puzzle at first with its complex anatomical lines and formulae. This book introduces the process of drafting a pattern, and breaks it down into two methods: flat pattern cutting and the art form known as draping.

The objective is to draft a pattern for a jacket using a flat pattern cutting system, drape techniques, or a combination of the two.

Flat pattern cutting

The first system begins with drafting a master pattern known as a basic block, in the form of grids divided by anatomical landmark levels. This is retained as a master copy, and a first pattern is traced with added seam allowances and inlays. The method uses a flat divisional system, drafted by hand, on paper, applying geometry to the various measurements of the draft. The first draft is labelled as the basic block, comprising of one half pattern, with the intention to cut one pair in cloth. It will include a forepart, side panel, and back. Darts and seams are outlined to fit the neck, bust, hips, waist and shoulders. A two-piece tailored sleeve is also documented, separated as an under sleeve and a top sleeve.

The divisional grid system of a single-breasted blazer.

The basic block can then be used and adapted for design variations, adjusting style lines by moving seams and darts to alter the fit, shoulder lines, lapel proportion, and silhouette.

Style in cutting is explored in the form of the single-breasted blazer with one-, two- and three-button fastenings, and the double-breasted blazer with its various rows of show and functioning buttons. The iconic tuxedo is studied, introducing the traditional design details and its history, documenting modern updates to the jacket. Fashion in shoulder lines and sleeve heads is also considered, describing adjustments to the shoulder pad and pattern; style lines in collars and lapels are explained. An overview is given of the many design details that can be incorporated within the style of a jacket pattern.

The block is then transferred into a working flat pattern, by tracing a second copy from the master draft, separating the panels and adding seam allowance and inlays onto the net edges of the pattern. All balance notches are marked to indicate the landmark levels on the pattern. A facing, lining and all its internal structures can be plotted from the master draft, and pocket details are selected; and accompanying pattern pieces can be drafted.

The pattern can be made up in a test fabric, usually calico or muslin, and a first fitting can be done on a dress-maker’s mannequin, customer, or fit model, with the exact body measurements of the pattern. After the fitting, changes will be made, the pattern will be altered and a new toile re-cut until the designer and pattern maker are happy that the design is correct. This method is based around flat pattern making, and is called ‘flat’ because it is primarily done to the 2D pattern, on the pattern-making table, using blocks and measurements.

Flat-pattern drafting systems evolved in the 1800s and progressed essentially into two methods: the direct method and the proportional method. Both methods use measurements that are taken on the body, the form, or from an existing garment.

The direct method is used in ready-to-wear, taking body measurements and converting them into a standard size code, which can be used to manufacture multiple garments, from a sample size pattern, which is graded up to bigger sizes for retail.

The proportional method is a way of drafting blocks using proportional body measurements; the rest of the measurements are calculated based on the height, or working scale. It is an older system and has been well documented in historical tailoring literature. Traditional bespoke tailors on Savile Row, London (the home of British men’s tailoring) use the proportional method, and take a set of personalized measurements and make anatomical observations, respective to the client. Each cutter will have devised their own system, and working scale based on the basic principles of flat pattern cutting, advanced with experience of the fitting process. For several hundred years, uniforms and bespoke men’s suits have been crafted with a single set of measurements, and a series of fittings to perfect the shape. The outcome is then recorded as a final flat paper pattern, so that the client can return and order other garments.

Benson & Clegg bespoke tailors’waistcoat pattern drafted onto card, using customer measurements and the proportional cutting method.

The system introduced in this book uses a combination of proportional and direct pattern drafting methods. A comparative size chart has been included for the purposes of converting measurements into a size code; but also a comparable working scale has been applied using the bust size to apply widths and depths on some of the calculations. The size code that has been applied to all drafts is a US size 6, UK size 10. The working scale for a 36” bust and under is half the bust size.

The practice uses proportional measures, with the option to apply bespoke direct measurements to cross-reference while drafting the pattern; and measures from a jacket can also be applied into some of the instructions. The measurements required to plot the draft have been divided into proportional measures, direct measures and jacket measures.

Some of the measures are fixed; others are taken in motion. This is because we move: we don’t have fixed design lines like a dress form and therefore the numbers might easily differ when transferred into a flat pattern. Therefore the process has been divided into three stages of taking measurements, to incorporate stationary measurements (attained in a static straight line) and those in motion (captured in the action of bending the elbow joint to obtain the movement in the final measurement of the arm length). The final stage is to take dimensions from a jacket; it is advantageous to reference an existing garment with its already included increments. This three-stage system will advise where to increase the value of the measures to add ease into the pattern, at the correct pivotal points of movement.

It is widely recognized that taking body measurements and using those to create a pattern is the first step to obtaining a well-fitted jacket, but if all measurements are taken directly without carefully comparing them to a standard chart, then the block can turn out inaccurate, as our bodies can never be measured exactly. A comparative size chart and working scale will help the cutter to identify figure abnormalities, which may have been missed while obtaining the measures and observing the client. The working scale and size chart is an essential companion to evaluate the subject appropriately and allocate a size code.

To construct a jacket block, the reader can select a set of standard measurements from the size chart (which uses standard US, EU and UK sizing in metric and imperial), or insert a set of measures from the body or mannequin. Flat pattern cutting teaches a divisional grid system, by applying measurements, but this forms only the basic groundwork of the knowledge in the system. Experience in fit, and training the eye to observe, are essential to developing skill in pattern cutting.

It should be noted that all patterns have been drafted by hand, drawn in pencil, at a quarter scale of a full-size pattern. To obtain a quarter-size pattern the full size measures are divided by four. Should the reader wish to enlarge the patterns to their full size, this can be done using a photocopier or Photoshop.

When draping a combination of cuts, folds and tucks can transform a blank textile into a piece of artwork.

Author’s toile: a fold has been intricately draped into the lapel of a jacket.

Draping can be captured in illustrations on the figure or mannequin.

Draping

Draping is another way to obtain a pattern. An atelier will use the art of French modelling techniques (first mastered by artisans in Paris) to obtain innovative silhouettes. The atelier drapes onto the three-dimensional form a two-dimensional fabric, using gravity to aid the craft, with a combination of cuts, folds, and tucks to transform a blank textile into a piece of artwork. A pioneer in draping was Madeleine Vionnet, who revolutionized the art form using expanses of uncut fabric, ordered in geometric and curvilinear shapes, which when sewn and left to hang on the body would drape beautifully. Draping is reserved predominantly for bias draped gowns and dresses.

This technique can also be translated into tailored jackets, however: it is applied when the design is so complex that it cannot translate immediately to a flat pattern.

A design sketch can be illustrated after a muslin toile (or similar fabric in keeping with the desired cloth from the finished article) has been pinned or tucked to a desired style on the mannequin, to aid the design process.

The dimensions of the form must match the dimensions of the wearer, or intended size, and the form can be padded out with wadding or foam to achieve this. After the fabric is modelled in the desired fashion on the form, markings are made all over the muslin to help transfer the shape, as well as seam intersections, darts, pleats, and other details onto paper; this is so that when the muslin is flattened out on to paper, there is no later confusion. The markings are then transferred to a piece of pattern paper. It is from this drape that a first pattern can then be traced and the lines and measurements smoothed and checked, before a new first toile is sewn and ready for a fitting on a model.

Flat pattern cutting versus draping techniques

It has been established that there are two main approaches that can be taken when converting a design into a 3-dimensional object for the first time. The chosen method very much depends on the design that needs to be achieved, and the particular working styles of the designer and/or the pattern maker.

The two processes can be used side by side: neither is more correct, and there are times when one will be more effective than the other depending on the design and personal preference. Flat pattern making will be quicker for designs that are more traditional in style, or closer to existing pattern blocks previously developed, for designs that are closer to the body or more classic in nature, or for those pattern makers who feel more comfortable working in this method. However, flat pattern cutting can be restrictive in two dimension, which is why draping is sometimes preferred for more creative projects; points and seam lines can be plotted with ease on the mannequin, as it achieves a more three-dimensional perspective.

For designs that are more organic in nature, have more unusual proportions, seam lines, darts, lapels and collars, then drape is going to be the informed choice, especially for those who like to see and experiment with the design as they go along, rather than committing to one pattern straight off. It can also greatly influence the design process as the results can be sketched. There are also times when designers will work directly on the stand using real fabrics and apply embellishment or build up texture while the design is holding the shape of the human body. But in most cases the designer will want to be able to reproduce the design and will need to have a flat pattern for production.

It is my opinion that the most successful pattern drafting systems have been devised by using a combination of both flat pattern cutting and draping techniques, combining the proportional and direct pattern drafting methods with modelling on the mannequin. These pioneering new hybrid techniques for haute couture have made it possible to create innovative proportions, silhouettes, and details, which have influenced the new generation of fashion designers across the garment-making industry.

Who this book is for

This is a textbook for aspiring designers, fashion students, apprentice tailors, home dressmakers, or for pattern makers who want to further their pattern knowledge by means of visualizing techniques and systems. Many books available on the subject present strict points of view, with vague directives and no instructions on how to finish a pattern in its entirety. This book combines step-by-step teachings and tips, with a series of diagrams, photography and exemplary garments from international runway shows and the author’s own work. Instruction is supported with a basic teaching structure to understand the principles of pattern making, and includes studies of the broad array of style variations in jackets.

The goal is to develop a unique cutting language of your own, which is not discouraged with judgment and preconceived notions. Rigid, archaic tailoring systems can inhibit truly creative expression in pattern cutting. The key message of this book is that pattern cutting evolves constantly, and you will never stop learning; whether it is conducting challenging fittings or developing innovative shapes that require combinations of systems to achieve the desired results, a pattern maker has to be open to breaking the rules occasionally. But in order to break the rules a discipline must firstly be learned, one that requires constant observation, and practice. You should expect the results to be gradual and cumulative. However, once these skills are acquired they can be used to create beautiful jacket patterns.

Using this book

The ten chapters in this book can be followed in any desired order, depending on experience.

Students or apprentice cutters should start with flat pattern cutting techniques, using a size code; the suggested size for the blocks is a US 6, UK 10. The formulae in the step-by-step instructions are all calculated with the measurements for this size and give the correct value to be applied into the paper pattern. Practise drafting the blocks using the supplied measurements, with the included templates to assist with the drawing of true lines; and experiment with the style variations in later chapters. As soon as skills start to grow, take a set of your own measurements of a subject and try inserting them into the formulae to make bespoke patterns.

All patterns incorporate design elements into the process by considering details and silhouettes that will flatter the subject, for further exploration and development of skills. Photographs throughout the book will help to build a broad knowledge of details and silhouettes for designing the jacket, its lines, details, proportion and making a working pattern, acquired through flat paper techniques or draping on the form.

It is my hope that working with this book the reader will develop a jacket cutting style that is unique as their signature. Only through ongoing practice and experimentation will you be prepared to work with the spontaneity and imagination required to create stylish pattern cutting for ladies’ jackets.

1

Chapter 1Designing the Style of a Jacket

What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Style is instant language.

Miuccia Prada

This chapter deals with designing a jacket, by planning the pattern in the form of a two-dimensional sketch, as a figure illustration. It is important to resolve design at this stage: to decide fit, details, and proportion before drafting the flat pattern. Ideas can be draped on the form and photographed, then sketched from, but regardless of the preferred system to obtain a design, the process begins with designing the style of a jacket in the form of a sketch. The style considerations that must be studied before putting pencil to paper are explored below, as are techniques to hand draw an example jacket on the figure, using illustrative shading techniques step-by-step.

Fig. 1.1 Author’s jacket on the dress form, for Nicholas Oakwell Couture Show.

It is important to understand different styles in design and cutting for tailored jackets; it can take years of study to master the cutting techniques required to realize complex design silhouettes in patterns. It is advisable to start from the beginning, to explore the differences between style and fashion in tailoring, its history, and the design elements to incorporate into a jacket.