1880's Jacket

So I took a draping and flat patterning class last semester. It was fantastic. Really, really fantastic. I may have learned more in this class than in any other class in grad school. It is possible that this is because I had a relatively low base of knowledge to begin with. But anyway, it was great. I learned how to make really complicated things from nothing more than a vague pencil sketch and an idea. For the jacket above, here is the process: (more or less)
-Assignment: make a period jacket/bodice. 1880's.
-Research: Last Courts of Europe, The Cut of Women's Clothes, Patterns of Fashion.
-Design: Okay, this was not so much "design" as "sketch really fast."
-Drape: draped the body on the dress form.
-Pattern: Made the pattern from the draped pieces. Trued the pattern up. Made a one-piece sleeve to convert to a two-piece sleeve later. Flat patterned the collar and cuffs. Made patterns for the back pleats from the back pattern pieces.
-Muslin: Made it in muslin. Not the cuffs or the pleats, just the body, collar and sleeves. Fit it to Erin. Marked the one-piece sleeves to make them into two-piece sleeves. Patterned sleeves.
-Shopping: Bought heavyweight sage green wool with a white chalkstripe. So pretty... There was some (okay, 2 yds) left over, and if I could think of something to make with it, I would totally buy it from the costume shop and use it on myself. Also bought taffetta to line the collar and do the cuffs/flanging.
-Cutting/flatting: Cut everything out of the wool and a cotton. Flatted the wool to the cotton. This is so that sweat/body oil/whatever will not damage the wool.
-Sewing: Sewed body/collar.
-Fucking sleeves: Sewed one sleeve. Was not right. Sewed again. Still not right. Took it out, resewed body of sleeve, did the incredibly complicated silk-organza-tape-and-steam-it-upside-down procedure. Worked. Did second sleeve.
-Finishing bits: That taffeta steams like a charm. Made reams of bias tape. Flanged neckline and center opening. Made cuffs. Faced center opening. Made button holes, attached buttons. Made pleats. Bias taped bottom hem. Sewed on cuffs, added snaps, non-functioning buttons. All done!

posted by K @ 7/30/2006 03:14:00 PM