costuming, tailoring and pattern making for the theatre with an emphasis on menswear
Continuing on with some of the topics that Handmade PHD is attempting to make sense of through exploration...Side seam length and shape. Length- the front and back side seams in her sample trouser pattern should be the same length. In most trouser patterns they are. Is there a time when the lengths could be different? Yes, if it is an intentional design feature, or sometimes for shaping. (
So, Hello! I am back after a very lengthy hiatus - its funny how we lose interest or motivation over time for some of the things we do. Other platforms pop up and it satisfies something different or us, and for me I think I needed a break and IG seemed useful, but it has issues too and I guess I found that my thoughts are less "Insta" so to speak.but anyway......recently on Instagram....and her
In some areas of a garment we may want substantial support and we need to figure out a way to create that structure with interfacing. We want that structure to not compress, squish down or lose its shape over time. We don't want that interfacing in the seam allowances though because that will make them thick and bulky. The choice of structure
Once I have fused all the fabric and it is cut out, the pieces need to be marked. The style lines need to be seen from the right side of the fabric and some areas need to be stayed to prevent stretching out. Since we are in the fashion fabric, that means most of the marking is done by hand. This coat will come apart after the fitting, so it is essential to have everything marked beforehand.Here
Getting to the fitting stage.I was going to get one fitting for this costume. Seven years ago I made mock ups for the first fitting because a lot of decisions get made at that stage, ones I could not anticipate, and it is much easier to correct for fit and allow for design decisions when you aren't cutting into expensive fabric. Mock ups save time- mostly in sewing time, because
Isn't it funny how when you are busy you can find more time to do things than when you are not busy? Four months flash by.....I was working, but boy things feel strange theses days. I need to get back to my posts about making my coat and my thoughts on pattern drafting for women. but I am ignoring that right now and talking about something new.Anyway, onwards and upwards.I
To continue with my coat adventure, I thought I would step back a little and look more closely into the pattern development.I usually draft for men, and the process is direct as in I draft a shirt, or a waistcoat or a jacket from scratch. Tailoring doesn't start with a basic block, but women's wear does; a basic block is drafted and all the subsequent patterns are derived from the basic block.&
Time seems so fluid these days, I can't believe a month has passed since I last posted. I was thinking the other day about how the pattern making process is a mystery to a lot of people.I don't take the process for granted, yet I am at a different vantage point regarding pattern making than the average or even experienced home sewist. I have almost 30 years of experience
It seems that spring is here, and it is time to switch out the winter clothes for something slightly lighter. That makes me remember that I had another lockdown project I can tell you about. I made a coat for myself. I still have the first coat I ever made for myself, way back in the early 1980's. It was a Vogue pattern, I believe, I bought the fabric at Duthler's in London Ontario-
I have been trying out some new things this past year of Covid woe. For someone like me who is used to having problems to solve on a daily basis, this year has been a challenge in the absense of a sense of purpose and accomplishment. One of the things that I am using for a brain exercise, is learning some new things on the computer. I have been seeing so many
On this International Women's day, I want to acknowledge all the fellow women I work with, and have worked with over the years.Women who are tailors and seamstresses, cutters, dyers, milliners, craftspeople. Women who make jewellry, and boots, who dress the actors, stage manage the shows, buy the fabric, make the props, sell the tickets, manage the patrons, run the facilities and do a lot
I am sure that it is something many people already know, but for me I am not routinely inserting zippers into coats, but when you need to do it, you figure it out and get on with it. This sample represents a coat with a centered zipper, an offset facing, and has a Peter Pan collar. It was also quilted, but that is neither her nor there really, just an added layer!
I recently needed to produce a few garments for a child, and it occured to me that I had only one drafting book to reference for children's wear.That book is the Winnifred Aldrich's Metric Pattern Cutting for Children's Wear and Babywear. I have an older edition so out of curiosity I borrowed a newer edition just in case. I found there were some changes
Such sad news yesterday that Christopher Plummer had passed away.I made a number of costumes for him over the years.I cut his costumes for King Lear 2002 that went on to Broadway later. Sewn and constructed as usual by my talented teamDesigned by Clare Mitchell, directed by Sir Jonathan Miller.This one was for Caesar and Cleopatra. Designed by Paul Tazewell. Photo by
Okay, so apart from the basics of getting the swimsuit and lining cut out, there was a small sample to be made.On the neckline of the bodice, the elastic is applied differently than on the other edges. The front neck edge does not have a visible zig or cover stitch holding the elastic in place. The lining is used to bag out that edge. It is the left edge in this photo, where you see the zig on
Well, where are we?Oh yes, lets look at the next bathing suit I drafted. I had one successful pattern and contruction under my belt, so I felt this next one was worth using some fabric I had purchased but didn't want to waste on a trial garment.I had an existing tankini suit that had seen better days, and I liked the design of the top, but I felt that it never really fit me that well. You
In March of 2020, when everything shut down, I was up to my eyeballs in work. It was quite astonishing how in the previous year and a half we had gone from worry about not having enough work being available, to way too much work, and then absolutely no work at all.At the time of shut down, I had a large ongoing project for the new Swan Lake for the National Ballet of
Since I cleared out all my books from the theatre workspace, I had to find a shelf and space at the studio for them. Its rough but but at least I can see them. It was quite a job moving 30 years of stuff out of there and finding room for what I wanted to keep; patterns, tools, books, memorabilia, thank you cards,,,, you know the kind of things I am talking about.I still have a box of vintage
Good Question. Shall I get back to it? What is it I want to get back to? Not to make this tailoring blog a confessional, but these are questions that I am asking myself.Where do I go from here may be a more pointed question. The past three years (that is shocking!) since I last posted seem have flown by in a mishmash of illness and stress and just carrying on as best as I could.
Almost finished! Yay! I padded up a stand earlier in the fall, using a combination of measurements, and a former costume and some internet photos I found. I thought I should double check everything by trying the jerkin on the padded stand. I think it is pretty good. I have made it as alterable as possible. I basically made front and back components which were finished separately before being
I am off and running on the next project which is a quilted jerkin. this is for a gentleman with a size 56 chest, and I will not have a chance to fit him. I made my pattern block, then padded up a stand at work to his shape using a variety of photos as reference. Once I corrected the pattern, I marked it onto the base fabric. I also drew out all the quilting lines and sewed the darts.
Home again home again jiggity jig. That month away felt so long, yet went by so quickly if you know what I mean. It is refreshing to go to Montreal. There were so many wonderful cultural experiences to see and do. Here are some of the things I did while there. AURA amazingly breathtaking! watch the video! Leonard Cohen exhibit at MAC , Centaur Theatre, Boys with Cars&
First, a little photo from this evening as I was walking home after work! I love the light installations here in Montreal and especially these illuminated teeter totters at Place des Arts. They also make sounds as they are played on. It is so much fun to see so many people enjoying them. There was a Christmas craft show at the maison Durable, vendors there were selling crafts made from recyclable
NTS progress update. Week two is complete and we have been very busy. We being myself, expert sewer Lisange and our part time student assistant L. working on the menswear. Arrived on the Monday, met with our student designer, got organized and started drafting, as I had a day and half before Lisange would arrive to start sewing. Lets see, I have drafted 3 pairs of period breeches and a pair of
Off to Montreal. It has been a strange year in so many ways. I have let the blog languish due to so many things going on in life. I have lost an aunt, an uncle, and two brothers in law in the past eight months. The work stresses were also enormous this season, so I have taken a bit of time off from blogging just to regroup and see where I am going next. It turns out that "where I am