Another in between but the illustrations are very clear- not a drafting system but how to alter patterns and also a handy guide on how to adjust a corset and making your own bust form (hint making a fitted lining and put over a standard form- hen pad to fit. Good instructions on stay tapes to prevent stretch.)
pdf now!!!!! OMG!!!! i LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this book. I use the pattern diagram for my Victorian bodices and it talks about things totally not thought of. Like how to smooth the layers of the bodice from under the side of the bust to over, and then pin the fronts to shape. This is because the lining won’t stretch as much as say a wool shell and this makes the fabrics work together.
It also talks about feather boning which is actually made from feather quills!
A word about perfect systems of cutting, which will do away with any necessity for trying-on, may not be out of place: every dressmaker hopes to find one, and learns system after system in the vain endeavour. If such a thing were possible, tailors would have discovered it before this ; the costliness of the material they work upon, and the difficulty of making alterations upon firm cloth, as compared with soft dress materials, would ensure their straining every nerve to master knowledge so very desirable and essential ; and the really marvellous fitting without trying-on which is done by many dressmakers as well as tailors would seem to declare that the knowledge has been mastered ; but those same tailors and dressmakers know that the risk of alteration being required has always to be faced, in spite of careful measuring, of a pattern bodice at hand to compare with, and of the most minute care having been taken with every step of the work from first to last. It is well for less experienced workers to be very careful and painstaking, and not to expect too much from the cutting only. Perfect cutting must be followed by perfect making-up if everything is to be perfect throughout, and such perfection cannot be ensured as a matter of course to every worker, be she clever and experienced or altogether otherwise, simply by the cutting-out.
The book is really stuffed full of information, and really is my go to for late 19thC bodices.
Full of how to’s for construction, including how to use gathers and
When there is a great deal of material to gather into a small compass, the gathering stitch has to be discarded, the intervals between the stitches being too wide to sew across. Then the material is evenly pleated up and sewed as pleated to the belt, shown in the uncompleted portion. The advantage of this gathering over real pleats is that the gathered pleats are upright, and the material below hangs freely, while pleats are sewed flatly into the belt and confine the material more.
pg 38
Narry a comment about these being cartridge pleats at all. Because they aren’t, if anthing hanging pleats would be more accurate.
Yay! Need to do an equipment must have and equipment would really love list 🙂
But in the mean time I an looking at doing a designer vs Cosplayer: The Red Queen hypothesis in action talk and a proper semi hands on patterning talk.
The patterning would be mainly about the basic engineering and maths with a few “this defies planning so here is what to look out for” bits thrown in. So how weave works and that yes seams have a purpose and despite what pattern drafting books say you can’t just redraw them however you like. Because fabric is not paper. And the body is not able to be mapped in 2D as easily as drafting systems say.
But on the other hand how drafting can save a heck of a lot of time in the planning stages and is a more cost effective start than draping. And you can plan for issues even if you have to tweak or totally change them later. And you can work to scale, oh yes.
I’d kind of like to address the convoluted curves issue of the front of the armscye/sleeve head and seat, because those are not just a pita for home sewing but are often areas that have sacrifices made at the manufacturing level. Like especially the seat seam of women’s trousers. Got that uncomfortable bifurcated look? it’s not you it’s the freaking manufacturers saving money. And it’s incidentally a really really really really strong case for why you can’t just add from one seam to another. This is why!
So this is not only great for learning some basics and learning them well and pretty easily, but it’s a fascinating look in to the past. This is for Ontario schools but I have read some similar books for the US, not so much elsewhere. I suspect that is more due to lack of these being shared on sites like Project Gutemburg.
Speaking of which, I have several hundred manuals to link to, I’ll try and do a master list for my site (under the header construction) because wow, seriously wow. Some of these books explain terminology that we still use. And what has been dropped and why- generally many modern fitting woes are down to trying to force more pieces from a length of fabric. A really good item is here: Yep, that is the title, and yep this is the main cause. If you get a good fitting pair of pants for goodness sake take a pattern because you will want to copy it it over and over again. My Regina bodysuit is my go to for four panel bodysuits.
It’s also a really good example of how you can’t just take from a pattern in one place and put it somewhere else despite what a lot of drafting books might suggest.
