I have left the blog for a while, purely by mistake. I think I have been trying to concentrate so much on trying to get my pattern cutting started that I lost track of documenting it on here. Selecting my first design from my line-up of illustrations- I broke the look into pieces and began to three-dimensionally place it in my mind. I wanted to do a mixture of both draping and moulage on the stand but also flat-pattern cutting to develop a more interesting approach to the construction- but also to use both techniques and improve them so it becomes more natural to work in this way.
This is the first look I selected to take forward through to the three-dimensional exploration. I felt the aesthetic and attitude of the look combined both the feel of Grace Jones- yet a contemporary interpretation of her style simultaneously- without the piece looking laboured with all these elements.
Using a self-drafted bodice block- I cut the paper pattern and then manipulated it onto the form. Taking the flat-pattern itself, but manipulating it in a more three-dimensional manner. Cutting away elements from the back to reveal the detailing I want to place there and also the bulk to make the piece more form-fitting to the body. Using fashion-tape I also guided my lines across the form- again as another technique to create the fit and design I want from the look. Removing the piece from the stand (below image) then gave me a rough structure of the pattern I wanted to create.
Taking it back to the flat form- and re-tracing it- I was left with a structure that I will have to toile to see whether the fit is the look I intended. Within the pattern I allowed for the potential use of internal canvassing to again- define form and give support and structure to the look- undoubtedly an element I seem to be focused on achieving at this stage in the development. I feel I'm struggling slightly with this stage just due to the time limits on it and the need to have physical toiles by next Tuesday. This is the time that naturally will take the longest, for me anyway, and their will be potentially some compromises in the process I will have to make purely due to time constraints- which on reflection is the most frustrating part of keeping to a timetabled brief.
