Sunday, 15 April 2012

Darts

Darts sculpt the fabrics surface into highs and lows. A shortened fold of fabric seamed to a point or between two points, a dart causes the level of the fabric to raise or drop in direct ratio to the amount of fabric it removes.

1.Standard 4 Darts: A single-pointed dart. This is a V-marked segment of fabric folded in half and stitched from the mouth of the V, which is always at the fabrics edge, to the vanishing point of the V, where the fabric elevates or dips.

2.Double-pointed Darts: A diamond shaped segment of fabric folded in half lengthwise and sewn from tip to tip. Double-pointed darts structure internally, raising or lowering the fabric at both ends of the dart seam.

3.Contour Darts: Long, single dart that fits at the waistline and then tapers off in two opposite directions to fit either both the bust and hip or the fullest part of the back and hip.

4.French Darts: These extend diagonally from the side seam in the hip area to the bust. The line can be straight or curved. These are made at the front of the garment.

5.Princess Seams:  These are shaped seams designed to fit the body's contours. It begins at the shoulder or armhole, front or back and running lengthwise to either the waistline or all the way to the hem. A typical princess seam will curve outward to accommodate the fullest part of the bust or back, then inwards to conform to the waist and lastly outwards to fit over the hips.

Tucks

Chloe
Dara Rosen
Marios Schwab
Roksanda Illincic

Meadham Kirchhoff





Tucks

Tucks are slender folds lifted from fabric and sewn at their base from end to end.

1.Standard Tucks: These are parallel folds in fabric. straight, sewn at an equal or slanted distance from the folded edge through two layers of fabric.There are four types:
-Pin Tucks: Narrow tucks, a pins diameter wide.
-Spaced tucks: Identical in width and visibility spaced an identical distance apart.
-Blind Tucks: Tucks without visible spacing in between because folds touch or overlap the seam lines of adjacent tucks.
-Graduated Tucks: A series of tucks that progressively increase in width with the visible spaces between also progressively increasing, matching the width of the smaller adjacent tucks.

2.Centred Tucks: Tucks with two folds made by centring each tuck over its seam.

3.Double-and-centred Tucks: These are subdivided with secondary seams into two parts which, when centred with one seam over the other, form two tucks stacked one on top of the other.

4.Tapered Tucks: Sewn with straight seams which move in an oblique rather than a parallel relationship to the fold.

5.Curved Tucks: Blind, spaced or graduated tucks that follow a curving path which usually parallels the curving lower edge of the fabric. The fabric flares below a curved tuck.

6.Shell Tucks: Narrow tucks with shell-like, scalloped edges shaped with thread carried over the folds at regular intervals and pulled taut. Shell tucks can be sewn by hand or machine.

7.Contained Tucks: Spaced or blind tucks wider than 1.3cm with folded edges that have been reshaped to curve at an angle.

8.Slashed Tucks: Spaced or blind tucks at least 1.3cm wide cross-cut at regular intervals between fold and seam. There are two types:
-Sharks Teeth: Tucks that are slashed more than twice and folded under on either side of the cuts to create points between slashes.
-Snip-fringed: Tucks that are slashed into narrow loops.

9.Cross-Stitched Tucks: These are tuck folds that are forced to elevate between cross-over stitching that holds the tucks down. There are two types:
-Undulating Tucks: Tucks that ripple back and forth between crosswise stitching that forces the tucks to change direction.
-Bow-tied Tucks: Centred tucks with folds tacked together midway between the crosswise stitching that levels the folds.

10.Cross-Tacked Tucks: Centred tucks with folds, hand-stitched together at intervals. There are two types:
-Bubble Tucks: Centred tucks that split open between stitches that squeeze the folds together.
-Cabled Tucks: Centred tucks that are spread open and secured with tacks,mid-way between other tacks that bind the folds together.

11.Partially Seamed Tucks: Tucks stitched with seams that are deliberately incomplete. There are two types:
-Released Tucks: Parallel tucks with portions of their seams unstitched, releasing loose folds from the seamed folds.
-Interrupted Tucks: Crossed tucks with unstitched intersections, creating puffs of fabric between the seamed folds.

12.Seamless Tucks: Tucks formed and secured with hand stitches at separate points along their length. There are two types:
-Cluster Tucks: Three or more fanned tucks assembled at regular intervals with hand stitches connecting the base of the folds. Cluster tucks stand up from the surface of the fabric.
-Tied Tucks: Tucks shaped solely with ties that enclose and crush the tuck fold at intervals. Tied tucks puff up from the surface of the fabric.

13.Pattern Tucking: Hand stitched pin tucking that denationalises designs with curving and angular as well as straight lines. Amid the ridges of the pin tucking, pattern tucked fabric shifts between smooth and puckery.

Gusset

A gusset is a piece of material sewn into a garment to strengthen or enlarge a part of it, such as the collar of a shirt or the crotch of an under garment. It gives a tapered element to the clothing.
Under arm gusset
Irene Luft
Derek Lam, Rachel Antonoff, Victoria Beckham

Gore

A gore is a triangular/tapering piece of cloth forming a part of something, structuring something.

Viktor and Rolf
Mary Katrantzou

Friday, 13 April 2012

Cording

Cording raises linear designs from the surface of the fabric. The cords are inserted inside channels stitched into doubled fabric. It brings elaborate interlaced compositions up from the surface with low relief modelling. There are three types of cording:

  1. Hand-sewn Corded Quilting: Two layers of fabric cover the cords confining them within the stitched channels, a combination that embosses an interlacing design into the surface.
  2. Machine-sewn Corded Quilting: Two layers of fabric covering cords confined within stitched channels, a combination that patterns the surface fabric with rounded ridges arranged in parallel rows.
  3. Surface Cording: Parallel tubular casings, raised and stitched into the fabric like tucks, that round out over the foundation when filled with cord.

Cording was used in the 19th century for petticoats among other things. Corded petticoats were used as structured under garments until the hoop skirt was invented. The stiffening of the cotton, muslin or linen with horse hair and the cording helped to hold the petticoat away from the legs. Other petticoats were worn over this to create a stylish look in the 1840s.


Surface Cording from the Colette Patterns
Anne-Sofie Madsen, Danish Design School
KTZ

Jason Wu A/W 12



Thursday, 12 April 2012

Wrinkled Pleats

Wrinkled pleats are irregular ridges and grooves set by bunching and scrunching damp fabric, securing it tightly and letting it dry. There are two types of wrinkled pleating:

  1. Broomstick Pleating: The damp fabric is gathered up, rolled around a cylinder and bound to hold until its dry. When unwrapped the wrinkled folds are one-directional.
  2. Contortion Pleating: The damp fabric twisted in a rope, coiled, knotted and dried in a microwave oven. When opened out the wrinkled folds are multi-directional.
Skirt from Etsy
Lanvin S/S 12