Fitting and Draping workshop weekend.
I had a good weekend. My first weekend returning back to FFG to be inspired some more by the ladies (and the lone gent, rwfranz). This weekend's workshop was fashion draping and pattern drafting information given by Connie Amaden-Crawford, of Fashion Patterns by Coni. She's a former college professor for 23 years at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in L.A. along with a long list of accomplishments, and boy did she have stories and anecdotes to share with us all, including a few amusing jokes.
She was definitely a woman who had lots to say about her own accomplishments over the years. She claims to be the only pattern designer that makes patterns larger than size 2x (she goes to 6x), which is not quite true, as I know of Paw Print Patterns that designs to 5x, and have heard of others, including in the costuming world. I am glad she does draft her main patterns from a base 2x woman, actually many larger women were draped and fitted in order for her to create patterns that actually fit us larger women very well. I just wished her pattern line was more in style with what I might want to wear, although I will admit I am still not sure what I want, I just want it to fit well, which hers does from the model garments people were able to wear nicely just off the rack. I am not sure how the other designers draft their pattern models from, however.
She spoke a lot about how the "Big 3" pattern companies don't draft to a real person, but uses the industry standard "Miss Perky" dress model, which clearly shows how those patterns just won't ever fit on a real person. Even the "plus-sized" industry model is still perky, and nowhere as big and baggy as we get as we get bigger, or age. And to make things worse, there are small details in the drafting of the blocks that make any patterns designed from them to forever not fit larger women, where they will hang wrong or twist. It was very eye-opening and enlightening.
But now I know the basics on how to drape a form or person, including a method she says isn't in her books because those books are used by various design courses, so they teach to the one dart sloper method of draping. I just need a body to practice on. She also has instructions on how to make a personal body form using brown tape over a garbage bag. Our FFG group will be creating an interest group so we can make forms and learn pattern drafting from the books we bought and notes of the workshop. I also found one of the ladies lives just a major block south of me, so we will also be getting together to make our blocks and forms. I am itching to practice, to learn by doing, because I know it will take that practice time and again to get the info down in the brain. I just need to make a dress dummy to work on, and some time to do it in.
Personal time, what a concept now with two small children. It took two days to write this, in what small amounts of free time I had. I guess that's how it will be for a long while, doing what little I can in what few minutes I have free between the children's needs.
She was definitely a woman who had lots to say about her own accomplishments over the years. She claims to be the only pattern designer that makes patterns larger than size 2x (she goes to 6x), which is not quite true, as I know of Paw Print Patterns that designs to 5x, and have heard of others, including in the costuming world. I am glad she does draft her main patterns from a base 2x woman, actually many larger women were draped and fitted in order for her to create patterns that actually fit us larger women very well. I just wished her pattern line was more in style with what I might want to wear, although I will admit I am still not sure what I want, I just want it to fit well, which hers does from the model garments people were able to wear nicely just off the rack. I am not sure how the other designers draft their pattern models from, however.
She spoke a lot about how the "Big 3" pattern companies don't draft to a real person, but uses the industry standard "Miss Perky" dress model, which clearly shows how those patterns just won't ever fit on a real person. Even the "plus-sized" industry model is still perky, and nowhere as big and baggy as we get as we get bigger, or age. And to make things worse, there are small details in the drafting of the blocks that make any patterns designed from them to forever not fit larger women, where they will hang wrong or twist. It was very eye-opening and enlightening.
But now I know the basics on how to drape a form or person, including a method she says isn't in her books because those books are used by various design courses, so they teach to the one dart sloper method of draping. I just need a body to practice on. She also has instructions on how to make a personal body form using brown tape over a garbage bag. Our FFG group will be creating an interest group so we can make forms and learn pattern drafting from the books we bought and notes of the workshop. I also found one of the ladies lives just a major block south of me, so we will also be getting together to make our blocks and forms. I am itching to practice, to learn by doing, because I know it will take that practice time and again to get the info down in the brain. I just need to make a dress dummy to work on, and some time to do it in.
Personal time, what a concept now with two small children. It took two days to write this, in what small amounts of free time I had. I guess that's how it will be for a long while, doing what little I can in what few minutes I have free between the children's needs.