Draping. The new way of drafting.

As part of this term at Uni, we've been allowed to pick certain workshops that we thought might be useful to ourselves and our studies as either designers or makers. As a maker I chose the Draping on the Stand elective. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I signed up to it, but my word is it different to anything I imagined.

If someone said the word draping to me, I would automatically assume flowing dresses, lots of fabric and smooth lines. What we've been doing over the past three weeks couldn't be further from the truth.

So far we've been creating various historical garments (mostly bodices) that are exactly what you'd need to create a pattern. In other words, draping on the stand is the alternative to paper pattern drafting. Although incredibly technical and hard in its own right, draping on the stand is, to me, far more beneficial, interesting and involves a lot less maths!

Here's a quick look at some of the garments we've done do far.

A modern, basic darted female bodice. Front and back.

18th Century Polonaise Front and Back

Sack Back Dress Lining and Full Dress

Learning how to cut on the stand has increased my confidence and knowledge of how to create garments. Who knew that just by cutting and pinning squares of calico onto a stand you could successfully create any style and form of garment that you want.

I feel that this is one of the most useful things I've learnt so far in my studies, and might just be my new prefered way of creating a pattern.