Innholdsfortegnelse for Designer Techniques Vol.2, Summer 2014 i Threads Magazine

Through nearly three decades, Threads has show cased the sewing techniques of fashion’s greatest innovators. Our magazine’s authors and editors have been privileged to discover and analyze master designers’ methods, gaining insight from personal interviews, studio visits, and the careful inspection of select garments. In Spring 2011, we introduced Designer Techniques Volume 1. Like the issue you now hold, it was a sewing tour through fashion history, revealing the methods and the philosophies of icons such as Norman Norell, Ralph Rucci, and Charles Kleibacker. This special issue is a sequel, and I believe one of the rare examples that equals its original. Here, in Designer Techniques Volume 2, discover additional inspiring instruction to create couture-quality clothing that looks, fits, and feels like nothing else, because it is one-of-a-kind. We carefully…

Muslin may be an inexpensive fabric, but a muslin test garment is worth its weight in gold. Time perfecting a muslin is time well spent. Without it, your efforts are a gamble; with it, your sewing path is clear. Working out fit and proportion issues at the experimental phase enables you to proceed confidently to work with the fashion fabric. A muslin (toile) is the essential first test or trial run for any finished couture garment. The word “muslin” can refer to the fabric or, as it does in this case, the working garment, which is typically made from muslin fabric. Unbleached muslin is affordable and easy to find in most fabric stores, but be sure to select one that’s sturdy enough for pattern and fitting purposes. If your design…

BASTE THE MUSLIN PIECES TOGETHER Once each section has been thread-traced, baste the muslin together by hand or machine. If you’re hand-basting, be sure to secure the beginnings and ends of each seamline. You will be tugging on the muslin as you work, and if your stitches aren’t secure, it won’t take much to pull them apart. With right sides together, sew from raw edge to edge without back tacking. Some people like to sew the muslin together so that seam allowances are on the outside and easier to modify, but I feel it’s more important to be able to assess fit and proportion by seeing the true silhouette. Having the seam allowances to the inside—as they would be on the garment—is visually cleaner. With all of my points of…

A couture touch, a special detail, a signature: designers since the dawn of haute couture have made flowers and trims from ribbons and fabric, but none is as famous as the Dior rose. The roses are made from oval-shaped fabric petals, which are cut and folded on the bias and then gathered and stitched together. The variations within this framework are endless. MAKE THE DIOR ROSE You can easily duplicate the elegance of Dior’s rose at home using organdy, satin, taffeta, or any fabric that harmonizes with your project. Begin by cutting football shapes from the fabric in small, medium, and large sizes. Suggested dimensions are shown in the illustration on page 32. Cut each petal so that the lengthwise axis is on the true bias. This gives a soft…

1 Catch a single thread in the rolled seam allowance’s wrong side. Catch it one stitch from the seam’s end. 2 Thread both ends of the thread from step 1 on the needle. The thread is now doubled. 3 From the garment’s right side, pull threads over the opposite side through the seam opening. Stitch to the wrong side. 4 Repeat step 3. Alternate sides three times to form a figure eight. 5 Insert the needle’s eye end through the opposite figure-eight loop. Pull snug. 6 Insert the needle’s eye end through the seam opening above the figure eight. 7 Wrap the threads twice around the figure eight. Stitch through the wraps and pull snug. Hide the thread tails in the seam allowance roll, as in photo.…

1 Machine-baste the pieces along the traced lines, but don’t catch the lining. Pin the fabric pieces together along the hand-basted seamlines. Use a walking foot and a long stitch length (I used 5 mm) to join the fabric pieces, and hold or pin the lining out of the way as you stitch. Try on the garment to evaluate the fit, and when satisfied, stitch the seams. Remove any stray basting lines. 2 Press the seam allowances open, then trim. Using a sleeve board to isolate the seam, press the seam allowances open. Trim them to about 3⁄4 inch (leave as much as you can to strengthen the seamlines, but make sure the seam allowances clear the nearest line of quilting). Press open the seam allowances again. 3 Overlap the…

When I sew, I always look to the masters for inspiration. So when I plan on making trousers, I turn to Yves Saint Laurent. According to the designer’s biographer, Alex Madsen, Saint Laurent believed that women—like men—should have a core wardrobe with a jacket and trousers; and, of course, he was just the designer to provide it. His tailored trousers were first introduced in his Fall/Winter 1966 couture collection and appeared soon thereafter in his Rive Gauche retail boutiques, and with that, a wardrobe basic was born. Of course, it didn’t hurt that French actress Catherine Deneuve bought a pair at the Paris Rive Gauche boutique on its opening day. So, what is it about this basic man-tailored trouser that has driven other designers and manufacturers to copy it in…

1 Draw a line parallel to and 6 1⁄4 inches from the center front (add or subtract 1⁄8 inch for each larger or smaller pattern size). Mark points A and B. 2 Square a line at point B and mark point C. Connect points A and C (mouth line of 2 pocket). Line AC should measure 5 1⁄2 inches long (extend down to 6 inches if you want a larger pocket). 3 Draw stitching lines at the top, bottom, and sides.…

1. Attach the longer band to the right front, right sides together and from the center back to the fly-facing seamline. 2. Cut the tab facing from garment fabric the length of the tab plus the fly facing width plus 1⁄4 inch to turn. Press 1⁄4 inch to the wrong side, and attach the tab to the fly facing waistline seam only, stopping at the flyfacing seamline. 3. Fold the fly facing to the wrong side. Blend into the previous seams, and continue stitching the band tab to the tab facing around the tab’s end. 4. As you get to the fly opening, lift the pants out of the way and place the grosgrain edge right side up along the band seamline. Overlap the tab facing’s folded edge. Stitch the grosgrain…

This one-piece gown is made from three layers of silk chiffon, each 31⁄3 yards long. Akira cut each layer in a different color (orange over shades of yellow), so the overlaid layers create different color effects as the wearer moves. The pattern shown is a size 6, but it can be graded easily after scaling it up by slashing along the underarm lines; add 1⁄4 inch to each side of both slashes for each size, then tape the pattern back together. Slash at B1, so it will still match B. If you’d prefer to make the dress with a right shoulder strap, flip the pattern over. To cut the pattern from 45-inch-wide fabric, piece the fabric as shown, with plain seams, pressed open; the bottom layer’s seam allowances should be…

Gene Meyer was a master at creating understated, sophisticated garments with minimal seaming but intricate details. His women’s wear designs from 1989 into the 1990s evoked memories of the ’50s and ’60s. However, Meyer’s fashions were designed for a woman who wanted to look like a fashion goddess while enjoying the ease and informality of contemporary clothing. Before Meyer turned his ener gies to menswear, he specialized in made-to-order fashions. I visited his salon several times and observed his workrooms; the cut of his garments and the techniques from his workrooms are valuable for any one who would like to sew fine garments. Although Meyer’s designs were generally assembled using industrial, not couture, techniques, clients received a great deal of personal attention as well as individual fit tings. Meyer ex…

1 Cut a fabric strip 1 1⁄4 inches wide on the lengthwise grain. Fold it in half with right sides together; stitch a tube slightly wider than the boning. Turn the tube right side out. Fold the raw edges in on one end and stitch. Insert the boning. Trim and fold the remaining end to one side; sew securely. 2 Cut strips for boning channels, the desired width of the channel plus 1⁄2 inch. Press edges under 1⁄4 inch. 3 Center the strip over the channel lines. Anchor as needed with pins. Edgestitch, pivoting at the bottom corners. 4 Insert the covered boning. Sew across the top.…

FINISH SEAM ALLOWANCES BY HAND Valentina’s machine sewn seams are pressed open and the edges are finished with silk thread and hand overcasting (right). In a few places, the edges are overcast in both directions—a technique called “cross your hand.” CREATE DELICATE HAIRLINE SEAMS 1 Thread-trace the seamlines with long basting stitches. With the right sides together, baste and stitch the seam. 2 Baste the seam allowances together 1⁄16 inch from the stitched seam. Baste with matching thread so the stitching doesn’t have to be removed. 3 Fold the seam allowances to one side. Use lightweight silk thread to overcast the folded edge. Trim close to the overcasting. APPLY MICRO BIAS BINDING 1 Mark the edge. Thread-trace the finished edge with long basting stitches (yellow). On the garment side of…

Designer Madeleine Vionnet used her genius to merge diverse cultural influences with Cubist and Art Deco principles and create beautiful garments. As award winning designer Tom Ford says, “Vionnet is, with Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, one of the three greatest couturiers of the last century. Her cut inspired generations of couturiers.” Her fashions drew from the same inspirations as the linear silhouettes and tall buildings of the time, such as the Chrysler building, yet also reflected an awareness and celebration of the organic, sensuous, and athletic human figure. Vionnet believed the couturier should be a geometrician, and she used squares, rectangles, and circles to adapt her designs to the human form. She brought together in her garments the elements of the human form in motion, fabric characteristics, and the…

DETERMINE THE SEAMLINES A wide seam allowance gives you plenty of leeway in fit and design and is essential to making adjustments. To add seam allowances, you have to mark the seamlines on the muslin; therefore, you first have to locate and mark them on your commercial pattern. With the advent of multisize patterns, seamlines are no longer printed on commercial patterns; typically, they’re 5⁄8 inch in from the cutting lines, but always check the pattern instructions. Measure in from the cutting line using a ruler, and mark all the seamlines on your pattern. Before you move on to the fabric, make any necessary adjustments, such as length or size alterations, to the paper pattern. You’ll refine things later, of course, but if there are changes that you know you’ll…

In the list of iconic fashion garments, there are a few that are included without fail: the little black dress, the crisp white shirt, the belted trench coat, and the Chanel jacket. What they share are an uncomplicated elegance and a clever marriage of fabric, fit, and design. But in none of these garments is the partnership more splendid than in the Chanel jacket. With the added element of sewing techniques that brilliantly bring the design to life, it’s no wonder the term “classic” so aptly applies. Coco Chanel (1883 to 1971) encouraged women to dress with ease, confidence, and elegance. Her garments were astoundingly different from the tightly corseted garments of the not-sodistant Belle Époque, and they suited a generation of women who were entering the workforce, driving motorcars,…

MAKE THE PATTERN 1 Draw stitching lines for the upper pocket. Add 5⁄8-inch seam allowances. 2 Draw stitching lines for the underpocket, extending the pocket to the waist. Add seam allowances. 3 Trace cutting lines and grainlines onto pattern tissue. ADD A FACING 1 Serge one long edge of the facing. 2 Align the facing along the pocket edge. Topstitch the serged edge. 3 Baste along the outer edges. ARRANGE POCKET BAGS When you’re done, the pocket layers should look like the cross view.…

1. Clip the machinebasted portion of the seam holding the zipper to the fly shield, and fold the seam allowance open. 2. Attach the waistband from center back to center front, and press the seam open with all seam allowances toward the band. 3. Fold the shield over the pants front and band. Bend the zipper tape across the seamline at the waistband seam. Stitch to the top of the band across the tape. Trim the excess tape. 4. Press the shield lining’s long straight edge to the wrong side at 1⁄2 inch, then place it, right sides together, over the shield. Stitch at 1⁄4 inch from bottom to top of band. 5. As you approach the folded edge, place the remaining grosgrain strip edge along the seamline, overlapping the…

For many years, I’ve admired the designs of American designer James Galanos. His alwayselegant creations, whether ultraluxe eveningwear or delightfully detailed daywear like the suit at right, are made of the most magnificent European fabrics, with lines that can make any woman look and feel beautiful. But it’s the quality of the workmanship and the inner construction that give me goose bumps. Finishing of this quality isn’t uncommon in custom-made haute couture, but Galanos Originals are ready-to-wear garments, designed to be sold off the rack and altered for the client, if needed, by the retailer’s alteration department. Frequently described as the most expensive ready-to-wear in the world, it’s also among the most exquisite. Use a paper shaper A paper duplicate or “shaper” of each pattern piece is a precision guide…

SEAMS  1 Separate the layers to twice the seam allowance width. Clip the binder threads to do so. 2 Machine-stitch the outer layers together. Press open. 3 Grade the seam allowance of the inner layers. 4 Fold the trimmed allowances under along the seamline. Slipstitch together. EDGING 1 Topstitch at twice the hem allowance width from the raw edge. Separate the layers to the topstitching. 2 Apply plain-weave tape to the wrong side of the outer layer with hand stitching. Don't penetrate to the right side. Trim corner for miter. 3 Fold the hem allowances to the wrong side.…

1 Mark the horsehair position. With the skirt right side down on a table, push the upper layers aside to expose the backing, and straighten the skirt as much as possible at the hemline. Thread-trace the hemline, but don't trim the hem allowance. 2 Use 3-inch-wide horsehair braid; the hem allowance needs to be wider than the horsehair. Lay the braid on the skirt so the edge with the thread is toward the waist. Align the lower edge of the braid with the thread-traced hemline. Carefully pin the braid to the skirt backing, keeping the skirt flat as you work so the braid isn’t too tight or too loose. Baste the lower edge to the backing. 3 Shape the braid around the hem by pulling the gathering thread. When you…

ALENÇON LACE—A fine needlepoint lace in which the motifs are out lined with heavy cordonnet. APPLIQUÉ—A surface embellishment that is made by stitching fabric or lace pieces to another fabric. ARMSCYE—Armhole. BASTE—To temporarily join fabric pieces with large, easily removable hand or machine stitches. BIAS—Any line diagonal to the crosswise and lengthwise grains. “True bias” is on a 45-degree angle to the selvage, and allows for the most stretch in wovens. BOUCLÉ—A heavy wool fabric woven with looped yarn. BOUND EDGES—Raw edges that are covered with strips of fabric or trim. CATCHSTITCH—A strong hemming stitch that forms a row of crossed x’s. Also used for basting. CHARMEUSE—A soft, lightweight drapable fabric of silk or synthetic fibers, having a semilustrous satin face and a crepe-like back. CHEMISE—A dress that falls from…

USE DRESSMAKER’S CARBON TO MARK THE MUSLIN Transfer all the stitching and registration lines to the muslin: grainlines (I usually lengthen them so they run the full length of the pattern piece), notches, darts, waistline, bust apex, pocket-placement lines, design details, hemlines, center front, center back, boning placement, buttons, buttonholes, etc. I use large sheets (26 inches by 39 inches) of professional transfer paper (RichardTheThread.com). You can transfer information by sandwiching a folded piece of transfer paper between two layers of fabric, but I use a more accurate method. Pin your pattern pieces to the muslin, paying strict attention to grainlines. Then cut out each muslin section. There’s no need to measure seam allowances exactly, but make them at least 1 inch wide. Then roughly cut the pieces. Remember, it’s…

1 Mark the first stitching lines on each fabric layer. Place them 1⁄8 inch outside of the final seam or hemline. 2 Hand-baste layers, right sides together, one stitch away from the first stitching line. If one seam is on the bias, machine-baste the bias side and ease it in to lie flat against the straight seam. Work out the exact amount of ease needed with a realfabric test garment. 3 Using contrast thread and with a paper strip underneath, stitch the first seam one stitch inside of the basting to the end of the seam. Stop, leaving long thread tails. 4 With contrast thread, sew along the marked hemlines, starting and stopping one stitch away from the seam ends. Pull the threads slightly at the curves to ease (this…

1 Fit a muslin, then use the muslin pieces as your pattern. When you are pleased with the fit, rip out all stitches and press the pieces flat. To help align the muslin pieces along the lengthwise and crosswise fabric grain, cut off the seam allowances, and draw grainlines that extend to the seamlines on each piece. Lay out the fabric in a single layer, then carefully position the full set of muslin pattern pieces along the fabric’s grains. Using doubled contrast thread, baste around each muslin piece to clearly identify the seamlines and hemlines. Then cut each section with at least a 2-inch-wide seam allowance. “Luxury must remain almost invisible, but it must be felt…”—Coco Chanel 2 Layer the lining and fabric 2 piece, then quilt vertical lines about…

Sometimes the difference between an ordinary garment and a designer piece is a few well-chosen but simple details. This is the case with a Calvin Klein skirt I purchased. At first glance, the skirt didn’t seem exceptional in either design or construction, and I wondered whether its high price tag simply reflected its label. But a closer look revealed that, while no single element of the skirt was extraordinary by itself, the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. I have come to love the skirt’s simple, classic lines and the way it flatters my less-than-perfect figure. The skirt’s details—among them, its angled double-welt pockets and freehanging lining secured at the waistband—are smart and classic. Here, you will find information on how to incorporate the details of this…

The essential little black dress: Coco Chanel referred to it as the “Ford Model T” of its day; Audrey Hepburn seldom comes to mind without picturing her in her Breakfast at Tiffany’s dress, and it continues to appear on every list of iconic fashion garments. But what makes the little black dress so coveted? In short, it’s little—typically, fairly close to the body and at least somewhat fitted; it’s black—that universally slimming color; and it’s a dress—not a suit, not a long gown. But a truly outstanding little black dress also has interesting style lines and design details; it can go from dressed up or dressed down with a quick change of accessories, and when created with couture dressmaking techniques, it receives its celebrated due. To walk you through the…

1. Place the zipper right side down along the raw edge of the left front fly opening. Be sure the stop is aligned with the notch. 2. Baste the fly shield right side down over the zipper, catching the zipper. Using a zipper foot, stitch close to the outside of the zipper from notch to within 1 1⁄2 inches of the waist seam, then lengthen the stitch and baste to the waist. 3. Stitch the fly facing to the right front fly opening from the notch to the waist with a 5⁄8-inch seam allowance. Press the shield open (check that the zipper slides easily), then grade the facing seams and press the facing to the wrong side. 4. Align the fronts, right sides together, along the crotch seam and stitch from…

Akira Maki arrived in New York in 1974, after three years of training with one of Japan’s top designers, Madame Minami, a specialist in the art of bias. Within two years, Akira was the guiding hand behind Halston’s biascut line, and soon became Halston’s chief assistant designer for eveningwear. After launching his own business in 1981, Akira continued to be a champion of the bias cut. The Akira look is soft and feminine, full of gathers and diagonal draping, often presented in bold colors, but always in delicate and seductive fabrics. Nonetheless, Akira’s view of design is far from romantic. He is a rationalist at heart, having learned from Madame Minami that all dressmaking can be regarded as a problem in mathematics. For the curious admirer of his work, this…

Madame Grès’ fame rests mainly on the draped and pleated silk-jersey or chiffon evening gowns in the classical mode that she created for more than 50 years. Her work is known for its prodigious use of luxury fabrics in a personal method that is timeand labor-intensive and virtually impossible to copy, but it provides inspiration for anyone who makes clothes and loves fabric. Madame Grès’ contribution to haute couture is a legacy of timeless clothes. What every sewer can learn from her is an awareness of the special qualities of each fabric, plus a willingness to experiment and use fabric in unconventional ways that enhance its essence. FROM SCULPTURE TO COUTURE DRESSMAKING Madame Grès was raised in a bourgeois Parisian family, where she was taught dance, music, and art, especially…

Paris is considered the birthplace of haute couture fashion, but American designers practice this highest level of design and construction, too. One of the most renowned couture designers of the 20th century is Arnold Scaasi. Although the term “couture” is applied loosely in America—generally to luxury ready-to-wear, which has little resemblance to French haute couture—even a cursory visit to Scaasi’s workroom before it closed in 2010 revealed that his was, indeed, a couture atelier. Dress forms padded to match clients’ measurements lined the hallway just outside two large workrooms. Dressmakers, finishers, tailors, and drapers were hand sewing at large tables or fitting garments on customized dress forms; only a few sewing machines were in sight. The cutter was carefully laying out and cutting one garment at a time. At Scaasi,…

Valentina attracted the attention of the New York café society in 1923 when she and her husband came to the United States. She was beautiful, elegant, and had unsurpassed style. Five years later, she opened a successful shop, despite the severe economic downturn of the Great Depression, and helped transform American fashion and create American couture. According to Caroline Milbank in Couture: The Great Designers (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1997), Valentina’s success was knowing her personal style, attracting others to her “vision,” and designing “for them as brilliantly as she did for herself.” She was known for the long, flowing dresses she designed for socialites. Valentina created the wardrobes of the Duchess of Windsor, Mrs. William Randolph Hearst, and Doris Duke, and for women with careers such as the Hollywood…

Valentina grew up in the Kiev region of the Ukraine. Already a striking beauty by the time she was 19, the aspiring actress left the Ukraine when the Bolshevik battles broke out in 1918. She went first to Kharkov, then to the city of Sevastopol on the Black Sea a year later. There she met a lawyer, George Matthias Schlee, who had excellent social skills and good political connections. In 1920, the collapse of the White Army forced Valentina to flee with Schlee and his mother to Constantinople. They moved on to Paris in 1921 with hopes that Valentina would find acting jobs and Schlee could reestablish himself as a legal adviser for the many Russians who had escaped to France. One of Schlee’s first clients was Leon Bakst—the designer…

Zandra Rhodes doesn’t simply make dresses, she creates works of art; they simply happen to look best when displayed on the female figure. Her gauzy and glamorous fantasy creations are collected by royalty, movie stars, and social queens. They are found in the study collections of the most important museums in the world. Instantly recognizable, the dresses are masterpieces in fine fabrics such as silk and chiffon, and they are embellished with Zandra’s inimitable, exclusive, handscreened designs. “I never intended to design dresses,” Zandra Rhodes told a group of surface designers during a U.S. tour. “I studied textile design at the Royal College of Art in London. And, after graduating, I first tried to sell my textile designs to the big fabric companies, who thought my work too extreme, and…