The Making of a Dress

COUTURE: Insights into the making of a dress crafting with silk chiffons, crepe de chine and applying couture sewing techniques. What reference book to use to achieve the best results in couture sewing. And, who originated couture pleating? Making of a dress by hand pleating bias chiffon Working with a quality chiffon is a good start in hand crafting bias pleats. This technique requires "patiences of an angel" with an awareness of feel in your finger tips. Constructing narrow pleats by delicately folding fabric on to itself, equal width and depth, clean edge, slowly shaping around the bodice pinning in place to hold. Once you start, the process becomes almost meditative as you keep your eye on the marked bias grain. In this attempt in [...]

From Idea to Action: How to start?

COUTURE: What starts the creative process in actually moving from an idea into action? How to start? This is what exactly happened to me over the last 18 months with the - Xeni Cotton Rose Headband. I started reconnecting with my sewing machine with a project called — ‘the face mask’ — well, not really pleased with outcome and feeling disappointed thinking how plain and boring this piece is…… If I was to create what would it be? I played around with the recommended cotton fabric for the mask project cutting different widths of fabric. Remembering ‘How to make a Rose’ from my Couture class at Parson’s. Would the cotton fabric work as a rose? Of Course! I broke all the rules: not cutting on [...]

Title

Go to Top