Opus Relinque » couture

Simple Back Correction

Discipulus — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 16:12:28 +0000

Bought shirt, untailored.

Drawing darts in the back.

Basting, stitching ironing.

Elegantly tailored shirt.

Buying Gothic clothes is difficult, especially when they have to be combinable with made-to-measure items that are exact in size; making it often more rewarding to – instead of looking for a perfect fit – keep an eye out for minimal effort candidates, that can be easily accustomed into fitting one’s own shape and wardrobe.

Neckline Seam

Discipulus — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:46:49 +0000

The 8-piece bodice, readily made..

Upper- and under-collar, all set..

Their mutual seam, in progress..

The result, with added trimline.

Sewing the under-collar onto the bodice, making sure that all its bias layers show a correct direction whilst including an overlying one within the seam; leaving the upper-collar to fall freely until the lining is attached.

Variable Waves

Discipulus — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 19:45:59 +0000

After the body, sleeve and collar parts are brought to shape by the inclusion of hand-gathered ruffles, the next task is to adjoin them all onto the central shoulderdisk, which was modeled directly onto the body and foreseen with a layer of sturdy cotton that strengthens the disk in holding its weighty drapings. As the effect with which the depth of the ruffle pleat shortens its drop-length differs on various sides of the body, the gathering is worked high into the wide seam allowance, allowing for alterations, as getting the intended waist-line turns into a trial and error process of basting, fitting and improving the torso-seam, which is then to be repeated for the sleeves.

Collar Works

Discipulus — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:48:09 +0000

Contrary to the red-finished version of the cape, the new design shows a collar that has standing and falling sections in separate pieces, keeping the same semblance, but replacing the vertical middle-back seam with a horizontal one that tops the construction, a solution, far more suitable for this kind of high-texture fabric. Next to adding a lot of extra work to the equation, it also allows to vary between thread direction for visible and invisible sides of upper and under collar, delivering a superior roll whilst upholding continuity in grain.

It’s Gathering Time

Discipulus — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 19:14:04 +0000

Before the blue blouse can be assembled, its pieces need to receive their gathering, which for both body and sleeve parts occurs within the hemline, above the top-seam and at the piece’s middle for tailoring.

In order to obtain an even and fluid flux of fabric, all gathering is done by hand in a technique comprising of sewing in sets of two lines of equal-sized stitches (the combination of which ensures the material will continuously stay in place) which’ threads are gently pulled outwards, both ends at the same time, sliding and redividing wavy ruffles over the remaining width until the ideal pattern measurements are reached.

Days of Challenge

Discipulus — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:14:20 +0000

Day 2: finding a flawless layout.

Day 1: Redrawing all patterns.

Day 4: Interfacing the seams.

Day 3: Cutting the fabric.

No better than the first days into a project to show what impact seemingly aesthetic features can have upon construction; and such is the case for the golden trim-tape that is to be worked-in to overlay one side of the seams on the new cape design, shifting semblance in panel division to its own middle, calling for coherently adjusted versions of all pattern pieces, then to be laid out in perfect correspondence with the nap and shine characteristics of the raw silk, which after cutting, proves to be a very thin and loose weave, extraordinarily prone to deformation through pulling, requiring all seam allowances to become interfaced before handling.

Conjoined Collar

Discipulus — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 20:01:58 +0000

..stitched to the fabric collar..

The supportive lining..

..and folded in unison.

..joined at the base..

The lining construction that supports its shiny counterpart took considerably less effort to make, merging the prosperities of both established methods -maintaining a supple sturdiness without having double seamlines pressing through the soft silk top- in a uniquely prefabricated piece to which the whole blouse can be sown.

Initialization

Discipulus — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:59:41 +0000

On controlling this delicate fabric for faults I noticed a series of hard folds, pressed deep into the fabric structure from the less than careful way it had been spinned onto its roll, causing false pleats which are better avoided, diminutive as they may seem, as the error inflicted when copying patterns on top of them would be especially bothersome because the impact would differ between the left and right halves of the coupe; a due to strict material usage non-omittable premise, luckily well-correctable through exhaustive steam-pressing upto almost no visibility, re-setting a tranquil outlook to this earliest of producing stages.

Fashioning Fur

Discipulus — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:31:33 +0000

Where the dome construction consists out of horizontal layers, its fabric counterpart establishes the Decahat shape by merging vertical straps of fur, each individually cut and joined to the top piece, providing continuity in pile direction, with little stitches tightening marked edge-lines as to facilitate a genuine polyhedral effect.

Prestine Beauty..

Discipulus — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:04:39 +0000

..lies only in the eyes of a beholder capable of recognising true craftsmanship; so when the most difficult of seams is highlighted by the conjunction of contrasting materials placed in frictional pile directions, it takes a person with a most perfectuous drive to complete such travail impeccably… under his own eyes to judge.