Sophie Rogerson : Cutting Edge

3D Pattern Cutting and Creation

My first week studying Fashion Design: 'Explore Creativity' at UEL began on the 26th September 2012. Having not designed my own pattern since much earlier that year, the prospect of creating my own pattern there and then seemed pretty daunting, but I soon got to work and enjoyed every step. Rather than adopting the usual 2D metric pattern cutting methods, I used pattern paper taped tightly around a mannequin to create a shell of the female body. I then identified the important points of the pattern such as the bust point and waist line. I then began adding style lines to the paper adding unusual shapes as panels and making sure they went through the important points of the pattern to ensure that the pieces later lay flat. I added notches and labelled each panel so that I could easily match each panel up. I then cut the pattern from the mannequin and separated each panel. I lay them flat, traced them onto more pattern paper and added 1 cm seam allowance. I then cut these pattern pieces out; labelling them for future reference. I then used these pattern pieces to create a toile of my creative garment and was please with the finished product as it fit the mannequin well and had some interesting style lines. I found this workshop very intuitive and thought provoking as I'd never used this method before but it was something that came very naturally to me. For any budding designers or pattern cutters out there I'd recommend using this technique to achieve a more proffesional, couture looking garment or if you want panels without the need for darts etc.