CLOTHING CONSTRUCTION

Transcription

1 CLOTHING CONSTRUCTION EASY SHAPES FOR STYLISH GARMENTS for Rigid Heddle and Multi-harness Weavers JUDITH SHANGOLD This booklet is copyrighted by Judith Shangold and is for your personal use only. Additional copies are available for purchase as pdf downloads from

2 Dear reader This material is an introduction to creating woven garments. It is by no means the complete story. Every project for me has been a learning experience, and my main lesson is that nothing is ever perfect. The glorious (and expensive) cashmere I used for the Off the Grid jacket sheds and snags. The fabric for Silky Jacket feels wonderful, but it wrinkles very easily, some of the chenille is worming, and the silk is already pilling. The Chenille Jacket came out shorter than I had planned. Oh well. My next project is always going to be the best. My interest is in exploring fashionable and wearable clothing construction ideas that require little or no cutting and, because I am not a seamstress, not too much sewing. My other interest is in color and design. Though I have a 4- harness loom, I do most of my weaving on a rigid heddle loom using only one heddle. So I am limited to plain weave. What excites me is what can be achieved with fiber and color choices. I have provided you the shapes I have woven, but not the specific measurements or materials or pattern stitches. I hope to inspire you to design your own fabrics that you can make to your own measurements. More detailed patterns for some of these designs are available on my website: I am also happy to consult with you and answer any questions you might have. Please me at Thank you and enjoy! TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Guidelines for Designing 3 Tools of the Trade 4 Details: Armholes, Necklines, Seams, Hems, 4 Washing and Fulling Design: Getting Ideas 6 Measurements and Calculations 6 DESIGNS, SHAPES AND SCATICS Wraps / Ruana Easy, no shaping 8 Off the Grid Jacket Easy shaping 12 Tees Involves cutting out neck and knitting 14 Chenille Jacket with Pocket A little more shaping, no cutting 16 Canyon Jacket with Shawl Collar Easy shaping 18 Silky Jacket No shaping, but knitting knowledge needed 20 Down the Garden Path Jacket Easy shaping with knitting 22 Silk Shirt Easy shaping 24 Mesa Tapestry Vest Easy shaping with knitting 26 Project Notes Template 28 Resource Guide 29 2

3 GUIDELINES FOR DESIGNING As weavers, we are capable of creating fabric that can be treated like any manufactured cloth. Armed with a sewing pattern and a sewing machine, we are good to go. Or we can create woven shapes on the loom and design them to become a garment. This is my focus. The garments presented here are constructed of very simple shapes that look well on most body shapes because they drape well. There is very little sewing required. All of these garments were created on a 20" wide rigid heddle loom. Because of the width limitations, I either wove 2 sections for the back to achieve the right width or added width to a single panel with knitting. If you have a wider loom, you could possibly weave the back of a jacket in one piece. Following are some guidelines for starting to design and construct garments. 1. KNOW THYSELF Shop and try on different styles, things you might not normally try on. Look at the shapes of the pieces you like. Take a notepad and tape measure into the dressing room with you. Turn the garment inside out; it s easier to see the pattern shapes. Draw diagrams of the shapes and indicate the measurements. 2. STUDY FASHION MAGAZINES AND CLOTHING CATALOGS Trace the garment on the model and try to break the garment down to its simplest shapes. Once you ve determined the shape of a garment you want to make, the next step is to design it. Consider the direction in which you are weaving; do you want vertical or horizontal stripes? Vertical lines in garments are flattering. If a weaving pattern is going to read horizontally, consider putting some vertical stripes in the warp. Draw the shape you will be weaving and use color pencils to play with design and color. 3. UNDERSTAND DRAPE Does the fabric need to drape softly into folds or do you want a more structured fit? For fabric with good drape, you need to start with fibers that are soft and flexible like silk, rayon, bamboo, cashmere, some cottons. The type of weave you choose will also effect the drape. 4. DO A MOCK-UP You can test how a shape will fit you by cutting the shapes out of muslin and quickly stitching the pieces together. This will tell you a lot in a quick, inexpensive way. Then you can make modifications for a better fit. You can also use permanent markers to draw on the muslin to see how your design ideas will work on your body. 5. SWATCH A good idea if you want to be sure your choices will work the way you think they will. With a rigid heddle loom, you can put on a short, narrow warp. With a warp length of 30", you would get about 15" of weaving, enough to tell you how your fabric will look and feel. 6. MORE IS BETTER Don t forget to allow for take-up and pull-in. Always allow for more warp length than you think you ll need and better too wide than too narrow. You can always make it smaller and shorter! 7. TAKE NOTES! Write down everything! Your starting width and length, width and length off the loom, width and length after washing, finished size. Yarns used. Patterns used. What you wished you had done. What you learned. 3

4 TOOLS OF THE TRADE Helpful tools beyond your weaving equipment: Sewing machine that will zigzag Sewing thread, needle, straight pins, iron Sharp scissors T-square and triangle for making straight lines and squaring material Fusible interfacing is good for backing fabric if you want it stiffer or to have more body. This is good for bags or jackets that require more structure. It also helps seal raw edges. The piece will require lining. Digital scale (fairly inexpensive ones are available at Staples or kitchen supply stores), preferably one that weighs in ounces or grams. This is helpful for weighing yarn in your stash and for calculating how much yarn you will need. If you know the yards per gram/oz or lb, you will be able to calculate the number of yards you have. To calculate what you will need for knitted areas, knit a swatch, measure and weigh it. Let s say your swatch is 2" X 2" or 4 sq inches and weighs 1 oz. If you want to knit 16 sq inches, you would need 4 oz. DETAILS: Armholes, Necklines, Seams, Hems, Washing and Fulling TO CUT OR TO SHAPE - THAT IS THE QUESTION The answer to this question will be based on : 1. Whether the fabric will shrink significantly in washing. If the answer is yes, you should probably choose to cut out the shapes after washing and drying. 2. Are the shapes rectangular, diagonal or curves? Rectangular shapes, like armholes and square necklines are easy to shape on the loom. Diagonal shapes, such as raglan armholes, and curved lines, such as necklines are easier to cut. SHAPING ON THE LOOM Use for straight lines like armholes Many of the schematics for these designs show gray areas in the warp. These are areas of waste that will be cut away after the piece comes off the loom. Figure 1 shows the weaving shape for the Off the Grid jacket shown on the cover. The gray areas are the armholes. Weave the sections that say "hem" for with a separate shuttle but same yarn as the main body. Weave the gray area with a separate shuttle and waste yarn for 2". 2" In Figure 2, the black sections are hems; the turquoise area is waste. Either weave these sections simultaneously with the main piece of weaving using a separate shuttle, or weave the main piece first and then weave in the waste. The first method allows you to use the beater; with the second method, you will have to use a fork to beat down the waste area. When the piece is off the loom: Zigzag along dotted red lines along the last row of black. Wash and full fabric. Cut warp and remove waste (figure 3). Trim warp close to zigzag stitching, fold hem to wrong side, roll raw edge under and hand stitch hem in place. 2" FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 FIGURE 3 4

5 SEW AND CUT Use for curved and diagonal lines like necklines, body and sleeve shaping For a rounded neckline for a pullover, for example, it is easier to cut out the shape than to shape it on the loom. Follow these steps (see page 13): 1. Weave the front of your piece to the shoulder. Mark side edges for shoulder seams. Weave more. 2. Outline neck opening, using thin yarn in contrasting color threaded through yarn needle. This is the line along which you will sewing machine stitch and then cut. After hemming, the finished opening will be wider and ½" deeper. 3. Finish weaving the back. Remove from loom. Zigzag stitch around neck outline as well as along top and bottom edges of weaving. Wash and full fabric. Cut out neck opening. Trim warp close to stitching. Roll hems. If you are going to cut fabric that will pull in a lot when fulled, wash and full the fabric first; then outline, zigzag stitch and cut the fabric. Be sure to plan for extra width and length to compensate for the pull-in and include ½" for seam allowance. SEAMS By Hand There are 2 kinds of seams needed for most clothing. Figure 1 shows the Figure 8 stitch which is good for joining 2 selvedge edges that butt up to each other, most commonly side seams. Figure 2 shows a Blind stitch, which is good for joining rolled hems, most commonly shoulder seams. If you are joining a rolled hem to a selvedge edge, use the Figure 8 stitch for the selvedge edge and the Blind stitch for the rolled hem edge. FIGURE 1 FIGURE 2 By Machine If you are seaming cut edges or if you want to lose some fabric, machine stitch leaving ¼" - seam allowance. Raw edges can then be rolled under and hand-stitched in place S Allow at least at top and bottom edges of all woven pieces for hems. Zigzag stitch along top and bottom of woven piece. For edges that might show on the front, roll raw edges under and hand stitch in place. For wrong side hems or those that will be covered with lining, you could machine stitch hem binding to the raw edge and then hand sew hem in place. SLEEVES There are several ways to think about sleeve shaping: Weave rectangles and cut away extra material: Wash and full fabric, outline shape including ½" seam allowance, zigzag and cut. Shape the pieces on the loom. Think about what you can do to a rectangle to give the sleeve some shape such as pulling the fabric together at the cuff with a pleat or gathers. For Off the Grid (left), the bottom edge of the sleeve is woven with a slit (see p. 11) and overlapped. The sleeve for Silky Jacket is pleated. WASHING AND FULLING Washing your weaving is critical to its feel and drape. Remove the piece from the loom and machine zigzag all raw edges and along all edges that will eventually be cut. Do not cut or remove waste yarn until after washing. Decide how much you want the fibers to meld together. Use luke warm water and either agitate by hand or use the gentle cycle in the washing machine. For a felted look, use a cold rinse. Keep checking and work in small increments until you receive the desired effect. 5

6 DESIGN The following pages show you shapes for several different types of garments. The fabric you will create is yours to design. GETTING IDEAS Getting inspiration from resource material helps break you out of your color and design comfort zone. Look at textiles, pictures of textiles, textures and stripes in nature water patterns, trees in the forest, sunsets, rocks. Look at paintings. On the following page are examples of watercolors I did from textiles, photos and paintings. These stripe designs can be interpreted into warp patterns. USING PHOTOSHOP To visualize a plaid design from your stripe pattern, follow these steps: 1. Scan your painting and open it in Photoshop. 2. Under Image, choose Duplicate. You now have 2 files open of the same image. 3. Rotate one of the files 90 degrees. With the Selection (Rectangular Marquee) tool, select this image and with the Move tool drag it on top of the other file. 4. In the Layers window, type in 50% for the Opacity of Layer 1. Voila! A plaid. EXERCISE Using tracing paper, trace one of the photos in this packet or from a magazine. Draw and color in some design ideas. Stripes, plaids, color blocks. Keep in mind which pieces will be made from the same warp and think how you might change the design from one piece to another while working on the same warp. Having a second warp for sleeves provides the possibility of a whole different pattern for the sleeve pieces. MEASUREMENTS AND CALCULATIONS To make something that will fit you well: Measure yourself correctly. For width, measure around the widest part of your chest. Add ease. Allow AT LEAST 2 inches of ease. More is better. Add more ease for a heavier fabric than for a light one. You can always take it in, but you can t make it bigger. Add allowance for seams and hems. Allow for pull-in (width), take-up (length) and shrinkage of your weaving. Again more is better. Add width and length to your desired finished measurements. WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING! Page 21 is Handwoven s author requirements for Project-at-a-glance. Use this to help you keep the correct notes. This will help you when planning future projects. 6

7 NAVAJO TEXTILE NAVAJO TEXTILE PHOTO OF TREES PHOTO OF TREES PHOTO OF TREES PAUL KLEE PAINTING Plaid created in Photoshop (see p.6) PAUL KLEE PAINTING 7

8 WRAPS Woven length on loom: 53" Finished length: 50" Weaving width: 17" Finished width: 15" 1 neck opening 14" seam Fold 25" Woven length: 54" Finished length: 5 + 4" fringe each end For no fringe: Weave an additional 10" and roll hems. Fold 13" seam 13" seam Woven width: 18" Finished width: 16" 8

9 As seen in Handwoven, May/June 2011 With the long border edge up, mark the center point. Measure 10" to each side of center and place pins. Stitch one end of the neckband to each of these points. Mark the bottom edge (the non-border long edge) at 24" from each short end. Fold point A to B and point C to D and sew the lower edges together for. These are the armholes. Try it on. If desired, sew a hook and eye to the front edges. Or make braided or twisted ties. 74" on loom / 72 finished Border Make neckband 7 X1/2" and attach ends to points E and F. 10" 10" E F 18" in reed center C 24" D B 24" A 9

10 RUANA WITH SHAWL COLLAR 10

11 11

12 OFF THE GRID JACKET HANDKERCHIEF VEST SPLASH JACKET as seen in Handwoven, Fall

13 The width of the warp is the length of the jacket. The length of the jacket shown here is the longest possible length on a 20" wide loom. You can make a longer jacket on a wider loom. Decide on the width of the back. Make each front the same width as the back. The sleeves are double the width of the armhole. If the armhole is 10", then the sleeve would be 20" wide. If the warp for the jacket is also 20", you can do all pieces on one warp. The sleeve cuff for Off the Grid is slit down the middle; use a separate shuttle for each half. Overlap the halves and sew on button to finish. The cuff for Splash is pinched / pleated and a button is sewn to each side. BODY woven in one piece (same for 3 garments pictured on p. 9) jacket length : 20" on loom; 18" off loom hem LEFT FRONT 4" SLEEVES Off the Grid: Woven with slit, sides overlapped and sewn in place with button. Splash: Woven without slit. Edge of sleeve pinched and sewn in place with buttons. hem hem side "seam" Cut here BACK hem hem hem waste side "seam" Cut here 10" 2" 4" RIGHT FRONT Warp hem hem 20" 1. Wash all pieces. 2. Roll hems at front edges, armholes and top of sleeves. 3. Fold sleeve in half and sew into armhole (see p. 5, figures 1 and 2). 4. Hem bottom of sleeves to desired length. 5. Pinch, pleat or overlap bottom edge to create desired shaping. SLEEVE - top rolled edge 4" shoulder seam 13

14 WOVEN AND KNITTED TEES A B 14

15 WOVEN AND KNITTED TEE A: shown in a mix of silk and rayon ribbon. B: shown in a mix of cotton and rayon ribbon. A and B sett at 10 dpi. hem knitting weaving knitting 18" for photo A; 12" for photo B 2" ½" hem 9" 2" ½" hem shoulder ½" hem Decrease 1 st at these edges every right side row Cutting neckline - see pg 5 outline and cut line final opening - 10" wide 2" down from shoulder in front; down from shoulder in back hem KNITTED SECTION Work with one or more of the yarns used in the weaving. Knit a swatch and experiment with different stitches. Calculate and write down the gauge. A stitch I like because it actually looks like weaving is Linen Stitch (use an odd number of stitches): Rows 1 and 3 (WS): Purl. Row 2: K1, *sl 1 with yarn in front (wyif), k1; rep from *. Row 4: K2, *sl 1 wyif, k1; rep from *, end k2. Repeat rows 1 4 for pattern. Hold the weaving with the right side facing you. Pick up a stitch between every 2 wefts, i.e. pick up a stitch, skip 2 wefts, pick up a stitch. This is generally the correct spacing. You should pick up as many stitches per inch as your gauge. 15

16 CHENILLE JACKET 16

17 CHENILLE JACKET shown in a mix of rayon chenille, silk, merino lace, rayon ribbon, sett at 10 dpi. COLLAR LEFT FRONT Gray areas indicate areas woven with waste Zigzag stitch and cut on all red dotted lines Armhole measurement is half the width of the sleeve. If the maximum width of your sleeve will be 18" (after pull-in and shrinkage), the largest armhole is 9". Pocket flaps get folded up and stitched along the side edges. Collar pieces meet at the center of the back neck. If you want front pieces wide enough to overlap, work them on a separate and wider warp than the back. See Canyon Jacket, p. 15. LEFT BACK 4" COLLAR 3.5" 8.5" - 9" armhole RIGHT FRONT RIGHT BACK length to armhole 5" 4" POCKET WARP 1 - FRONTS WARP 1 Continued - BACKS 17" - 18" WARP 2 - SLEEVES 17

18 CANYON JACKET 18

19 CANYON JACKET shown in Manos Wool Clasica sett at 8 dpi WARP 1 FRONTS WARP 2 BACKS WARP 3 SLEEVES RIGHT FRONT 4" collar Length to shoulder LEFT FRONT Length to shoulder Desired length 3" 3" 3" wider than back pieces for shawl collar 20" weaving width 18" after washing Sizing example: If the desired finished back measurement is to be 24", create a warp for the back pieces at least 14" wide. That would allow 2" for pull-in, shrinkage and sleeve allowances and leave you with 12" in width for each piece. When sewn together, the back would be 24". For the fronts, you need to add 3" in width for the collar to fold back; create a warp 17" wide. Finishing note: I made a tuck at the back shoulders for a better fit - see photo p

20 SILKY JACKET 6" 3" 20

21 SILKY JACKET shown in lace weight silk (double stranded), rayon chenille and sea cell, sett at 10 dpi, better at 12 dpi. LEFT BACK 2" 2" Fronts are woven wider than backs so they can overlap. Corners are turned under for 2" at dotted lines and sewn in place. Leave hems at top and bottom of each piece. Zigzag before cutting and roll hems. 3.5" KNITTING Knitted yoke is worked sideways starting at the shoulder edge. 5.5" BACK FRONT Pattern stitch: With A, k 2 rows. With B, k1 row, p1 row. RIGHT BACK shoulder edge RIGHT SIDE Want more knitting instructions for these pieces? Contact me. 3.5" FRONT BACK 5.5" 12" LEFT SIDE LEFT FRONT SLEEVE 2 RIGHT FRONT SLEEVE 1 See schematic p. 17 for armhole dimensions. Fronts 2" wider than backs for overlap 20" - 18" after washing WARP 1 WARP 2 21

22 DOWN THE GARDEN PATH 22

23 Fold fabric to inside on dotted line for neck shaping. LEFT FRONT RIGHT FRONT width of sleeve needs to be twice the depth of the armhole 18" finished for 9" armhole length of sleeve WARP 2 RIGHT BACK LEFT BACK Black triangles are knitted gussets. Pick up sts along edge and work short rows for desired measurement. Knit or weave collar and cuffs. WARP 1 23

24 SILK SHIRT 24

25 25

26 MESA VEST As seen in Handwoven Sept/Oct 2011 A winner of Våv / Handwoven Garment Challenge 26

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28 PROJECT at-a-glance for: Weave structure Equipment Loom (# shafts): Weaving width: Reed: # of shuttles and/or bobbins: Yarn amounts Warp yarns and amounts: Warp order and length # of ends: Length: Color order (attach a chart if necessary): Warp and weft spacing Sett (ends per inch): Width in the reed: Picks per inch (measured on the loom as you are weaving): Weft yarns and amounts: Specific yarn information Attach a 6" piece of each yarn (tape one end of the yarn above its specs). Warp: yarn names, yds/lb, color Weft: yarn names, yds/lb, color Fabric measurements Length of fabric measured under tension on the loom (keep measurements as you weave): Length of fabric after it is removed from the loom: Width of fabric after it is removed from the loom: Length of fabric after washing and drying (indicate if measurement includes hems or fringe and give the separate measurements of each): Width of fabric after washing and drying: 28

29 RESOURCE GUIDE FASHION WEBSITES Style inspiration Very expensive magazines to buy, but look at the preview pages online Allows peeks into very expensive trend magazines Easily constructed garments CATALOGS featuring loosely constructed clothing COLOR AND DESIGN Brodatz, Phil, Textures (Dover, 1966). A photographic album for artists and designers Edmaier, Bernhard, Patterns of the Earth (Phaidon, 2007). Guild, Tricia, On Color (Rizzoli, 1993). OTHER WEBSITES Look for Darryl Lancaster s columns on weaving garments Dress form mannequins made to your size. On my wish list. WEAVING BOOKS Patrick, Jane, The Weaver s Idea Book, Creative Cloth on a Rigid Heddle Loom (Interweave Press, 2010 MAGAZINES Handwoven (Interweave Press) Selvedge 29