‘Draping‘ method
As with the ‘join the dots’ method, safely supporting the garment with tissue paper puffs and rolls also remains the essential starting point when using the draping method. This method too requires developing a light touch. In order to gain confidence when manipulating the muslin, it is good to practise this technique first on a modern garment or a garment from a museum handling collection that has not been accessioned.
Mark the warp and weft grains on the garment with crossed coloured threads as in the ‘join-the-dots method’ (see figure 7.15).
A good way to estimate the size of the muslin needed for draping is to measure the overall length and width of a panel at its longest points and add 5 centimetres to each measurement. This will give an excess of about 2.5 centimetres all round for manipulating the muslin inside the garment. If the piece of muslin is too big it will be more difficult to manoeuvre. Pull out a vertical and horizontal thread to mark the straight grain and the weft grain. The holes where the threads have been removed will produce a cross on the muslin (see figure 7.20). Align the holes marking the straight grain on the muslin with the red thread along the straight grain on the garment (see figure 7.21). It is essential that the warp and weft grains on the garment and the holes in the muslin match exactly. Use entomological pins (see figure 7.12.1) to secure the muslin to the garment where the red threads cross the seam line and then into the seams around the edge of the panel. Using a different coloured thread and small running stitches mark the seam lines around the edges of the panel on the muslin (see figure 7.22a). Check that the running stitches are exactly over the stitching line on the garment seam. Carefully remove the pins, gently lift off the muslin and lay it flat on a table. Take measurements of the edges of the garment panel and note them on a sketch. The sketch does not have to be drawn to scale – it is just to record the measurements in order to check them against the tacking lines on the muslin.
Draw a cross on a sheet of tissue paper and place it over the lines of holes in the muslin, aligning the cross with the holes. Using a sharp pencil trace the shape created by the running stitches on the muslin on to the tissue paper. This will give the basic shape of the panel. Alternatively, a cross could be drawn on a sheet of pattern paper and the muslin placed on the top, again matching the cross on the paper to the pulled threads in the muslin. Using a tracing wheel10 transfer the position of the running stitch lines on the muslin to the pattern paper underneath. This will give a line of small pin pricks indicating the shape of the panel. Join the pin pricks with a sharp pencil line to establish the shape of the panel. Use whichever method you find easiest to control.
Figure 7.20 Pulled threads mark the warp and weft on the muslin. © Author.
Figure 7.21 Aligning the muslin straight grain against the threads marking the straight grain on the garment. © Author. Photography Janie Lightfoot.
Check the measurements around the edges of the pattern against the garment measurements on the sketch and adjust as necessary. Muslin is a very flexible fabric and it is almost impossible to be absolutely accurate when tracing off the pattern, so checking the measurements of the pattern against the garment panel measurements is essential. As well as the length of the seams, also check the width measurements at the bust and waist positions, and that the overall shape of your pattern is the same as the garment panel, as movement in the muslin can sometimes distort the shape slightly. Adjust any uneven lines. When you have finished your pattern, it should fit neatly over the garment panel inside the seams. This process is then repeated for all parts of the garment.
Figure 7.22a Tacking the shape of the panel onto the muslin. © Author. Photography Janie Lightfoot.
Figure 7.22b Muslin with tacking lines making the shape of the back panel of the bodice. © Author.
Figure 7.22c Sketch of the beginnings of a check list of garment measurements. © Author.
If there are darts in a garment bodice these can also be replicated using the draped muslin method. Pin the muslin in place around the edges of the front panel matching the grainlines as previously explained. There will be excess muslin in the areas where the darts are situated. This excess fabric can be pinned into darts corresponding to the ones in the garment underneath. Lift off the muslin, mark either side the pins holding the darts with running stitches, remove the pins in the darts and flatten the fabric. The running stitches will show the shape of the darts. Trace the outline of the panel and the darts onto tissue paper to create a pattern. Often it will be easier to do this from the outside of the garment. This would work well for the blue striped silk bodice (see figures 7.23a and b). The straight grain will be easier to follow on the blue striped silk than on the linen inner bodice. Access to the shoulder area will also be easier from the outside but always check the finished pattern against the measurements of the inside of the panel.
Figure 7.23a Showing double darts in the cotton lining inside the front bodice of a blue striped silk dress from the 1860s. Courtesy of Zenzie Tinker Conservation.
Figure 7.23b Outside of the same bodice showing the darts and the striped warp of the fabric. The stripes correspond to the straight grain when making a pattern for a toile. Courtesy of Zenzie Tinker Conservation.
If the darts in the muslin are very large with a lot of excess fabric, check the construction of the darts in the garment. Often the seam allowance will have been reduced to give a smoother fit through the waist. If this is the case the seam allowance on the darts in the pattern can also be reduced correspondingly. This will give a much neater finish and more subtle shaping can be achieved. Even if the garment has a fitted lining obscuring the seam allowances, it is usually possible to gently feel along the darts and get an indication of how much seam allowance has been left beside them.
Figure 7.24 Using the draping method to make a pattern of darts. © Author. Bodice, courtesy of Zenzie Tinker Conservation.